Do you use two of the same bodies?

[Godfrey]

When I was shooting paid gigs, I always had a spare, identical body with me just in case something unfortunate occurred when shooting.

I personally never found it very useful to have different lenses fitted to them, and in most cases I never took the second body out of the bag; I'm not a very frequent lens changer, and do so even less when I'm shooting a paid gig. When I set up for a gig, I usually know pretty much exactly what I'm going to be shooting and with what equipment, when I'm going to switch lenses, etc. If I need two different lenses for a specific period of time, I'd set the bodies up differently for the two situations and use them together, of course, but that was by far an exceptional case.

I'm more likely, nowadays, to carry two cameras when I think I want to have the option of having two very different cameras to capture something different about a scene at the same time. So I sometimes carry, say, a digital camera and a Polaroid SX-70, or a Minox and a Hasselblad, or something like that. These situation are almost never anything like a paid gig, so it doesn't bother me at all if one of the cameras malfunctions or I run out of film unexpectedly. It's always opportunistic shooting, and if I get something that works at all I'm happy about it.

G

 

[Jeremy Z]

Using 2 identical bodies = missed opportunity, IMO

Using 2 identical bodies = missed opportunity, IMO

Carrying two bodies that take the same lenses makes sense.

Carrying two bodies that are identical I guess could have an advantage in that the photographer knows that camera like the back of his hand.

But on the other hand, two DIFFERENT bodies can compliment each other!

For example, If I decide to do some street shooting, I can have one small light body like a Nikon FG, for example, with a 35 mm lens. Set mode to A, set hyperfocal distance and it is ready to go in one second.

For a second lens, I might like a 105 or a 70-300, for which precise focus is required. For that, I would want an autofocus body.

I set each body for the lens it has mounted.

I have even gone as far as to carry a fixed lens rangefinder or point & shoot with the wide angle lens, (compact, simple and light!) and an SLR with the longer lens.

 

[icebear]

In my pre-Leica life, I used to do concert photography pushing TMY to 800 and using 2 Canon T-90 bodies. One with a 1.2/85L and the other with a 2.8/200. The last hurrah of manual focus FD lenses and bodies. Great camera with multi spot metering system !!

 

[presspass]

Always, and both have the same film in them. If I'm shooting at an emergency scene, I want to have enough film without having to reload. Usually one has a moderate wide - usually a 35 - and the other either a 50 or a 90.

 

[css9450]

Not necessarily cameras, but light meters: I sometimes carry two identical Gossen Luna-Pros (the kind which use the mercury battery).

 

[Doug]

If I become fond of a particular camera, I'll often buy a second one though it may be slightly different, maybe a different finish color or different variation of a similar model. For instance, on a trip to Puerto Rico I carried two Contax G2 cameras, plus a Canon APS mini in a belt pouch. The Canon was for use in the plane and the airports. An afternoon walking around Old San Juan I broke my own rule and had both Contaxes with the same film but different lenses in a bag over my shoulder. Useful, but... Oh, my sore shoulder! Reminded me why I don't do that! The bag stays in the car, and out of sight.

Similar ideas to have two of the same self-defense handgun. A trainer suggested that once we settled on a favorite, we should trot right down to the store and buy a second one. One might be in for maintenance, or... If one had to be used it would end up for a time in the law enforcement's evidence locker, and then what do you put in your holster?

 

[Rangefinder 35]

Yes. I have 2 Contaxes G2. As they're no longer manufactured I thought it prudent to have one extra in case something went wrong with the primary one. Besides I love that camera...

 

[Canyongazer]

Two Fuji X Pro2's
That way my favorite lens, the 35 1.4, is always mounted and ready...the four remaining lenses have had to learn to share the 2nd body. 🙂

 

[farlymac]

It's only been in the last decade or so that I even considered owning more than one body of the same model, and that's mostly because after my first go around of for-hire photography where I didn't have the budget for extra bodies or lenses I didn't have an urgent need for said equipment.

Fast forward to the 2000's, and I started doing events where I could really use a back-up or preloaded second body. At times though it would be a different make and model for a different look, even up to four cameras at a time.

The trick to hanging two disparate cameras like a rangefinder and SLR is to have the smaller one on a shorter neck strap so it stays above the bigger one, and they don't bang into each other.

Once I got into digital I saw the need for two bodies because I could mount a prime on one, and a zoom on the other and not have to worry about dust intrusion from switching lenses. Plus, to make sure both cameras are reliable, which was the issue with my first pair after one quit taking photos because the AF module failed, and I found out it was a common fault with that model. I switched to a model that was considered "bullet proof" in most of the reviews I read about it, and have been happily using them both ever since.

So I've also picked up a few back-ups for the film cameras too, though they don't get as much use these days.

PF

 

[jsrockit]

No, but I use 3-4 Fujifilm bodies that aren't too different from each other. I only do my photography for fun though not as a way to make a living.

 

[shimokita]

Nikon F3P w/ K-focus screen & 50 or 105mm
Nikon F3HP w/ B-focus screen & 28 or 20mm

The former as the main camera, and the HP w/ cable release

Normally with the same film... 100 ISO b&w

.

 

[Doug]

The trick to hanging two disparate cameras like a rangefinder and SLR is to have the smaller one on a shorter neck strap so it stays above the bigger one, and they don't bang into each other....
PF

Agree! Doing street photography in Seattle ~1970 I carried my M2 with 35mm Summicron on a short strap and the Pentax Spotmatic with 85mm on a longer one. May have looked weird but worked pretty well!

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Me, myself and I are always fighting about which camera to use, but no I usually don't use two at once.

 

[Richard G]

Pairing in the past was M2 and M4, or M4-2, or M6. Recently it might be M2 and M9 or M9 and Monochrom (almost never). As an amateur I wouldn’t deliberately buy two of the same and have no need of two so similar. A very successful trip I used the Monochrom and the X100.

 

[emraphoto]

Pairing in the past was M2 and M4, or M4-2, or M6. Recently it might be M2 and M9 or M9 and Monochrom (almost never). As an amateur I wouldn’t deliberately buy two of the same and have no need of two so similar. A very successful trip I used the Monochrom and the X100.

I covered the early stages of the civil war in Syria with 2 x100’s and a whole bunch of batteries and gaffer tape. Had to tape up all the knobs as they were forever turning inadvertently.

 

[Moto-Uno]

2 Pentacon 6 TL's , 3 Kowa Six (Super 66) , 2 bronica Etrs(i) .
I may be suffering from something ( does it have anything to do with beans ?)
🙂 . Peter

 

[Mute-on]

I do like to travel with two M film cameras. Each gets a different lens and film. A few trips ago one body locked up and couldn’t be used, so having the second was a saviour.

As much as I enjoy the experience of shooting film with two bodies, in future, I’m likely to travel with one M film camera and lens, and a pocketable digital. This is far less weight and simply more practical for how we travel (a lot of walking!).

I think it’s always wise to have a backup of some description, but not necessarily a duplicate of your main camera.

 

[Richard G]

I covered the early stages of the civil war in Syria with 2 x100’s and a whole bunch of batteries and gaffer tape. Had to tape up all the knobs as they were forever turning inadvertently.

Very interesting to hear this. Not surprised about the knobs. My first, early X100 had a hair trigger exposure compensation dial. The shutter speed dial then packed up and I got a new one with good dials and I still use that one. I can see the advantage of cameras X100 size in a war zone. Even for amateurs compactness is important. Skiing with the risk of falls I use a very small camera - too many broken ribs from various things in my time. The chance another big Nikon was going to stop a bullet like with Don McCullin is not high you must have figured.

 

[randy stewart]

Multiple bodies

Multiple bodies

Most of my photography is shot on 2 week trips involving thousands of miles of travel. I primarily use two Pentax 67 bodies, one for color negative and the other for B&W. Space permitting I will pack a third body to act as a backup in the event of a failure. (Never had a failure, but you never know.) I've got too much time and money invested in these trips to risk equipment failure.

 

[Dale D]

I have a variety of 35mm bodies, but the only one that I have two of is the Nikon F100. But I rarely take both of them anywhere, prefer to take one body with 2-3 lenses.

Dale