[othar]

Thank you, I was starting to think I was the only one...

Although, thinking about it more, I do have a backup allowing me to keep taking pictures, even 3:
1) my phone (that's what I used to finish a US trip where my K-5 was "lost/stolen"; I admit, definitely not as satisfying as a Pentax DSLR, even though it seems enough for 95% of the general population);
2) an Olympus Tough TG-4 that I got primarily for underwater/very wet conditions (pictures are "just usable", handling is better than the phone)
3) an MX, but I need to check if I still have any film... Haven't used this one in years sadly!

#1 & #3 Are viable options for me, as I have everything I need at home, but the question was about a spare DSLR

Come to think of it, there are more reasons to have a 2nd DSLR than I initially thought of -> if the second camera is less a spare body but more of an alternative for special applications, like the availability of a tilt screen in the K-70 for macro work, while the K-3 is the more rugged and longer lasting (battery wise) camera for mountaineering

[ChristianRock]

Do you keep a 2nd body

...and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth....

[normhead]

...and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth....

We only have four K mount bodies. I need another one just to catchup.

[Perfessor5646]

I got accustomed to toting a two body with different lenses load out pre-Covid when I was shooting lots of events and getting an occasional magazine gig. The events were usually out doors in good weather and pretty dynamic. They usually involved dogs.Lots of dogs. For two years there were no such events.

This spring I started shooting the promo photos for Paws With Purpose and found myself in dynamic situations again. I had saved up for a K3 Mk3 and moved the Mk2 to the second body slot but the K3 Mk3 was so much more enjoyable, I bought another K3 Mk3 and sold the Mk2 recently. By recently, I mean yesterday.

PS: I still have a less than reliable K70 and a K10D.

PS 2: Regardless of how many DSLR bodies I’m toting, I have a Ricoh GR iii, the snub nosed revolver of cameras, in a pocket.

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Last edited by Perfessor5646; 12-03-2021 at 07:27 AM.

[normhead]

I often carry both the K-1 and K-3 (and sometimes my phone and sometimes the Lumix ZS100 or Pentax XG-1 or Q.) Every one of my cameras fulfils a niche, and could come with me any given day.

[3by2]

There are three distinct categories emerging: Those who have a 2nd body (or 3rd or 4th or more and film bodies) and use them. Those who have a 2nd body because they don't want to be without one if the primary needs replacing/repairing and the third category, those who just have one and could manage if theirs needed replacing/repairing. I think I probably fall more into the 3rd category. That being said my DA21 has been gone for repair for 3 months now, that would be a long time if the same thing happened to my camera.

[VictorDA]

here are three distinct categories emerging: Those who have a 2nd body (or 3rd or 4th or more and film bodies) and use them. Those who have a 2nd body because they don't want to be without one if the primary needs replacing/repairing and the third category, those who just have one and could manage if theirs needed replacing/repairing. I think I probably fall more into the 3rd category. That being said my DA21 has been gone for repair for 3 months now, that would be a long time if the same thing happened to my camera.

Very well summarised!
IF something happened to your main DSLR body, you can get a cheap enough replacement off Craigslist, Ebay or the Marketplace here, shipped to your door in 2 days
...or, you can even get an excellent reason to buy something newer and better

[BarryE]

I wish I had a second body I could store in deep freeze, as this one is wearing out :-(

[3by2]

PS 2: Regardless of how many DSLR bodies I’m toting, I have a Ricoh GR iii, the snub nosed revolver of cameras, in a pocket.

I've given thought to one of them but the K5 sale wouldn't finance one and I'm not inclined to add more money to the camera budget at the moment, plus I'd want the optical viewfinder too, so more money. Might save that one up for a special occasion.

[5ks]

Nice thread - whatever you choose to do, you'll find the necessary arguments backing your decision right here

So there's no universal wisdom to help you, just various aspects of experience.

Me? At first, I had only one DSLR (of course). Did not sell it when purchasing another. Felt good to have two for those situations when a lens change might take too much time. A little later, I played some years with two copies of K-5. Very handy, exactly the same interface all the time, just different lenses attached (normally telezoom + a wider zoom, or macro).
Now I still have one of those K-5's, but also K-3 and K-1. Could drop out the K-5, it's redundant now. Most probably will try to sell K-3 also, and replace those crop bodies with K-3 iii. One body for full frame, one for crop sensor - I think that will be my choice for years ahead.

[normhead]

Nice thread - whatever you choose to do, you'll find the necessary arguments backing your decision right here

So there's no universal wisdom to help you, just various aspects of experience.

Me? At first, I had only one DSLR (of course). Did not sell it when purchasing another. Felt good to have two for those situations when a lens change might take too much time. A little later, I played some years with two copies of K-5. Very handy, exactly the same interface all the time, just different lenses attached (normally telezoom + a wider zoom, or macro).
Now I still have one of those K-5's, but also K-3 and K-1. Could drop out the K-5, it's redundant now. Most probably will try to sell K-3 also, and replace those crop bodies with K-3 iii. One body for full frame, one for crop sensor - I think that will be my choice for years ahead.

My one body solution would be a K-1iii incorporating the current K-3iii tech. I won't be purchasing another body without the tilt screen.

[bertwert]

When I bought my KP, I figured I'd sell my K-50 as it wouldn't get used much.

However, I later decided it would be worth more to me as a backup/second body than I would get for selling it - as it has a few problems too. Now I keep my 18-135 on the K-50 and it gets grabbed for immediate shots or to toss in the car without care. I hadn't realized how nice it is to have a another body, and one that isn't worth too much either.

[ChristianRock]

We only have four K mount bodies. I need another one just to catchup.

Well, to be fair, I keep some bodies that have issues.

- My K-50 and one of my two K-S1 bodies were given to me by someone who was going to bin them for some minor intermittent issues that are annoying to some - occasional mirror getting stuck in the K-50, only with certain lenses, and an error message on the screen of the K-S1 that camera repair shops could not fix despite multiple trips to them. That K-S1 reliably takes pictures.
- I have two 10 MP CCD bodies - both have issues. My K200D's AF/MF button does not work (I never opened it and it used to work 90% of the time when I got it, now doesn't work at all), and the viewfinder has some issues in one corner, but it's still the body I use the most! I just love the files I get from it. More than worth the $30 USD that I paid for it!!
- My K10D developed an issue where buttons "press themselves" only when I'm reviewing pictures. As long as I don't chimp it takes great pictures
- My other K-S1 works perfectly now that I replaced its solenoid, but has a small crack on the side of the body that happened when I hit something - I think - while putting the camera back together.
- Finally, my K-S2 (which just recently replaced a K-3 that I didn't really gel with) should take over as my main low light and sports body.

So technically I have 6 bodies, but only one of them would be worth anything if I tried to sell it (the K-S2). But I'm not going to throw the others away if they take good pictures! And yet I might add a 7th body at some point, perhaps another K200D, just to have a CCD body that works 100%.

[MossyRocks]

Not only a 2nd body but a 3rd, 4th and 5th as well. I have a K-3ii, K-3, K-500, K2000, and Spotmatic F. Three of them I use regularly often at the same time for astro shooting with the K-3ii and K-500 riding on my little equatorial with some very wide astro lenses (50s, 35, or 30mm) on them and the K-3 doing astro tracer with my big glass. I love my spottie too much to let it go even if it does see limited use there is just something so satisfying about using it. The K2000 I let one of the kids use and also it sees usage with the scouts during Photography merit badge or when one of them wants to borrow a camera.

I am probably unique in that I tend to not get rid of things even if they are woefully obsolete but will repurpose them. The K-500 is unique in that I specifically bought it broken as things like autofocus and in body aperture control don't really matter when doing astro shooting so instead of it finding a home in a garbage dump it has a new life as an astro only camera. I have considered getting it converted to full spectrum monochrome to do narrow band imaging but don't know of a place that will do that with Pentax cameras and not sure on the cost of doing that but it would open up a bunch of new opportunities for me.

[aslyfox]

There are three distinct categories emerging: Those who have a 2nd body (or 3rd or 4th or more and film bodies) and use them. Those who have a 2nd body because they don't want to be without one if the primary needs replacing/repairing and the third category, those who just have one and could manage if theirs needed replacing/repairing. I think I probably fall more into the 3rd category. That being said my DA21 has been gone for repair for 3 months now, that would be a long time if the same thing happened to my camera.

only you can decide what to do

As you can see, I have a number of Pentax DSLR and SLR camera bodies

my wife has been very nice to me and I have been able to find good " experienced " cameras and cameras on sale

[ the K 3 is on permanent loan to my younger brother ]

when we go on vacation, I like to have a back up camera with me at all times

when photographing wildlife, I have found it very helpful to have two cameras ready, one with a wide angle the other with a telephoto

the reason for the K 1 II is obvious

the K 10D is for the CCD sensor