Back up body? What would you do?

[tjlawler]

Hi all,

I have a 7D with an EFS lens that I have not touched in nearly 6 months. I bought a 5D MK III last March and tried to like my 7D after that! Sorry, I just love that 5D MK III. I thought I would keep the 7D as a backup body but keep wondering if I really should. I want to get a very expensive Canon lens and when I say very expensive you may guess which one that is with a price tag of over 10K. So, I am trying to get bucks here and there anyway possible. I know I may only get a little over $1000 for the entire setup but that would be 10% of what I need. I travel on occasions but on two trips now did not take the 7D along. Do you think I should sell it or just hang on to it and start being more diligent about taking a backup body along? I have never had a Canon body quit yet (in spite of some abuse). For the prior 7 years I have only had one body along when I traveled. It seems to me it is time to part with it but I keep hesitating.

Thanks all,

Tom

 

[iam2nd]

Hi Tom, will you have any paid photo shoots that necessitate having a 2nd body for backup?

Without knowing more background, I can only say what I would do - sell the 7D before it's value drops even more. But still: it's a small drop in the bucket towards 10k+

 

[Loswr]

I sold mine. I had two bodies for a while - 5DII and 7D, then 1D X and 7D. After getting the 1D X, I stopped using the 7D. When I had two bodies, I never took both on trips. The lack of a good backup worried me a bit, though (I always brought an S95/S100). I picked up an EOS M and the EF lens adapter - that fits my criteria for a good backup body for travel (small size, IQ as good as any APS-C).

BTW, just saying you're saving for a lens >$10K still leaves four possibilities...

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Tom.
I was going to Arizona from England so space was a premium, especially as I had no intention of letting go of my camera gear so it had to meet the overhead dimensions. The other half was taking her toys so declined to carry any of mine! :
I had a nearly new 40D and my 300D a few years old.
I rationalised my kit bag, removed the 300, put it back, took something else out, put that back took the body out 3 times until I finally settled on taking the 300D.
Part way through our 14 day stay in AZ we were at the Out of Africa Park, been in the park 15 minutes and bam err99.
Remove battery reset and thank goodness the picture is there, click err99, oh well back to the car for spare body no probs except the frame rate and buffer meant I missed more of Tiger Splash than I would with the 40D, however I got some pics that I wouldn't have without a spare body!
So yes having a backup is a good plan, however you may be able to sell the 7D to raise some capital and spend 1/3 of that on a lesser body that is good enough to sit around waiting for maybe never getting used, however always take it with you.

The err99 on the 40D was the mirror and shutter, or that is both the bits they changed.

Cheers Graham.

 

[pwp]

I have a 7D with an EFS lens that I have not touched in nearly 6 months. I bought a 5D MK III last March and tried to like my 7D after that! Sorry, I just love that 5D MK III. I thought I would keep the 7D as a backup body but keep wondering if I really should.

For the prior 7 years I have only had one body along when I traveled. It seems to me it is time to part with it but I keep hesitating...

You've kind of answered your own question. It sounds like your style of shooting, particularly when you travel, a single body does the job. Neuro's suggestions of either an M or an S95/S100 (S110/S120) which is 100% pocketable and does surprisingly good video would be great travel companions.

A lot of photographers like to use two bodies to keep lens changes in the field to a minimum. I have a couple of clients, one a steel maker and the other an oil company whose location projects are in dirty, gritty often windy environments. I take three bodies, one with 16-35, one with 70-200 and a third with a lens that will suit the project...that may be the 300 f/2.8, the 24-70 f/2.8II or a very bright prime.

If you're saving for a $10k lens, you'll do better selling the 7D sooner rather than later, as the chameleon which is the 7DII may actually materialize in the first half of 2014.

A possible reason for keeping the 7D is the extra reach offered by the x1.6 APS-C crop sensor. A $10k lens is probably going to be a long one like a 400 f/2.8II, so on the 7D you'll have an equivalent FOV of 640mm at f/2.8. Appealing? Of course if you sell the 7D and miss it, it's a very simple matter to get another one without dropping a penny on the deal.

-pw

 

[Eldar]

I often use two bodies. One 1DX and one 5DIII. If I only had one, it would mean more lens swapping, but I could live with that. I also have a 7D, but I never use it. Only advantage is the crop factor for reach. My wife likes it, because it makes a very light and compact package with good reach with the 70-300, and she also likes to use the 18-200 on travel (while I carry half a ton in a backpack ...)

In general, you will always go for the higher quality body. Every time you push the shutter release on the 7D, you'll think; That shot would have been better with the 5DIII. So if you use two bodies, they should either be same same or one should provide functionality the other does not have, like fps, high-ISO performance etc.

I have been shooting with Canon bodies since the mid seventies and, beyond a frozen curtain several decades ago, none of my bodies have failed me.

And, as Neuro pointed out, there are 4 great whites to choose from on the wrong side of $10k