Have you ever needed your 2nd body?

... due to failure of your main body ON THE JOB? Just curious how many photographers ever needed to break out the second body due to death of the main body

Well yes but not because of failure of the main body. I generall have two cameras around my neck with two different lenses on it

song4themoon wrote in post #2145346
Well yes but not because of failure of the main body. I generall have two cameras around my neck with two different lenses on it

As I do too. But I am only looking for people who have needed to use a 2nd body due to failure of the main camera only. Essentially my question is: Has one of your bodies ever crashed?

Had a 1D crash 2 weeks ago - should have it back from Canon soon..... I've been doing weddings for over 15 yrs. and have had Nikons, Bronicas, Mamiya's and even Hasselblads crash. It happens...... + the more wedding you do, the more often it will happen. W/my wife as co-shooter on the wedding day we bring (and use) 4 1D platforms and 4 L zoom lens (w/ 4 prime lens for low light use). Maybe a little overkill, but works for us.

Not since going digital but I did have the shutter go south on my Pentax 6X7 in the middle of a wedding a few years ago. I had a Mamiya RB67 ProS as well. It is not as easily handled for those candid shots or maybe I was used to the ergonomics of the Pentax. At the end of the day the customer never even knew anything had gone wrong.

I personally think that anyone that is going to shoot weddings with just one body is just taunting a disaster. It does happen, not all that often and many will never have it happen. I would never want to have to go to the bride during the wedding and say I'm packing up because my camera just did and I don't have a replacement. I can only imagine what a nerve racking conversation that would be.

lol the primary main i was shooting with told the B&G that he had ran out of memory space lol

i've never had my Nikons fail but a 2nd shooter has had his canon 20D fail. Luckily he also had his 30D.

ssim wrote in post #2145535
I personally think that anyone that is going to shoot weddings with just one body is just taunting a disaster.

I totally agree with you. I'm just getting an idea of how often this happens with photographers on these forums.

Dunno about crash ... does shrapnel in the shutter count?

Mine died right as the bride was meeting the groom for the first time ... tears were flowing and my screen died and half the buttons ... I kept a straight face and flipped my other camera off my shoulder (I usually have 2 on me at all times) and kept shooting. No one knew until after, and even then it was a 'funny story ...' kind of thing.

The biggest thing was that for the rest of the day I worried that my remaining camera would futz out too ... AND I had to change lenses more often (what a pain .

I had a Elan 7e film camera quit on me just as I was starting to shoot the formals. I grabbed my backup 7e and started shooting. My wife paniced a little but I knew that's why I take a back-up. I was worried some the rest of the night knowing that I no longer had a back-up for my back-up though.

Tom

I semi-regularly have a 20D lock up on me, usually during the ceremony when I most need it. A 2nd body is essential. I use it as a 2nd body, not a backup.

Besides having your main body crash....another good reason to have a second ready to go is if something accidently gets screwed up in the settings and there's no time to figure out what you've done....just grab the back up and go and figure out the original problem when you get a few moments. Another use would be if you're going back and forth between two very different lighting situations such as bright outdoor shots and dimly lit indoor shots. Have one body set up for one scenario and the second body for the other scenario. Another would be to have one body set up for flash photography and the other for ambient light. IMO...a second body at the least is just about mandatory for anyone serious about shooting weddings.

2 different lens is my first reason to carry two bodies.
Between battery, memory this and that, one of them is sooner that the other to leave me when I am happy to have the second one to take that one particular shot.

It was some years ago (mamiya 645) and it compeltely locked up as the formals were starting- I did not have a back up with me- panic set in- previously crappy bride just got worse- only saving grace was it was in my town so called husband to bring 35. I stopped doing wedding for about 1 yr after that- too freaked out. Now i NEVER go with out two camera's- sometimes even my old film 35 for reassurance.