Why do you need two cameras?

I want to keep hold of my 5DMK2 but find it a bit heavy with the 24-105 lens.

Many people say buy another camera but keep the 5D for specialist shots!

Problem is if I was to buy say the G11 I may question why I need to retain the 5DMK2 for the 10-15% of the time that the G10 is not good enough, High ISO etc.

How can you justify retaining a 3k camera for just a few times the 2nd camera is not good enough?

Ian

Why did you buy a 5DII if a G11 is good enough for you?

You don't need two cameras unless your making money from the shots even if you can afford two or more.

Grant said:

Why did you buy a 5DII if a G11 is good enough for you?

You don't need two cameras unless your making money from the shots even if you can afford two or more.

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My thoughts exactly. Why own an expensive camera if the cheaper one works for you.

Flips it on it's head. If the G11 surely gets 90% of your shots, why own a second camera (the 5D) that cost you $3500 for 10% of your shots.

Why have you started a new thread asking essentially the same question? You created a thread asking this in different words only 50 mins ago?

5DMKII and 50m 1.8 is not heavy at all and some of my favorite shots I have taken on this combo.

Sound like you either need some good lightweight primes or you don't need a full body SLR at all.

... check out his posting history

MartG said:

... check out his posting history

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He clearly doesn't shoot much and is regretting a 5Dii + 24-105.

OP -- sounds like you need to sell your 5Dii, get something more lightweight (on the wallet) and be happy.

MartG

Are you the forum police, as I stated on the other thread its interesting to get different opinions, there will always be degrees of favouritism depending on which forum you ask the question.

YOU don't need to reply!!!

Ian

The threads are in the same forum - 'EOS-1D / 1Ds / 5D'

I agree with the original poster. The 5D Mark II & I is much heavier than for e.g a Panasonic FZ38 bridge camera, in both body & lens, flash weight ie close to 2 kilos versus 454gms for a camera with a leica 27-480mm lens

Obviously there are quality differences, & DOF differences, if you need that on every single occasion.

I have 3 cameras that I alternate with. 1 of which is a canon 5D Mark I with a 24-105mm L lens + 70- 300mm + flash. I carry my FZ38 80% of the time, including holidays, because its lightweight. My shoulder aches after carrying this lot aroung in a large camera bag, even for a short while.Some people are also more intimidated with having a large lens pointed at them. On the FZ38, I have a huge lens range without needing to change lenses. Its good in low light & takes v good low light videos, which my 5D doesn't. The Manual & Auto controls are easier to use on the FZ38. Theres no Live View on the 5D & despite having been a no live view Non Digital SLR user before, I actually now prefer live view now for composition. I don't want to spend another 1700 Pounds to get a 5D Mark II body, with this feature & video, when I already have video on my FZ38. The high Iso is impressive on the 5D but I don't print above A4 much & I mostly distribute pics & video via internet , so noise isn't a massive issue. If photography was my full time source of income, then I would consider getting a 5D Mark II & selling my original 5D, but for basic photo oppurtunities it would still be overkill, so I would still have my leica v-lux-1 or FZ38 as alternatives. I don't always need shallow DOF ie large group wedding shots, where sometimes I need to crop couples/individuals located around the pic, as someone is smiling weirdly, spoiling what otherwise would be a good shot. With shallow DOF it wouldnt be possible.

Shorter primes ( which aren't really that much smaller than my canon zooms) wouldnt cover the focal range I use ie for wide landscapes & portrait shots, so I'd still end up carrying more than 1 lens with the body, or just the 24-105

I also carry the 5D less because I'm aware that others will be aware that I have over 2,000 pounds of camera equipment on me, with its distinctive Canon Branding & 5d badge (which people may think is the Mark II) . I feel like muggers bait doing street photography with it, so I now just use it for weddings or in inside/portrait photography. My 260 GBP, FZ38 suits most everyday situations for me & fits easily into my handbag or messenger bag. And it doesn't increase my inflight luggage weight that much.

Possibly its easier to carry for guys, or theres a very small proportion of DSLR users, who carry the large cameras, to look professional , but don't know how to use them. Some friends had a "professional"??? with all the 5D gear come in to do the staff website photos. They were all over exposed. The guy put the zoom lens practically in their faces , they were terrible pics, even ordinarily attractive people looked awful & washed out.

So in summary, its not always about the equipment, sometimes its the photographers skill that makes the shot & you can get v reasonable shots on a good compact without the bulk if you know what you're doing

elena
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40207062@N08/

Are you asking the question for yourself or asking other people how they justify?

Sounds like you're fine with a G11, sell your 5D2/lenses and buy something nice for yourself (or your significant other)

Others will have varying reasons. Professionals NEED at least a 2nd SLR body when they shoot events. Personally I have an SLR for portraiture and a point and shoot for everyday shots when I don't want to or can't lug my heavy gear around. Point and shoots like the G11 can take nice sharp shots, but their ISO capability can't compete with the latest generation SLRs, the autofocus can't compete with a good SLR/lens combo, and most importantly to me - tiny sensors in point and shoots can't provide the narrow DOF I like for portraits.... though I am intrigued and excited about the new micro 4/3rds and APS-C compact offerings coming on to the market.

Brad Franklin said:

Are you asking the question for yourself or asking other people how they justify?

Sounds like you're fine with a G11, sell your 5D2/lenses and buy something nice for yourself (or your significant other)

Others will have varying reasons. Professionals NEED at least a 2nd SLR body when they shoot events. Personally I have an SLR for portraiture and a point and shoot for everyday shots when I don't want to or can't lug my heavy gear around. Point and shoots like the G11 can take nice sharp shots, but their ISO capability can't compete with the latest generation SLRs, the autofocus can't compete with a good SLR/lens combo, and most importantly to me - tiny sensors in point and shoots can't provide the narrow DOF I like for portraits.... though I am intrigued and excited about the new micro 4/3rds and APS-C compact offerings coming on to the market.

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Yes I'd definately have a professional camera as a backup to a 5d at a wedding etc, as theres too much too lose if 1 camera breaks down. You can't redo the event & all the guests on a later date. I'd probably use a 5D Mark II (for video & pics) & a full frame 1D (if I could carry it ) or a 7D. & put 1 lens on 1 & another lens on the other for close ups. & I'd have my FZ38 panasonic somewhere in case my other equipment got nicked.

For me its not so much affordability , but nickability . A bit like when iphones 1st came out & people were & sometimes still are being mugged in the street. I love street photography, so its rarely practical for me to carry the 5D all the time, for that reason. I also have a smaller Canon sx110, 38-300mm lens ,which I lend to family members.
elena
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40207062@N08/

Are you kidding me? The G11 sucks ass compared to the 5D2. They shouldn't even be said in the same sentence, but then again if the G11 is good enough, then you definitely don't need the 5D2. I say dump it.

Several reasons. First, you are shooting something important and - god forbid - your camera fails? Second body for the rescue. Second, you are shooting something important and you need to change lenses while it's happening -ooops, you missed it! 3 bodies to wear then - 1 with extreme wideangle, 1 with midrange, 1 with extreme tele. Third - you are going out to buy cigarettes - would do you mean not politicaly correct? - OK, you are going out to buy lollipops just for 5 minutes so you don't take your camera with you and suddenly you see a flying saucer landing and the little green men coming out of it right in front of you AND YOU DON"T HAVE YOUR CAMERA WITH YOU - this is why you want a pocket one. That makes it 4 cameras altogether
Of course, it all applies only if you are shooting something important

Having said that, I must admit that I myself have no camera at all now - renting them when I need them for the shoot. Have niiiiice lenses though.

http://lordofthelens.co.nz/

I tend to use primes and I need two for what I shoot. One one camera I use my 300mm f/2.8L. And on the other i will use either a 85, 50 or 35, sometimes I will put a nice zoom like the 24-105mm or my 70-200.

For some people there can be a variety of reasons for having a second body, but this isn't for everyone:

1. If you invest a great deal of time and expense in getting to places to do photography, it is worth the cost of a second body to make sure that your photography won't be brought to a grinding halt by a camera failure. (For this reason I have a 5D2 with a 5D as backup.)

2. For some types of photography it makes sense to have two bodies with different lenses so that you can more quickly react to certain situations requiring different focal lengths.

3. In other cases it can make sense to have two bodies with somewhat different capabilites - e.g. a cropped sensor and a FF body for example.

4. Sometimes it is good to bring along a small and inexpensive P&S to get casual shots.

Dan

ianbrown said:

I want to keep hold of my 5DMK2 but find it a bit heavy with the 24-105 lens.

Many people say buy another camera but keep the 5D for specialist shots!

Problem is if I was to buy say the G11 I may question why I need to retain the 5DMK2 for the 10-15% of the time that the G10 is not good enough, High ISO etc.

How can you justify retaining a 3k camera for just a few times the 2nd camera is not good enough?

Ian

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G Dan Mitchell - SF Bay Area, California, USA
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Gear List: Cup, spoon, chewing gum, old shoe laces, spare change, eyeballs, bag of nuts.

I agree with Dan. When I spend $5000+ to go to the Galapagos Islands or $2000+ to go to Alaska or Yellowstone in winter, I want to make sure that a camera failure does not leave me standing on the sidelines. Then there are times when I want to have one camera on my 500 and one on my shorter zooms so that I can react quickly to something happening close by. But then a point and shoot is great when I don't want to lug around 20-60 pounds of camera gear. So I wind up with several cameras. It works for me but it may not work for you.

I normally have a 300 f2.8 on one camera, often with a 1.4x attached. The other camera has a 70-200 zoom or one of my other shorter prime lenses.

You can shoot lots of sports action with only one camera, but two cameras are much better.

Different people have different needs, even with photography... if you need to ask this question, then you need to go out and do more photography, to find what best suits you for yourself. The rest is pointless.

As a working pro out in all conditions I simply have to have a back up body as a fail safe. Both my bodies are MKIII's - on one body I keep my 300 2.8 IS and on the other my 70-200 2.8 IS which is my normal working setup.
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Best Wishes from Scotland,

Charlie.
http://www.charliephillipsimages.co.uk
May The Light Always Be Where You Want It.....