Second Camera Body

The Greek

The Greek

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Chris
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How many non pro's own a second camera body and why?

I can see some advantages like not having to swap lenses reduce dust etc, but does this really outweigh cost and weight of lugging two camera bodies about all day.

I am asking because I am tempted to buy a second body for the exact reasons I've mentioned above.

Your thoughts please.
 
Ive just bought a second camera body. I swapped my system from Canon 5dmk3's to Fuji xe2. Absolute joy to carry around compared with lugging the canons. The second body was for all your above reasons, great to have the big lens at my fingertips when I need it instead of having to stop and change for all of 5 mins then change back again.
 
I got more than a 2nd body :rolleyes:, if i am out for the the day i don't want to give up if one body fails,also as Karen has said i may want to work with two different lens without needing to swap around all the time.
If i go away from home i would take 3 bodies :)
 
As a hobbyst I own two bodies, a full frame and a 1.6 crop body.

Two reasons;
#1 I have a backup body when doing shoots for "clients" or important events even as a hobbyst.

#2 And this is mostly when shooting hand held indoors and in low light
I can go from normal/wide to short tele just by picking up the second body.

Like this.
(1) 85mm @ f2 on a fulll frame body
My Day (18) by dicktay2000, on Flickr

and
(2) 35mm @ f2 on a crop body. My son took this photograph and he has never ever changed a lens. I just told him to pick up the other camera.
My Day (9) by dicktay2000, on Flickr

In good light it doesn't matter so much especially if you are willing to use a "superzoom".
 
I have 3 bodies I usually use although I only tend to take 2 out with me. Depending on what I'm shooting will dictate whether it's a combination of 1.3, 1.6 crops or FF.

I have a fourth body which is an older 1.6 crop camera which I'll take on holidays, nights out etc because it still takes bloody good snaps and if that gets wrecked it don't matter so much.
 
I have a Nikon D200, which I bought on import. Because it was an import I chose not to sell it when I got a D300 because I would have lost too much. When I started going abroad I took the D200 as a back up in case the D300 went kaput on holiday. I don't normally carry both around though.

I bought a Canon S95, and one of the things I wanted to do with it was timelapse by installing the Canon Hack Development Kit. (CHDK) But I couldn't get it to work, (wrong firmware installed :() so I decided to use the D200 for timelapse rather than rack up the activations on the D300S. And it is turning out rather well for it.

I always have the S95 with me, so when I have the Nikon with me I have two cameras. The S95 is a fraction of the D200 though. ;)
 
My photography 'needs' have evolved over a period of time. So I'm lucky to now have a variety of systems and I choose the most appropriate to suit the situation / my mood.
The choice is usually driven by weight constraints, flexibility, quality, genre, the best lens for the job, ......
So, my systems currently include 35mm rangefinder, 35mm SLR, medium format (6x4.5 and 6x6) and large format (5x4 and 10x8).
For landscape and architecture with few weight constraints, I'll use large format. For street, It'll usually be 35mm rangefinder. For everything else, I'll usually use the largest format that is appropriate.
 
I've just purchased a second body (so now I have a pair of D7000s) because I've been asked to second shoot a wedding, not sure I could justify (with the missus) having one permernantly unless I was nearly constantly getting paid tog work.
 
i still have a 40d which i suppose you could call a second body but it doesn't get used much
the reason i hang on to it is i'd rather keep it than let go at it's current value and it's still a good camera despite it's age
 
Yep, I have two bodies, D4 and D800.
I like to be able to have two options of instantly available lens-combo's and the added resolution of the D800 for when it is useful.
I use shoulder straps so they are easier to carry and of course I only take both when there is a specific need ... wildlife shoot etc.
 
I have two, I started out with a 450D and kept that when I purchased my 5D3 they really are very different beasts and I don't really need two camera, but it does prove useful from time to time if I'm shooting star trails for example I can set both cameras up in different positions and get two lots of photos in a single shoot given this is a 2-3 hours per finished image it makes sense to be as productive as possible, it's for this reason I'll often light paint both ends of a star trail also so I can get two/three star trail images out of a single session per camera
 
minnnt said:
After swapping and changing lenses on Monday what felt like a bazillion times I can see the benefit of having a second body.
Click to expand...
This is what I'm thinking, I mainly shoot primes and find I'm constantly changing lenses.

Also wouldn't mind the extra reach of a crop body to complement my FF.
 
It was pretty breezy on Monday where we were and trying to protect the open camera from the elements, get the caps off one and onto another before attatching the lens was a nightmare but something I'm used to. I only have a crop sensor so I don't have that luxury of adding a second cheaper FF body. :LOL:
 
I have a Sony a77 that I use most of the time + a Sony a65 that sits in my camera bag with a 16-80mm Zeiss lens on - just in case of a snap presenting its self whilst I have a long lens on the a77 usually a 150-500m

Les ;)
 
yep, bought a gm1 1 few weeks ago to go alongside my em5. Adds next to no weight to the camera bag and allows me to use that instead of changing lenses. Also means the more unusual lenses get used more as i can have a normal lens on the em5 and a fisheye on the gm1.
 
If I didn't have to, I doubt it very much. Lugging two DSLRs around at work is a pain.

Though I probably would have two or more cameras if I was only shooting for fun. Something small and digital, like an X100s/XPro, etc. and something big and film - 5x4 Shen Hao or something like that. Wouldn't be carrying them round at the same time though.
 
I have a foot in 3 systems and have 2 bodies in each system. Firstly because it helps reduce lens changes but also because each body has its own strengths and weaknesses. I also like kit!
 
Between my husband and I, we kept our old 40D for some years after both going full-frame (5DII each). After selling it because it just wasn't getting used, I rented a 6D on our last US trip. I bought a second tripod for myself to go with it, and I definitely got some shots I would otherwise have missed, through having different focal lengths available without having to switch lenses. It was a lot of kit to lug around through.
 
Full frame 5D2 with either 85mm or 70-200mm is my secondary camera. I rarely change lens after I had gotten my primary camera: Fuji x100.

To be honest, I don't really see point of bringing my secondary camera 99% of the time. 1 month holiday in China, 5D2 never left my accommodation.

To answer OP: having fun is more important than carrying the gear, you might find your photos are better than ever because you are free to explore alternative approaches rather than use all the gear.

Don't work to carry the gear, work to take the photo.
 
It really depends upon the situation, sometimes the 2nd body would stay at home and sometimes not.

For example travelling light i'd stick with one body and one or two lenses. But if practical I'll generally carry two bodies with me so i have options in terms of lens, 'crop factor' and a backup. So i might use my 35mm on the FF and the 70-200mm on the crop body. The extra weight / space is never an issue in those circumstances as i'd generally be carrying the lens anyway so really it's just the body weight extra (circa 700g so isn't a lot).
 
I've now bought a Canon 50d, hopefully it will work well my 5d and cut down on lens changing.

Now, what lens do I put on what body? I'm down to 3 lenses at the moment all FF.

Sigma 35mm f 1.4 art
Canon 17-40 mm f4
Canon 135mm f2

Any advice or suggestions please.
Don't really want to start spending money on lenses again as I've only just had a clear out.
 
Having a play around I think my only option is the 35mm on the FF and 135 on the crop.
 
For general wanderings, I would (and I emphasise the "I") stick the zoom on the FF body and the 135 on the crop but be prepared to swap to the 35mm on the crop if I wanted the extra shallow DoF or ran into low light situations.
 
Two bodies, but one isn't a "second" - it's just a different type of camera. 5D3 and a Praktica Super TL from the 1960s that still works like a charm.
 
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