Thoughts about backup camera?

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

So when I got the D750, I kept the D7000 as my backup camera. Switching between them was kind of annoying because the controls are just different enough that I have to work at remembering how to do what I want on the D7000. Last week, someone asked me if I would sell it to them. They accepted my price and so it is gone.

I was thinking that the D7200 would make a nice backup/compliment for the D750. The controls and features are almost identical to the D750. Both are 24Mp sensors. I could pick up a new D7200 body for what I got for my D7000 stuff. But then... there are all those lenses out there...

What got me thinking about a backup/compliment body is two things. One, I have a friend from India that makes a few trips a year back there. He wants me to go with him on a trip in October for at least a week. He specifically wants me to take pictures, kind of like a documentary style trip. It would be nice to have the two bodies and just two primary lenses (24-70 and 70-200) with maybe the occasional use of the DX 35 f/1.8. I am not a big fan of constantly swapping lenses on the same body. I'd just leave the 24-70 on the D750 and the 70-200 on the D7200 for most of the time.

The second issue came up yesterday during a shooting session. I was doing portraits of mothers and kids in a staged studio type setting with a backdrop. About half way through, my D750 quit showing the review image on the back screen and I could not get ANY menus to pull up. It was acting like the batteries were dead except it was still taking pictures and writing to the card I pulled the battery in the extended grip and inserted a new one. It started working perfect. I think this might be an issue with the grip. After the sense of panic went away when it started working again, I got to thinking that had it not worked, I would have been screwed with a long line of moms and kids waiting to have their pictures taken. Also, I would have missed taking several hundred candid shots of the kids and moms after they split up into separate rooms for the next few hours while the moms enjoyed time with other adults without the kids present. It would have been BAD. This got me thinking a back up camera very similar to the D750 would be nice. Of course a second D750 would be sweet, but much more than a D7200, and there are actually some decent reasons to have the DX body.

I also figured out that I really ought to buy a few more batteries for the bodies to have on hand, just in case...

Thoughts?

 

[M38A1]

I've not sold my D700 for that very reason.... So yes - I have a back-up body too. And I've needed it one time for an important client shoot when the primary body failed.

As to which one, that's a question only you can answer.

By the way, how did the studio shots turn out? Any samples for us?

 

[DFW_Warrior]

If I were getting paid, I would have a backup. If I am shooting for me, I'm hard pressed enough to have more than one lens with me. I couldn't imagine trying to hump around two bodies, lenses, batteries, and so forth. But that is the biggest difference to me. I am shooting for fun, and to me carrying all that stuff doesn't sound like fun.

 

[garfey]

Aww Heck!
I thought this was about seeing behind The Tomato!

 

[Tourmeister]

Studio shots came out pretty good given that once we started shooting, we were in a time crunch to get every one through so they could get to their rooms for their various activities. I didn't have time to get perfect poses and wait for grumpy and/or stubborn kids to cooperate. From a technical point of view it went well. I was not responsible for the backdrop. It was larger than I would have liked relative to the people. So they don't fill up as much of the shot as I would have liked.

Candids came out good for the most part. Still struggling with getting the DOF I want at workable exposure settings. Not usually a problem for solo shots, but definitely a problem for shots with multiple people.

I shot about 475 images. So I am still processing them. I'll share a few when done.

 

[kurt]

The only problem I see is the D750 is an FX format and the D7200 is DX. At least you can use the FX lenses on both. I don't really need a backup camera, but I did buy a much smaller 4/3 format camera just to carry around. It greatly increases the chances I'll have a camera with me at any given moment and takes fantastic pictures. It is a Leica D Lux (typ 109). The non-changeable lens is the equivalent of my 24-70mm f/2.8 and takes fantastic pictures.

 

[tshelfer]

Based on the title, my first thought was - Why would a bike need a backup camera?

Many years ago (like in the film days), I had moved from a Nikon 4004 to a 6006. We were camping, and I was teaching my wife how to use an SLR for an upcoming trip she was making with a friend. As we were drifting lazily around the edge of Daingerfield Lake, getting some nice fall color, she did the unthinkable and tried to stand up in a canoe. Splish splash, water in the floorboards, and both cameras got swamped. We cut the trip short to rush my babies home. Outcome - two ruined lenses, one ruined body. But the 6006 body came back to life when I dried it out with a hair dryer, and still works, last time I checked.

So depending on the issue, backup cameras are like backup discs - not necessarily of value if they're the same place as the primaries.

 

[focus frenzy]

generally a back up is something that will get the job done but is more compact, lighter, and easy to carry.

a nikon coolpix A900 is 4.5 inches by 2.7 inches, weighs 10.2 ounces shoots 7 frames a second and shoots 4K video 4.3 to 151mm lens

 

[tricepilot]

I really like backup cameras, especially in crowded parking lots and when hooking up a trailer to my truck.

 

[achesley]

I really like backup cameras, especially in crowded parking lots and when hooking up a trailer to my truck.

Been thinking of that.
Did do an experiment last year of setting my Gopro on my rear bumper and using the Gopro app on my Galaxy 3 to see what the Gopro was looking at for adjustment on my helmets.

 

[M38A1]

Bump!

 

[Jeephoto]

I believe in backup cameras, lenses, flash, if you are "working". You are being paid to get the shot and equipment can fail.

When I was shooting for pay, I always had two bodies with wide/short and telephoto on each. I switched between without changing lenses. Now that I shoot for fun, I simplified with one dSLR, snapshot camera, and phone camera.

Answer to your question? Yes, I would have an FX & DX bodies for back up and take advantage of 1.4x "crop". Similarity and control layout on both would be a plus.