Multiple cameras

How/when did you justify having more than one camera?

Many times 2 bodies are very convenient as you can keep short focal length on one and a tele on the other. Much faster to transition to another body than having to swap lenses on a single body.

If you are ever shooting for a career you'll also want the extra body in case one fails you.

Agree it is very convenient, I used to have two a 30d and my 5d. I only have my 5d now but now I'm wanting another since I am shooting primes a lot, so I tired of switching all the time plus I would have a back up then if one does fail ever. Although I'm in not a need and don't plan on rushing to get one just yet.

URLphotographer wrote in post #14267036
How/when did you justify having more than one camera?

Maybe be a bit more clear as to what you are looking for:

By "camera" do you mean a DSLR? Or possibly a combination including a P&S?

I collected several P&S and compact digicams from '01 to '06, got fed up with the limits, although I kept using them until some time in '08 when my last one died.

But I had become serious about photography and wanted to go beyond the limits of the little guys, so in '06 I bought my first DSLR, the 30D, and a handful of lenses, so I could start learning.

But I was aware that though the 30D was (and still is) a nice "general purpose" body but for some things, well...

So in '07 I bought a 5D Classic for it's good high ISO performance and its qualities for landscape and other "wide" shooting...

And then in '07 I had gotten very active in birding and was looking at other types of shooting that can benefit from a "high performance" body...

So, when the 1DMkIII came out my attention was grabbed! I waited a while, and saw the AF issue come to prominence and then get addressed by the Canon recall. When the first post-recall bodies hit the shelf I was ready and grabbed one through Amazon since B&H hadn't stocked any!

Now I was never in the habit of unloading good older gear to get new gear, so I never sold anything until the Fall of '08 when I needed money and sold off the beautiful 300 f/2.8 IS, which was one of my birding lenses, the other being the 100-400 IS.

So until recently, all three cameras continued to see use. The 5D has always been my favorite "walkaround" lens, although occasionally the 30 has gotten grabbed, which was nice when the 5D had to go out to be serviced.

The 1D3 was my "workhorse" for birding, sports, events, etc.

But recently I've had to sell some very fine photo gear, and the 1D3 was the first to go...sad...

Changing lenses at windy beaches, and getting crap on my sensor, was the first clue that I needed two cameras. Changing lenses, even in an airtight environment, is still slow and clunky when you're trying to capture shots. Those are our "pro" reasons, i.e. it's easier to function on paid shoots with two bodies.

Now, as a couple who enjoys photography as a hobby, having two cameras keeps us from fighting!

I have a full frame camera with the -S focussing screen in it for normal shooting, and a 1.3x crop camera with the stock screen in it for wildlife (the lenses are slower, so that happens to work). So far, I have never carried both.

In the film days, I kept two bodies, a good mechanical one for normal shooting, and a somewhat beaten-up electronic one for wildlife and TTL flash work. The electronic one often had a screen suitable for slow lenses fitted, and might be loaded with a different kind of film. This was very common in the film days. Some people liked to have one black and one chrome body to quickly tell them apart.

If you do carry two bodies, beware of hanging both of them around your neck and them banging together.

There are times when I've packed two bodies and been glad for it!

Two years ago we had a POTN meetup in Seattle, WA, to do "street" photography!

Well, the 5DC loves shooting street/urban scenes, especially with the 24-105 wide-to-telephoto lens, my favorite "walk-around" kit:

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We shoot weddings, and our second cameras are backups.

Remotes.

IMO, the only real way to justify it as a need is if it's your profession....a back up is a must. Beyond that, it's really just something nice to have in certain circumstances.....In that case, if you can afford it, if you want it and if you think it will be worth it...then it's justified. From what I see on here, it seems that many hobbiest photographers get multiple bodies when they decide to upgrade...they just hold on to the older one instead of selling it.

when i upgraded to my 7d i didnt sell my 400d so you could say i got two bodies by default. haha.

had a 40D and 7D, got another one when I wanted to experiment with FF

When I could afford it :P

Having a backup is pretty important on big jobs where you would really be in trouble if your main body went the way of the dodo. Being able to keep shooting without having to panic and try to rent something is pretty important.

As others have suggested, not having to swap lenses while in the field is another really good reason. If you're out photographing gators in the swamp or kangaroos in the dusty outback, taking your lenses off might be a bad idea.

I've never sold any of the cameras I have owned, so as soon as I bought my second camera I've been a multi owner.

Think I have 4 film cameras and 4 digital cameras.

URLphotographer wrote in post #14267036
How/when did you justify having more than one camera?

Whenever working for someone else (and getting paid for it), I have always had at least two cameras along. Mr. Murphy lives in my back pocket and I know for sure that the first big gig I went on with only one camera, that camera would suffer a fatal problem mid-gig.