Sometimes, two are better than one when it comes to buying equipment.
Sometimes, I feel the need to make that clear. The essence is not that I repeat. But it is often the result of a seemingly innocuous moment in my day that leads to a profound, albeit logical, realization. Realization today? It would be nice if your backup camera is the same as your main camera.
Now, I’m sure many of you reading this just let out a “duhhhh” sound after reading that last sentence. And, on a fundamental level, this is not knowledge that I don’t have yet. But, as circumstances dictate, in my nearly twenty-year career, I have never really found myself possessing two identical bodies at the same time.
I already have a backup camera. I always have a backup camera. As a professional photographer, going out to the field without a Plan B is like going to Vegas without a bit of money not gambling around to buy your return ticket. Sure, you can go home. But, if the chips don’t fall your way, you could be in for a long night. If you’ve taken on the responsibility of filming a major advertising campaign for your client, try to explain to them that you’ve suddenly had to stop filming and the tens of thousands of dollars they’re spending on the cast, crew, and crew. and the place will be wasted because your camera is not working is the type of conversation you may want to avoid. So having a backup camera is non-negotiable.
However, what I always do is buy the cameras one at a time and use the previous body as a backup. As much as we like to argue about it, if we’re being honest, technology doesn’t usually change much from generation to generation. Sure, the new camera comes with all the bells and whistles. However, assuming your old camera was manufactured anytime within the last 5 to 10 years, there’s a good chance it’s not a camera. The old body may not be as pretty, but it can get the job done the hard way. And for a spare body that will probably spend a lot of time in a pocket, this might be more than enough.
So up until this point my strategy has always been to buy a new body when it feels necessary to accomplish my goal, keep the previous body as a backup for the new one, and sell the backup before to make money. I always keep things like megapixel count and basic functionality in mind. But let’s put little effect on identical bodies. Sometimes it even goes so far as to have completely different brands as backup. And it worked for me. It has always worked for me. So why am I here today talking about how amazing it is to have identical bodies?
Well, I was lucky enough to receive one of the first batches of Nikon Z 9 camera. I pre-ordered it very early and have been absolutely in love with the camera ever since it came out. In addition to making me believe in lightning love again, the camera reminds me of something else. With the camera functionality lining up so well with my own personal use case, I realized that, despite the high price tag, I really wish I had ordered two. Not just to say I have two. But, rather, because I realized that, if I had two, I could actually sell off all the other bodies I own because the Z 9 is capable of doing all the work that I have. experienced on many bodies with certain talents.
To get two camera bodies in high demand is not so easy. But once I was able to get an identical backup, my workflow took a drastic turn for the better. So what exactly is the benefit of having two identical bodies instead of a bunch of different stuff?
The first reason is pretty obvious. They can support each other. If your primary camera is damaged, you can get a second camera and continue shipping. You can still do this if your backups are not identical. But the advantage of having your backups identical is that you don’t lose any of the creature comforts that come with being familiar with your primary body. Your brain doesn’t have to go through any of the mental exercise normally required when trying to memorize the different button positions between bodies. Nothing has changed in the ergonomic feel of your body in your hand. Even the viewfinder and the pressure required to trigger the shutter should be the same. These can be little things. Let’s face it, though, if you’re having to rotate your backup in the middle of a high-pressure shoot, chances are you’re already stressed enough as you are right now. Dealing with that stress while also remembering how changing menu items your body rarely uses won’t be the end of the world, but it will hardly make your life easier.
But one of the biggest reasons I love having identical bodies is that, while they can certainly support each other, they can also complement each other. I’ve mentioned it before, but more and more of my work, if not the majority of work these days, comes as a director/cinematographer rather than just a photographer. home static. Even work that is primarily driven by still images almost always includes some form of moving component. Modern mirrorless cameras make switching better photos and videos as easy as flipping a switch. So you can do all the work, both stills and video, with a single piece of content.
But even though the basic principles of stillness and motion are essentially the same, they are, in fact, two completely different art forms. There are considerations that you need to take into account to create the best video content that you don’t need to take into account still images and vice versa. There’s a reason why motion cameras look like tentacles in some future alien movie, and still cameras can sometimes slip into the pocket of a jacket. oversized. Each art form simply requires a different approach.
So if you’re looking to maximize both art forms, you might want to operate both with different camera settings and different physical configurations for your rig. You can continue to build your camera into a video profile, then break it down to a static profile between shots. However, depending on your production, this may not be the most efficient way to do it. What having two identical parts allows you to do is have one permanently set up in a static configuration while leaving the rest permanently in its system for video. That way, if you find yourself in a task where you need to frequently repeat between each task, you can save yourself a lot of time and be more productive. Also, since the cameras are identical, they can still act as a backup. So if your still camera, for example, goes down, you’ll still have an identical backup. All you have to do is switch the configuration. The same thing would happen if the video camera was the one that fell on the curb.
Of course, there are more practical benefits to having two bodies. In my case, having identical bodies allowed me to reduce the weight of the camera bag by about a third. In the past, my backup solution was a completely different brand of camera. This meant that not only did I have to carry two different camera bodies, but I also had to carry two different sets of lenses and accessories. Even if I had the same brand as a backup, but had one DSLR and one mirrorless, there were still the extra adapters and tidbits needed to take up space in my pocket. Now that both bodies are identical, I can use the same lenses and accessories for both. So there’s no need to have multiple sets of things. Two sets are enough. Of course, because I’m a puny glutton and can’t seem to get my mind around the idea that I don’t need to completely fill every nook and cranny of my camera bag, I simply is to fill the void with more. equipment that previously had to be left the house. But that is a problem that will be solved another day.
Having two identical bodies is not entirely necessary. As I mentioned above, I haven’t set this up in years and I’m fine. So as long as you have a full backup to get the job done, there’s no need to rush into buying a second camera. Even being able to have identical bodies is a privilege that I don’t take lightly. But now that, after all these years, I’ve finally found myself in a position to have an identical backup, I can witness firsthand the benefits of having two tangoes.
