If you are a pro, do you use two card slots for backup? Locked

Holscen wrote:

What if ...your card failed, what if it was your camera, your lens? Could you get the job done? Would your client like it if you failed to get the shots, your name and business would be tarnished

I always do paid jobs with 2 bodies, which was just as well because failure happens.

First big assignment I did for an international music magazine had me going to New York from London to shoot a band. I shot it on 2 Nikon F100 film cameras. Guess what, my motordrive failed on frame 1. No worries as I had a backup F100 otherwise my career might have ended before it began.

I used to shoot transparency then too, you had to be spot on with exposure and have perfect development. You wouldn’t always put all your rolls in processing at the same time, in case of an issue, and you’d run a clip test if you were a perfectionist.

The bottom line is that things fail and accidents happen. I’ve had cards fail, shutters fail, aperture blades fail, lenses get smashed and stolen, but I’ve always had a way round because I had a backup.

If you’ve been lucky enough to avoid problems with one camera, card, lens or flash...well that’s good..but luck can run out.

I believe if a pro prepares for the worst “what if” scenarios, then they can just roll on through any problems without breaking a sweat and deliver the job successfully.

I use 2 cameras, both with dual cards, many lenses, 2 flashes. The only thing I don’t have room for in my bag is excuses or apologies.

Two cameras is also my preference, sometimes three. Only one needs to have dual cards. Most often two cameras with single cards is more than enough for me for paid gigs. Two cameras are less likely to fail. Therefore the argument that the only way to go is dual cards and to arrogantly insist such as the standard is flawed.