Two full frame bodies or full frame and crop sensor?

[Ryan85]

Hi,
I currently shoot a 5diii. This year I started shooting my first paid shoots. I did 4 weddings, senior pictures and family portriats. I'll be doing the same over the next several years plus some sports, stock, wildlife and landscapes/fine art trying to make a career from photography. I enjoy doing weddings, portriats and really all types of photography. However my favorite is travel, wildlife and landscapes. So my question is I'm going to get a second body to shoot in case the 5diii fails or I want to use 2 bodies so I'm not switching lenses as much and I'm not sure if I should go with the 7dii or save for a second 5diii or possibly a high mp body hopefully released in the future. I love the 5diii it's just extremely spendy for a second one while I'm starting out and on a budget. I thought about the 6d but I really like having 2 card slots in case of a memory card failure and I prefer the layout of the 5diii more. I thought the 7dii would be nice for some extra reach but I'm not sure how it'd do shooting weddings and portriats compared to the 5diii. Also having a 24-70 on the ff and the 70-200 on the crop sensor might not be great for weddings in low light and loosing depth of field. So any advice and thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks you.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Since you can find a 5D MK III for about $2400, I'd go for it. The 7D is a good camera, but I'd go for a identical camera to what you have.

 

[Ryan85]

Thanks for the reply. I'm leaning towards that. 2400.00? Are we talking for a used, refurb, ebay, canon price watch or? I haven't seen them that low. I've always purchased my gear through b&h or the local best buy or camera shop in town. Do you feel confertable buying through the options I mentioned above buying gear?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Thanks for the reply. I'm leaning towards that. 2400.00? Are we talking for a used, refurb, ebay, canon price watch or? I haven't seen them that low. I've always purchased my gear through b&h or the local best buy or camera shop in town. Do you feel confertable buying through the options I mentioned above buying gear?

I always buy from a reputable seller. B&H, Adorama, Hometown Dealers, etc. There are good dealers selling on ebay as well as bad ones. The Canon price watch deal is a referral to a authorized Canon Dealer, often one you would buy from in any event, so yes, I'd do that.

I bought my 5D MK III over two years ago on ebay from Adorama, I paid $2750 and got $50 ebay bucks that bought a spare battery, also from Adorama.

If you want a deal, signup at CPW, set your price, and they will send you a e-mail if or when the price drops. There will be a lot of very short special deals as the holidays approach, and dealers panic about getting caught with too much stock, or meeting their bills. I see it every year.

Know what you want, and jump. There has already been a $200 off sale on the 7D MK II, for example.

 

[Freddie]

Canon Direct Online Store Refurbished Cameras and Lenses

The price watch site for Canon Direct is here: http://www.canonpricewatch.com/canon-refurb-stock-tracker/

The Canon Direct Site for refurbished cameras is here: http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cameras/refurbished-eos-digital-slr-cameras

The 5D Mark III is currently $2,719.20 but they have sales all the time with discounts up to 20% at times. That's how I bought my 5D Mark III many months ago for under $2400.

Use the price watch site for in-stock situations and sales summaries.
Fred

 

[Don Haines]

Hi,
I currently shoot a 5diii. This year I started shooting my first paid shoots. I did 4 weddings, senior pictures and family portriats. I'll be doing the same over the next several years plus some sports, stock, wildlife and landscapes/fine art trying to make a career from photography. I enjoy doing weddings, portriats and really all types of photography. However my favorite is travel, wildlife and landscapes. So my question is I'm going to get a second body to shoot in case the 5diii fails or I want to use 2 bodies so I'm not switching lenses as much and I'm not sure if I should go with the 7dii or save for a second 5diii or possibly a high mp body hopefully released in the future. I love the 5diii it's just extremely spendy for a second one while I'm starting out and on a budget. I thought about the 6d but I really like having 2 card slots in case of a memory card failure and I prefer the layout of the 5diii more. I thought the 7dii would be nice for some extra reach but I'm not sure how it'd do shooting weddings and portriats compared to the 5diii. Also having a 24-70 on the ff and the 70-200 on the crop sensor might not be great for weddings in low light and loosing depth of field. So any advice and thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks you.

I have a 7D2 and love it. It is a great camera and I do not regret getting it for a second.

That said, If I were shooting weddings I would get a 5D3.

 

[Ryan85]

Thanks good suggestion I'll look into signing up for CPW

 

[Dylan777]

Go for another 5D III. Making money is the priority #1. Having a second 5D III is extremely helpful in any events.

Here is 5D III current price on CPW-street price. Nothing better than buying brand new Canon products through Canon authourized dealer(with Canon 1yr standard warranty) at Ebay or below ebay price: http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/03868/Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-III-price.html

I used CPW=street price twice. I would use it again in heart beat.

 

[klickflip]

Why the need or want for a second body? Personally I've survived 15 years of not having a second body and none either film 35 or MF or digi FF have let me down. - I have and several lenses let me down tho, in which case id just adapt and use another one.

I get changing lenses can be awkward sometimes but unless you're shooting national press then you should always be able to get a few decent shots in a live environment especially with either the 24-70 or 70-200 depending on where you are placed in relation to the subject / action, and to be honest this should be you biggest decision beforehand.

IF you're thinking 24-70 on FF and 70-200 on crop then that at big difference in distance to the subject you'd have to be placed. As much as it get dissed the 24-105 is a great all rounder on FF for events and not half as bad as people make out. Basically i'll use this in varying situations if I know client will want a bit of everything otherwise i'll swap between 35, 50, 85 and 135Ls and get a more considered stylish take on the situation than trying to cover everything all at once.

Moral here could be.. take your time a bit more and think about shots more than trying to capture everything, and caring looking pro or ready for the worst with more cameras round your neck

5DIII rocks- nothing apart from 1DX comes close to the ease and reliability it shoots. All I'd add to my kit is a 5Dc or 5DII as a last measure backup which hopefully would never be needed.

 

[Loswr]

I used CPW=street price twice. I would use it again in heart beat.

+1 for CPW Street Price.

 

[Joe M]

I used to shoot with one FF and one crop. Once I picked up a 5D3, I decided to say good-bye to crop for good and now use a pair of 5D3s. Technically, one is supposed to be a backup but it gets used during the day. I find it immensely helpful to have one lens on one body with a different lens on the other. A FF and crop can be done, even 5D3 and 6D can be done but I've just found it quite easier to shoot single-minded with FF and more so with the same body. If it's in the budget, my vote it for another 5D3.

 

[steven kessel]

My go-to camera used to be a 7D. Then, I purchased a 5Diii and I've never looked back. Currently, I own two 5Diiis. One of them is more or less permanently affixed to a 400 DO, which I use for birds and animal photography. The other body divides time between a 70-200 f4L IS, a 180 Macro, and a 16-35 f4 L zoom.

The image quality that I get from my 5D iii is immeasurably superior to what I get from the 7D, even with extensive cropping. That's convinced me that there's no circumstance where I would substitute a crop body for a full frame. In the past couple of weeks a few of my friends have lobbied me to try a 7D2, assuring me that the image quality of the newer body is enormously upgraded over its predecessor. Maybe so -- and I assume that Canon would have figured out a way to vastly upgrade its product after nearly a decade -- but I'm really happy with my full frames and intend to stick with them.

 

[Ryan85]

Thank you everybody for sharing your experience, advice and opinions!

 

[TexPhoto]

My first Canon DSLR was a 5D Mark II. I loved it for it strengths, but was frustrated by it's weaknesses. I wanted to shoot sports and it was slow and did not focus quickly, etc. I purchased a 7D as a second body and broke my own one body rule. And I freakin loved it. I loved having 2 bodies each with their own strengths. They complimented each other so well.

Today I have 3. A 5D3, a 7D, and a 1D Mark IV. It is rare that I take all three bodies anywhere, but I usually take 2. For the same reasons. Admittedly, the control differences of each can be a pain at times. But the advantages... Sitting at a pro surf contest on Sat, the 1D4 is pointed seaward, attached to a 400mm f2.8 with a 2X extender. The 7d is by my side ready to snap the odd looking observer, or not so odd bikini. A few hours later, the 5d3 and 1D4 are swapping back and forth as I photograph a college basketball tournament. The 7D is 88 feet up pointing straight down at the other basket, snapping off pics with the remote in my pocket.

Anyway, to each his own. Good Luck.

 

[RichM]

My first Canon DSLR was a 5D Mark II. I loved it for it strengths, but was frustrated by it's weaknesses. I wanted to shoot sports and it was slow and did not focus quickly, etc. I purchased a 7D as a second body and broke my own one body rule. And I freakin loved it. I loved having 2 bodies each with their own strengths. They complimented each other so well.

Today I have 3. A 5D3, a 7D, and a 1D Mark IV. It is rare that I take all three bodies anywhere, but I usually take 2. For the same reasons. Admittedly, the control differences of each can be a pain at times. But the advantages... Sitting at a pro surf contest on Sat, the 1D4 is pointed seaward, attached to a 400mm f2.8 with a 2X extender. The 7d is by my side ready to snap the odd looking observer, or not so odd bikini. A few hours later, the 5d3 and 1D4 are swapping back and forth as I photograph a college basketball tournament. The 7D is 88 feet up pointing straight down at the other basket, snapping off pics with the remote in my pocket.

Anyway, to each his own. Good Luck.

I have long had a crop and a ff body, and agree with you that the flexibility (and security) this combination provides is fantastic. Now the combination is a 5d3/7d2, and I'm very happy with both. I'd been waiting for a while for the 7d2, and am extremely please with it so far. Switching between these two bodies is virtually seamless.

 

[Hjalmarg1]

If you plan to continue shooting weedings just get another 5D3.
I bought mine during some weekly deals at eBay about a year ago and I am very satisfied.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Why the need or want for a second body? Personally I've survived 15 years of not having a second body and none either film 35 or MF or digi FF have let me down. - I have and several lenses let me down tho, in which case id just adapt and use another one.

Here is my take on the question.

When contracting for a wedding shoot, and if his camera fails, drops, or breaks, or more likely is damaged by a drunken wedding party member, and he does not have a backup camera, word will spread like wildfire, and he can kiss his fledgling business goodbye and hope that he can avoid a lawsuit for not having a backup to cover the obviously foreseeable event of a camera failure. Same with lenses, but he already has multiple lenses.

Its cheap insurance and a write off from taxes. Brides that do not get their wedding photographs can be very vindictive, even if the contract covers illness, broken equipment or automobile failures, acts of god, etc. I have no desire to photograph weddings, the level of stress is too high for me. I do it for friends on a informal basis, but never as a contracted shooter.

He should also consider a second shooter using that second camera. Cars break down, people get ill, its a foreseeable event and should be covered. There are lots of students or less experienced photographers who can help out, and cover you in a emergency.

 

[agierke]

Why the need or want for a second body? Personally I've survived 15 years of not having a second body and none either film 35 or MF or digi FF have let me down. - I have and several lenses let me down tho, in which case id just adapt and use another one.

anyone who gets paid to shoot a wedding should absolutely have a 2nd body on them. even if its a rebel. you would be crazy not to and certainly tempting fate.

i had a shutter explode on me while i was shooting getting ready shots. it was my only camera. thank god i was the 2nd shooter and the main shooter was able to toss me her spare 3rd body. could you imagine if i was on my own! after that i immediately got a 2nd camera.

now i carry 3 bodies with me. 2 for shooting and the 3rd for end of the world nightmare scenario backup. and i always have a 2nd shooter with me.

ive been shooting professionally for 15 years now on my own and with about a dozen other photographers over the years. every single one of them carried 2 and sometimes 3 bodies with them on shoots. regardless of what kind of job it was. during that time i have seen cameras die in a variety of ways...more than i care to recall.

part of being a professional means you can get the job done no matter what. not having a back up camera is inexcusable under paid circumstances.

oh...and to the OP, get another 5d3 if you can. why not?

 

[Tyroop]

Why the need or want for a second body? Personally I've survived 15 years of not having a second body and none either film 35 or MF or digi FF have let me down. - I have and several lenses let me down tho, in which case id just adapt and use another one.

Interesting comment.

I've survived 32+ years with a variety of film and digital bodies having never let me down. However, if I was doing a wedding I would want lots of backup and no single point of failure - including at least one backup body. Wasn't there a guy called Murphy who devised a law about this? And besides, if you are in the States and doing this professionally, aren't Americans rather keen on law suits?

 

[Sporgon]

Good advice given on this page above. A wedding is a one off event ( or at least it is supposed to be ). I too have only had an slr fail once in thirty five years of photography; the mirror fell out of a 5D. As the camera had no live view it rendered it useless until I had glued it back in- whereupon it fell off again shortly afterwards, and I had to get it modified properly, free, by Canon. So to be paid for services in producing wedding pictures without a back up body is a 'no-no', even if, as has been stated earlier, that back up is a rebel.

The only reason not to get exactly the same camera body as a 'back up' is budget constraints. Two exactly the same is by far the most efficient option form a work point of view.