Shooting w/1 or 2 bodies

[Leopard Lupus]

Hello CR folks!

I've got a question I have yet to see discussed on CR (or I just have yet to find it).

I sold my 5D mk ll the week before the mk lll was released, ensuring ~$300 more in my pocket to go towards the mk lll.
While I waited, I purchased a refurbished 7D with a shutter count of 560. It was a great deal considering sealing is important to me. I primarily shoot indoor sports/concerts, and have always preferred FF, but for this short while the 1.6 crop has been decent.
I've never had two digital bodies at the same time. Considering the 5D mk lll is a beefed-up FF in 7D casing, will I find the mk lll more useful than the 7D, or (in your personal experience) is having a crop and FF sensor allowing for lens and focal length combinations useful?
I'm happy with the lens lineup I have thus far, so I'm mainly just weighing out my options. Should I sell the 7D, or keep it for now?
Thanks!
(sorry, just realized I posted in Rumors)

 

[JerryKnight]

I think you could definitely benefit from using two bodies, whether or not one is a crop body. The reason is simple: no lens switching. If you're shooting with a long lens on one body, and something happens right in front of you, just grab the second body with a wider lens and fire away (Black Rapid strap is perfect for this).

I'm not a sports photographer, but I imagine this is a standard technique for many sports and other types of shooting. Heck, I even use this technique at weddings. In your case, you would benefit from having the long lens on the 7D (1.6x more reach) and the wider lens on the 5D3 (more wide angle range).

Of course, you could sell your 7D and probably put a big dent in the cost of some nice L glass. If you're lacking a lens or two that you think you would really benefit from, then this might be the way to go.

It all depends on your shooting style and your lens kit, but everything else aside, shooting with two bodies is more flexible than one body.

 

[Tcapp]

Keep it as a back up if nothing else. S**T happens, and if your body decides to give you issues during a shoot, its nice not to have to give up and go home.