Two cameras, one crop sensor one full frame, which lens on which camera?

<p>I've started freelancing for a local newspaper. I've been shooting events that require me to get a shot quickly yet be very versatile with the field of view. Normally while shooting an event I would take one camera and switch lenses every so often. However, I do not have enough time to switch lenses when I need to get a shot instantly. I have my full frame camera that I use regularly, a Canon 6D, and the camera I started with, a crop sensor Canon Rebel T3. I want to start bringing both cameras, one with a normal/wide angle zoom, and another with a telephoto. If I put the telephoto on the crop and the normal zoom on the full frame, then I do get a little extra "zoom" with the telephoto, but a wider DOF. Also, I'd be missing the 70-112 mm (effective) focal length range. If I put the telephoto on the full frame, I get nice shallow DOF but not as much "zoom," but then I can't get as wide of an angle with the 24-70. </p>

<p><strong>TL;DR:</strong> I have a full frame camera and a crop sensor camera, and a normal zoom (24-70mm) and a telephoto zoom (70-200mm). When shooting events with two cameras, which lens should I put on which camera? </p>

<p>Well, those of us who regularly shoot with prime lenses always work and usually even play with two bodies; I've worked with three at times, shooting weddings and events, and as late as the 1970s, that was not uncommon.</p>

<p>I wouldn't worry about depth of field. I mean, if you can, fine. But doing news reportage photography is NOT like photographing a wedding!</p>

<p>At least in my experience shooting political debates, marathons and regattas, church carnivals, lectures, graduations and the like, I was usually worried simply about GETTING THE SHOT — and after that, about basic focus, exposure and composition. When the background was uninteresting, I didn't think about blurring it by opening up to f/1.8, I thought about moving and shooting from a different perspective.</p>

<p>You do what you're comfortable with and what seems to work best. If it were me, I'd put the 28–70 on the full-frame camera and shoot with it as much as possible; I'd save the APS-C camera and the 70–200 for special needs. When I covered events for news publication I was more often shooting with wide angle than with telephoto, so the 28 on the full-frame would be most useful. But your mileage very well may vary. I know other photographers who basically live with the 70–200 on their full-frame cameras and are very happy.</p>

<p>No right answer here. Well, there's one right answer: You must have two cameras. (What happens when one has a problem?) And there's one other answer I think is pretty close to right, which is, it's hard to shoot with two really different cameras. Not impossible, in fact, these days I do it a fair bit. But it's much easier if the two cameras operate in similar fashion and have very similar specs, so that when you switch you don't have to think hard about which side of the steering column the turn signals are on (so to speak).</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

<p>Will</p>

<p>After using two crop sensor bodies for years, I've just started to use one full frame body and one cropped, so take my suggestion with a grain of salt. Put the 24-70 on the full frame body. I believe that putting it on the crop sensor camera, and thus being unable to cover a wide angle without switching lenses, will cause you more trouble than a gap between short and medium telephoto.</p>

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<p>However, I do not have enough time to switch lenses when I need to get a shot instantly.</p>

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<p><br /> <br /> That's why zoom lenses are obligatory for news work, at least if you want to remain competetive. Most of the time, a "normal" zoom, in the range of 24 to 70 mm, or perhaps a little longer, but centered around 50 mm. That's for a full frame camera. For an APS-C camera you would divide those numbers by 1.5, which comes out to 16 to 50 mm. At one time you would want the maximum aperture to be f/2.8. However with the high usable ISO available in many cameras, f/4 would probably suffice at substantial savings in cost, size and weight.<br /> <br /> You would also want a telephoto zoom, and 70-200 mm is probably the most common, often used with 1.4x and 2.0x tele-extenders.<br /> <br /> There you have it. Three high quality zooms, 16-50 (or 12-24), 24-70 and 70-200, all designed for a full frame camera, but can be used on an APS-C camera too. For a typical two-camera shoot, you would probably split as wide-normal or normal-telephoto. With a 12-24 as the wide zoom, you would just make the cut for the APS-C body, with the equivalent of 18-36, which is actually pretty wide for news work. (with a 16-35, your best split would be wide-tele).</p>

<p>If this is the only gear, my choice would be 24-70 on FF, 70-200 on APS-C, as the range 70-105 you'd be effectively missing is fairly easy overcome. The other way around, missing 24-36, would be a bigger loss. 24mm is often wide enough, so it should easily cover most of what you need this way around.</p>

<p>I agree with putting the 24-70 on the full frame camera and the 70-200 on the crop frame. That gives you coverage from (effectively) 24 to 300mm with only a minor gap between 70 and (effectively) 105. Don't worry about depth of field issues -- in newspaper work it's much more important to make sure key elements are in focus than to try for pretty bokeh.<br /><br />I spent 15 years working for newspapers/wires and 15 plus since then in the PR side of the news business. During my newspaper days (back before zooms and AF and digital) I carried two bodies (Nikon F2 and FM) and four lenses -- 28, 50, 105 and 200. That and a couple of flashes were about all I had at the time but I shot everthing from car wrecks to football.<br /><br />Good luck with the newspaper work. IMHO, nothing teaches you photography likes shooting news.</p>

<p>I would put the lens I expect to use most on my best camera. I suggest putting the 70-200 on the Rebel and leaving it in the car. With 20 MP in the 6D to work with, you can crop the image significantly and still have as many pixels as the Rebel. That will cover the range up to 105 mm. You can crop still further and still get usable images. It is more important to get the shot than to get the best possible shot. Two camera bodies will slow you down. </p>

I spent many years shooting with two cameras

for newspapers and still always carry two. I do

not find that it slows me down in the least.

Under deadline pressures better to get the

shot in the camera than to rely on cropping

later. And cropping will magnify any lack of

sharpness, focus errors etc. Also if you have

any problem with your camera the second one

needs to be right there in your shoulder. If it's

in the car the shot is gone before you can go

get it. In newspaper work you are expected to

come back with a variety of shots -- wide

medium and close -- for editors to choose

from so you need both lenses.