Renting a camera for a wedding in Bengaluru: what to get, what to check
In short
For a family wedding, rent a full-frame mirrorless or DSLR body with a 24–70 mm f/2.8 zoom and a 50 mm f/1.8 for low light, plus two batteries and two memory cards. Pick it up the day before the first function to test it, and check the lens glass, card slots and sensor at handover.
Match the camera to the function
Haldi and mehendi are usually daytime and outdoors, so almost any recent body works. The sangeet, the reception and many muhurthams happen in halls lit by warm stage lights and lamps, and that is where cheaper cameras struggle: faces turn orange and grainy above ISO 3200.
If the evening functions matter most, rent a full-frame mirrorless body such as a Sony A7 III, Canon EOS R6 or Nikon Z6 II. They stay clean at ISO 3200–6400 and their eye autofocus holds a moving face in a dim hall. An APS-C DSLR like a Canon 200D or Nikon D7500 is fine for daylight functions and for a guest who wants better photos than a phone.
Lenses that cover a whole wedding
- 24–70 mm f/2.8: groups, the stage and the mandap from a few metres away. If you rent one lens, rent this.
- 50 mm f/1.8: candid portraits and low light. Small, cheap to rent, and twice as bright as the zoom.
- 70–200 mm f/2.8: from the back of a crowded hall when you cannot walk up to the mandap. Heavy; rent it only if you will be far from the action.
- A flash you can bounce off the ceiling (a speedlight) for the reception, where the light is behind the couple.
How many days to book
The rental runs from handover until the owner has the camera back, so book from the evening before the first function to the morning after the last. For a three-function wedding that is usually four days. The extra evening lets you learn the menus, set the date and time, and shoot a few test frames in a dim room at home.
A long wedding day can fill 1,500–3,000 frames. A mirrorless battery lasts a few hundred shots, so ask for at least two batteries and a charger, and use two memory cards if the body has two slots (set the second slot to back up the first).
Check it at handover
Lumo asks both of you to photograph the camera at handover and again at return, so note any scratch you see before you leave. Then run the checks below; they take about five minutes. The deposit shown on the listing is held by Lumo and settled after the owner confirms the return.
Protect it during the functions
Change lenses indoors, not at a dusty outdoor haldi. Keep the camera off the floor of a crowded hall, use the neck strap, and keep a dry cloth in the bag for sprinklers and rain: Bengaluru's wettest months are September and October, and evening showers can arrive without warning.
Handover checklist
- Shoot a frame at f/11 against a white wall: dark spots mean dust on the sensor
- Look through both ends of every lens for scratches, haze or fungus
- Format a card in each slot and take a test shot in both
- Autofocus locks on a face in a dim room
- Two charged batteries, the charger and the cable are in the bag
- Lens caps, rear caps and hoods are all there
Typical prices in Bengaluru
| Type | Per day | Deposit (about) |
|---|---|---|
| Mirrorless cameras | ₹800–2,800 | ₹5,000 |
| DSLR cameras | ₹500–1,600 | ₹3,000 |
| Lenses | ₹300–1,800 | ₹3,000 |
| Lights & flashes | ₹150–1,000 | ₹3,000 |
| Gimbals & stabilisers | ₹250–1,500 | ₹3,000 |
Lumo catalogue ranges for Bengaluru; each owner sets their own price, and the deposit is held by Lumo. All rental prices
Questions
Should I rent a DSLR or a mirrorless camera for a wedding?
Mirrorless, if the reception or muhurtham is indoors in low light: full-frame mirrorless bodies stay cleaner at high ISO and track faces better. A DSLR is fine for daylight functions.
How many days should I rent a camera for a wedding?
From the evening before the first function to the morning after the last, so you can test it at home first. For a three-function wedding that is usually four days.
What if the camera gets damaged at the wedding?
Tell the owner and report it in the Lumo app at return. Lumo compares the handover and return photos and settles any damage from the deposit it holds.