[atcoombs]

In the film days I had two bodies, one for b/w and one for color. With digital I have only needed one body. That may change within the year if I take a planned once in a lifetime trip to Madagascar. My current thinking is to have the WR 55-300mm on the K-3 and a 20-40mm on my K-IIs. That would give me a nice WR set up for rough conditions with switching to other lenses as conditions allow.
I have two tripods but never use them at the same time. Just get a good head with quick release plates and switch as needed. That's what works for my style of shooting.

[Marktax]

On photo travel, I take a backup body mainly in case of accidents. I let a tripod be blown over by a gust of wind once, and thereby lost the camera for the rest of that trip. Lesson learned. I'm going to Yellowstone in January and will take a K-3, with K-30 as backup. I'll have the 15 and 20-40 Ltds and the DA 50-135 and DA 300, and the 1.4 TC. Maybe the 40 Ltd will go too, it's so small. All of it that and a tripod be with me all the time, on snowshoes, skis, below zero conditions, whatever. I'll be exhausted after 5 days, but I can't afford to go that far at that expense and miss a shot.

I need a new ball head that locks on target solidly and fast with that long lens. I'll have very cold hands and be wearing gloves, if anyone can recommend one.

[Fries]

Once at a wedding (non commercial) I used two bodies; a K200D with the 16-150 and a flashgun and the K-5 with the FA77 for candid shots. You very often don't have time to switch lenses and a back up is mandatory because you can't do it again. I carried the stuff to the location in one photo bag and a small backpack. And at a commercial assignment this year I used the K-3 for video and time lapses and the K-5 (with the DA21mm) for photography because I had to shoot video and photograph at the same time. The K-3 was on a tripod with the DA 16-50 and using it for photography was just to much of a hassle with the risk missing a vital video shot. And if you expect to be payed you simply need a back up. I had one guy that travelled from Antwerp in Belgium to the location in the north of the Netherlands and I would have looked totally unprofessional if my equipment failed... But to contradict my self a bit; when I work for the radio&tv station where I am employed we typically don't have a back up with us for the news pieces we produce. But then I have my colleagues to back me up if needed.

[swamp boy]

For digital, no. For film, yes.

I once took 3 film cameras with me on a trip to Europe and had them on me nearly all day each day. One had a prime lens and was loaded with ASA/ISO 1000 for shooting indoors. Another had a 35-70 zoom loaded with ASA/ISO 100 or 200 (don't recall which) and was used for all outdoor shots. The third was a P&S film camera with a built-in flash. The P&S was used primarily for candid/snapshot type photography and for close-range film shots. It was a huge pain in the rear to lug that equipment around. I wouldn't want to make a habit of carrying multiple bodies (of any type).

[TaoMaas]

Like some of the other folks, I used to carry two bodies a lot more in the film days than now. I would have one loaded with slow slide film (25 or 50 ASA) and the other with something a bit faster (around 200 ASA). If I were walking around with both bodies, I'd put a wide angle lens on the slow film camera and a moderate telephoto on the faster film camera. I still do that from time to time with digital, but nowhere near as often as I used to. I have a K10D and a K-01. I'll put a wide angle zoom on the K-01 and use a telephoto zoom on the K10D because I find it easier to hold long lenses with a DSLR than a mirrorless. Most times, though, even though I'll have the other camera in my bag, I won't have it out and ready to shoot. I just switch between them depending on what I'm needing to do. One thing that comes immediately to mind is that my K-01 handles higher ISO better than my K10D, so when I need that extra speed, I'll switch to it.

[noelpolar]

I have a K5II and a K3. I droped my K5II once when on holiday in China and always now have a second body with me.

Recently on a balloon flight in Turkey I had a 15mm on my K5ii with a wrist strap on the LHS of the camera so it was on my left wrist and the K3 with a wrist strap on the RHS on my right wrist with whatever longer prime I wanted. I shot both cameras as I wished.....the camera I wasn't using just dangled off the wrist whilst both hands where on the body I was using......worked quite well.....

[btnapa]

I have a K5II and a K3. I droped my K5II once when on holiday in China and always now have a second body with me.

Recently on a balloon flight in Turkey I had a 15mm on my K5ii with a wrist strap on the LHS of the camera so it was on my left wrist and the K3 with a wrist strap on the RHS on my right wrist with whatever longer prime I wanted. I shot both cameras as I wished.....the camera I wasn't using just dangled off the wrist whilst both hands where on the body I was using......worked quite well.....

You are brave... Cameras on your wrist? I carried two bodies for wedding shoots but never on my wrist. They were usually on my shoulder with the usual camera shoulder straps. The weight on one's wrists would be too much for heavier cameras and for sure for an all-day-long trek.

[robert52]

I only ever did it the old film days 1 colour other b&w Z1 & SFXN

[gaweidert]

While in Yellowstone last year I used two cameras. K5 with the a Sigma 17-70 or Pentax 12 -24 DA and a K5-IIs with a Tamron 70-200 f2.8. I rarely used longer lenses but I did have a Tamron 300mm f2.8 with me too.

[hjoseph7]

I am thinking of adding a second body to my Pentax kit.


Just wondering how feasible it might be to have two on hand in real world use. So here are some questions:


1. What circumstances might you use two bodies?
2. What two bodies? (And why those two, if there are specific reasons!)
3. How do you use them, meaning what lenses do you usually use? Why those two? Do you usually have even more lenses on hand?
4. Do you use a pre-loaded custom Mode setting for each one in this circumstance?
5. How do you carry them? Is it a big hassle? Do the cameras ever bang against each other, etc.?
6. Do you carry two tripods, too?
7. Can the flash on the second camera act as a slave?


Maybe some more questions will come to mind. But any answers will do, if your work ever gets this complex and have good advice! As for me, I think it might help with action shooting to have two cameras on hand.


Thank you,


Dave

I used 2 bodies when I was shooting weddings. One camera had a long tele-zoom (70-200mm) and the other body had a medium zoom (24-70mm). This way I didn't have to switch lenses in the heat of the battle.

[choong_dc]

I do. 2 K3s. DA16-50 & DA50-135 respectively sling on me shoulders... wedding shoot out... you can't be changing lens all the time... ya'll miss the moment... and always get those BG-5 battery grip loaded with aneloop batteries... they'll last you a day of shoot... plus Pentax flash 360II with the short range lens and 540II with the mid/long range lens [you want the catch light in the eyes]... these should be deadly combo's IMHO [but i might stand corrected anytime]... Good light to everyone!

[ChrisPlatt]

I tried it once or twice many years ago, color slides in one body and BW negative film in the other.

I'm not particularly clumsy but it was too much for me to juggle.
Even with straps adjusted high and low cameras still nearly crashed into one another!

I found switching bodies blew nearly as many shots for me as changing lenses does.
Limiting myself to one body works better for me. And one body, one lens works best.

Chris

[AquaDome]

The most I have done is three. K-3 with either Sigma 10-20 or DA*50-135, 645N with A-45 or A-75 loaded with Velvia 50, and a Kodak Medalist loaded with whatever b&w film I had on a 620 spool that day. Plus a Gossen light meter and a small shoulder bag to carry the tripod.

[Aaron28]

I use my K-50 and E-510 constantly for time lapse and stacking of sunsets and night sky......for sunsets I go all auto with 18-55 and 14-42 kit and sunset scene at 15 second intervals for 30-40 minutes(helps maintain consistent exposure without adjusting constantly and maintaining the 15 sec interval)......for star trails typically both will have 28/2.8 at 26 second intervals for 30-40 minutes however sometimes I will use the o-gps on the k-50 with 135 prime or 200 kit for longer exposure stills while the E-510 is churning out a trail......2 separate bags and 2 tripods....I use a flashlight if I want to light paint

[Lowell Goudge]

I shoot with two bodies all the time.

When travelling, in cities, I have a. Sogma 10-20 on my K7 and a Tammy 28-75 on my K5.

When shooting wildlife I have something long and something longer. Selection of the body is a function of what lenses I use. Sometimes I will have one body on my Tammy 200-500/5.6 which is tripod bound and perhaps my sigma 70-200/2.8 with a 1.4x on the other in case something comes by that I can't move to shoot with the long MF lens.

Same when just out hiking, usually the 70-200/2.8 and a 2x TC on one body, and something shorter, perhaps with macro on the other.

Too much time lost switching lenses, just pick up the body and shoot. Two bodies works well most of the time