Is a back up battery necessary?

I have two camera bodies, both with grips.. I also have six batteries.. I alternate the batteries between both grips.. There aren't many times when I don't use my cameras but when I don't I keep my batteries topped up( I also have two chargers)..

What this means is my batteries are always ready to go in case I have an impromptu shoot.. I don't like the idea of having batteries lying around, I like to keep them topped up.. I have this thing about having my batteries full discharged..

i was running late to a party this one time. i grabbed my camera, put it in the bag and was off. when i took the camera out, i realized i left the battery in the charger (still in the wall). luckily, my spare battery in my bag was topped off. i also left my memory in the card reader. the backup in my bag saved me there, too.

moral of the story: always check the camera before you leave. if you forgot, hope that you have a backup that's ready to go.

Back up battery is always part of my stuff.

It's not necesssary

Most of the time, I don't use my extra battery. But when I do, IT IS NEEDED.

I just notice the OP has a backup camera. So, why not a backup battery? Unless... the backup battery is IN the backup camera. Heh.

Sportidi wrote in post #10783707
I'm tossing up whether I should get a back up battery for my 7D.

I recently sold my 550D but remembered I didn't use the back up battery once.

Do you think its really necessary to have one?

I think that the first time it goes dead while you're shooting will give you the answer to your question.

I'm going to go out here and say it really depends on location and such. Do you see yourself for hours in the wilderness with no access to power? A long trip? Or perhaps a long shoot?

For me I took a lot of pictures at an event not too long ago. This was something like wake up at 6am and begin shooting, done at 12 pm, no stopping. If I didn't have a second battery to keep me going throughout I think I would've been done for.

Blurr Cube wrote in post #10789943
I just notice the OP has a backup camera. So, why not a backup battery? Unless... the backup battery is IN the backup camera. Heh.

I wish the battery in my 450D was the same as the 7D....then my problems would be over...!

Kooper wrote in post #10790453
I'm going to go out here and say it really depends on location and such. Do you see yourself for hours in the wilderness with no access to power? A long trip? Or perhaps a long shoot?

For me I took a lot of pictures at an event not too long ago. This was something like wake up at 6am and begin shooting, done at 12 pm, no stopping. If I didn't have a second battery to keep me going throughout I think I would've been done for.

I can't see myself going on a full on 4 hour photo session. 2 hours maybe.....

Sportidi wrote in post #10790815
I wish the battery in my 450D was the same as the 7D....then my problems would be over...!

Well actually, I meant if the battery on the 7D dies, then you just grab and use the 450D for a while until the 7D gets recharged.

When I only had a P&S, I didn't "invest" in a backup battery. If it died, I just stopped taking pics... a tolerable annoyance at best while waiting to recharge. Now with a DSLR, I want to be able to shoot when I want and not have it dictated by a dead battery. If it's a matter of cost, just save up if you want OEM or there are cheaper and reliable non-OEM to be found as well. Just my 2 cents.

I have a grip that hold two batteries, had six (just bought another pair and two more chargers), went on a trip to Cape Hatteras in January to shoot lighthouses, sunsets/sunrises, etc.. I use live view a LOT for composition and to check focus, foreground to backround, and was almost through my third set by the end of a days shooting. If you are a serious landscape photographer and use live view spare batteries are a must.

Even if you don't really need it, it is nice to have incase you do need extra battery power.

only if your first one goes dead.

monk3y wrote in post #10783812
I have no spare batteries... but I have a battery grip full of AA batteries, so far haven't run out of juice in a day of continuously shooting around 1000 photos.

+1 the AA backups for my grip also double as the back up set to the 580exII.