Backup Camera Strategy

[ShunCheung]

Michael, just forget about pros abusing their cameras for the purpose of this thread.

None of my Nikons has ever failed in the field in 31 years, but next time I shoot a wedding, some kid could be

running around and bump into me so that I drop my camera on concrete.

I certainly would not hire a wedding photographer who does not carry a backup camera, and backup lenses and

flashes, etc. Not having backups on site is a completely unprofessional practice.

 

Unless you can make enough money from them to justify 2 or 3 D3/D700 bodies and watch all of them depreciate

rapidly at the same time, I am all for the buy one new DSLR at a time strategy. I personally have never owned two

copies of any one Nikon camera for exactly that reason.

 

Otherwise, if you can be a bit more flexable with your requirements, the solutions to your situation should be

extremely simple.

 

P.S. David, you have just switched A. Rod and Jeter's playing positions. Additionally, humans have feelings. A star player is not going to be very happy sitting on the bench most of time. Thankfully, cameras don't have such feelings, at least none of that I am aware of. :-)

[john_rogers9]

Any back up is better then nothing at all. I had a camera quit working on me during a wedding and the result was we did not get any photos of that wedding. I should have at least had a $5 throw away camera so we had something to show for it. My second camera is something lite and easy to carry when I do not want to carry the big heavy lens around with me. A good photographer can get just as good of photos with an inexpensive point and shoot. Your just limited in what you can do.

[daverhaas]

Shuen -

 

Sorry about that ...not a big Yankees fan...although I'm sure they'd like to swamp...

 

Point is that even they have backups.....

 

Dave

[AndyMiller]

Hi there, I haven't needed a backup since 1984 when all my gear got pinched in a burglary two days before a wedding

shoot. BUT I ALWAYS used to take two bodies (usually an F2As and EL) - each with a specific lens for the job in hand,

plus an occasional other lens. These days I no longer shoot commercially but I find the habit hard to break - D300 with 18-

200 DX VR - which will cover most things and D3 or D2X with other lens combinations such as 70-180 micro or 105 f2 DC

or ultra wide angle depending upon circumstances. If you have a good glass collection - get a spare body that

complements it - ie: FX or DX - I haven't done that but then as the 18-200 mm is rarely off the D300, I'm not too bothered.

[michael_hogan]

David – Yep, I have a big UPS on my CS3 workstation; don’t want to loose my work if I forget to save and a power failure occurs.. But not for my studio – but I have thought about it..

 

You make a good point about *sufficient* backup – I guess it depends on what is at stake. A D40 / D80 / D70 is probably fine for some weddings even.. I just had a potential client call this morning to book a wedding in Feb – the bride just wants a disk of .jpeg’s at the end and the budget is $1.5K MAX! That rules out a decent assistant and renting a backup D700 too.. So for a job like this (if I take it) the only logical backup would be a D40 / D80 / D70 since the budget is so tight. If it was a client that was budgeting $3-5K it would be a different story.. So maybe it’s worth keeping a low end backup DSLR for the cheap-skate jobs.. hmm – there’s a thought! You have some good ideas..

 

Shun (& John R) – I have NEVER shot a wedding without backup *everything* – including an assistant; I have said that a few times, that is NOT what this thread is about. I shoot a few weddings every year and ALWAYS have backup gear and an assistant.

 

I make my living as a photographer and retouching artist – so another $3K is not going to break the bank; but neither is renting high-end gear and passing on the costs.. The question comes down what makes more sense from a business standpoint. I am leaning toward keeping a low-end DSLR for a backup on low margin jobs and renting another D700 for VIP clients (see David Hass’s comments) – this seems like the best compromise..

 

The way this equipment depreciates is just phenomenal - it would be foolish not to have a well thought out plan for dealing with the planned obsolescence of the DSLR market..

 

Andrew – Another excellent point –THEFT—what happens when your studio gets burgled the night before a Wedding? My studio has extensive back to base security and I have everything insured - but theft is always possible..

 

More to think about - excellent thread..

[sprouty]

Michael, isn't this simply a matter of doing the financial math? $3,000 initial investment depreciated to, what, maybe $1,200 or $1,500 over the course of a year vs. $150 x your estimate of the number of rentals. If there is a clear advantage, then the choice is easy, if they are close then choose whatever option gives you the most peace of mind.

[michael_hogan]

Sp... -- Good point! Renting gear has an advantage of being an operating expense - it's a straight write-off. Buying

any asset, like a camera, gets depreciated over time (3 years in here in Australia) - it's on your books and, as you

surmised, the value of a DSLR just plummets... I am thinking low end DSLR (D40 / D80) for an everyday backup

(expensive paper-weight) and rent high a end DSLR (D700) for VIP jobs. That also has the advantage of giving me two

backup DSLR bodies for VIP work. That seems like an ideal balance..