Thunder71 wrote:Legal issues aside...
There are companies that do this with photography. The rent high end camera bodies and lenses, some of these lenses are $5,000-$10,000 and more. Not something most people own, but if you need one you can rent it.
But that's a rocks and apples comparison for legal purposes.
There are a couple of companies doing outdoor optics as well:
http://www.optics4rent.com/ is one.
http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/master-class/2013/05/best-idea-optics-rental-binoculars