How many bodies are you shooting with?

Josh_Hawkins · #15 08-15-2007, 01:02 AM

Please define what the "heavy setup" is.

Personally I usually use a 80-200 on one body and then wide glass on another body. One on each shoulder. A 300 2.8 should be fine on your shoulder as long as you don't have back problems, a 400 2.8 would probably start to slow you down, quite a bit.

Ilkka · #16 08-17-2007, 03:08 PM

depends what im gonna do, normally one body whit 2 or 3 lensens and change them at newspaper assignments. If im gonna do sports, like car racing 2 bodies, ome wide and medium angle and one 70-200 or longer.

Ilkka

Tom Savage · #17 08-18-2007, 12:51 AM

I shoot wildlife in Africa, Alaska, Wyoming, etc and have always used two bodies. The 1D Mark II ( soon to be a Mark III) goes on the 500 f4 and the 5D has the 100-400 and is switched to the 24-105 when I want to shoot landscapes. However, on the last African trip, I got a lot of dust from switching to the 24-105 for landscapes. Next trip, I will also take my 20D and use it on the 100-400 and use the 5D on the 24-105 for the landscape shots. No dust and quicker response. Switching lens frequently is a pain.

DragonflyDM · #18 08-19-2007, 09:12 AM

I always bring three camera bodies, and keep two on me when I am shooting. But I think this is pretty typical with the wedding photographer crowd. You never want to have a camera go bad and be left with nothing to shoot.

However, I am a bit different in the fact that I only shoot primes. So I keep bodies on me with varied focal lengths. A 30mm f/1.4 on one body and a 135mm f/2 on the other, or a 10.5mm on one body and a 180mm f/2.8; or some sort of combo like that. I find that fast glass is much more important in my shooting style than zooming.

RESQ4U · #19 12-12-2007, 04:55 AM

I routinely carry 2 bodies like so many others here, one with the 70-200mm 2.8 the other with the 17-55mm 2.8. This is as much about having the right lens on hand when the opportunty presents itself as the insurance of a camera going bad (both are important).

Talking about the "old" days, don't forget that it was more than backup and lens selection. You might be shooting two or more types of film. It might be because you needed both color or B&W films on the same assignment, print vs slide, slow vs. fast. Once you made your decision about what film to use, you were stuck with it in that body until you finished it, rewound it or tried to rewind it til just the leader was sticking out (this led to countless rolls of unintentional double-exposures.

Before I wax nostaligic anymore I will leave it at that.

Dennis_Vied · #20 12-12-2007, 12:43 PM

Two bodies, for all the reasons previously stated. I have sometimes shot with one body, but not a serious shoot. It's a lot more comfortable having a second body handy.

Paul Kuroda · #21 01-25-2008, 05:15 AM

Little as possible....I try to be unnoticed. You can move easier and get closer to the people you are following. Depends of course what you are shooting (not shooting wild animals in Africa or the Superbowl.
When I did stories on gangs...sometimes a simple Leica was all I brought. Or a single prosumer body (quieter and smaller) and 50mm with a 35mm in my pocket.

Don't feel I missed anything because moments have a tendency of repeating itself.