Canon 7D with 60D as back up?

MelodinaMelodina Registered Users Posts: 46 Big grins
edited February 27, 2014 in Cameras
I need to have a backup for a wedding. The 7D is sooo heavy to me. Weak joints since years of Lyme disease in joints. I really like the articulated screen on the 60D and it's not as heavy! I realize I'm going back in models instead of forward. Any suggestions? I was going to rent but $100 for a few days rental made me re-think the $600 for the 60D. scratch

Comments

  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,127 moderator
    edited February 18, 2014
    The Canon 60D is still a viable first or second camera for weddings. So too is the Canon 70D, for that matter.

    A reason to use the "same" make and model for a backup camera is so that the controls are identical, which can mean a lot when the shots are coming fast and furious, like during the candids of a wedding. In that regard a second 7D body, rented or purchased, can save your sanity. I believe that a 70D is more similar to the 7D in terms of menus and controls than is the 60D (although the 60D is not terribly different either).

    I can understand your need to regulate weight in light of Lyme disease and joint damage. A lighter body and lens(es) can make a significant difference as the day of shooting goes on. Best wishes.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • MelodinaMelodina Registered Users Posts: 46 Big grins
    edited February 18, 2014
    ziggy53 wrote: »
    The Canon 60D is still a viable first or second camera for weddings. So too is the Canon 70D, for that matter.

    A reason to use the "same" make and model for a backup camera is so that the controls are identical, which can mean a lot when the shots are coming fast and furious, like during the candids of a wedding. In that regard a second 7D body, rented or purchased, can save your sanity. I believe that a 70D is more similar to the 7D in terms of menus and controls than is the 60D (although the 60D is not terribly different either).

    I can understand your need to regulate weight in light of Lyme disease and joint damage. A lighter body and lens(es) can make a significant difference as the day of shooting goes on. Best wishes.

    Thanks for the ideas I'm mulling all this over and over. Researched a little more and am concerned also with the difference of CF cards vs SD. The switching of cards alone could get confusing. From what I read the difference in cards doesn't seem to be so vast? Am I missing anything about two different cards?

    Then, perhaps most important to me ........ is there a thread that talks of hand and arm problems and solutions to this? It isn't all the time but it is a factor still in my life.
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,127 moderator
    edited February 18, 2014
    Melodina wrote: »
    Thanks for the ideas I'm mulling all this over and over. Researched a little more and am concerned also with the difference of CF cards vs SD. The switching of cards alone could get confusing. From what I read the difference in cards doesn't seem to be so vast? Am I missing anything about two different cards?

    ...

    Yes, there are some technological differences between CF and SD cards, but for a wedding I don't think that the differences matter too much, especially for a backup camera.
    Melodina wrote: »
    ... Then, perhaps most important to me ........ is there a thread that talks of hand and arm problems and solutions to this? It isn't all the time but it is a factor still in my life.

    We have had discussions with other DGrinners with somewhat similar issues and similar challenges, but each person is unique and there isn't a single solution which works for all people.

    I'll try to locate a few of those discussions but it may take a while to find them.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • MelodinaMelodina Registered Users Posts: 46 Big grins
    edited February 18, 2014
    ziggy53 wrote: »
    Yes, there are some technological differences between CF and SD cards, but for a wedding I don't think that the differences matter too much, especially for a backup camera.



    We have had discussions with other DGrinners with somewhat similar issues and similar challenges, but each person is unique and there isn't a single solution which works for all people.

    I'll try to locate a few of those discussions but it may take a while to find them.

    Thanks, I bet there are more than one might think who develop this problem, not only from shooting but also editing. I'd soo appreciate a thread on this subject.
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,127 moderator
    edited February 20, 2014
    Here are a few links to threads discussing various strategies to accommodate different situations relating to camera/lens weight and/or camera utility after an injury or disease:

    [thread=212087]Left hand shooting[/thread]
    [thread=98547]Olympus E420 and the 4/3 system[/thread]
    [thread=224244]What camera[/thread]
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,127 moderator
    edited February 20, 2014
    Melodina wrote: »
    Thanks, I bet there are more than one might think who develop this problem, not only from shooting but also editing. I'd soo appreciate a thread on this subject.

    Feel free to start a new thread, if you wish.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • NikonsandVstromsNikonsandVstroms Registered Users Posts: 990 Major grins
    edited February 23, 2014
    ziggy53 wrote: »
    Here are a few links to threads discussing various strategies to accommodate different situations relating to camera/lens weight and/or camera utility after an injury or disease:

    [thread=212087]Left hand shooting[/thread]
    [thread=98547]Olympus E420 and the 4/3 system[/thread]
    [thread=224244]What camera[/thread]

    And since I'm #2 in that list I might as well chime in here with my experiences a few years down the road.

    Wrists are still bugging me and I can't shoot a wedding or event yet but for what I can shoot I have a similar set up to what the OP is thinking of. Nikon D700 & D7100, the bit about the different controls is true and I wish it had the same setup as my Fuji S5 (D200 with a Fuji sensor)/D700 but it didn't take long to adjust. I know the D700's by heart so it was just learning the button placements for my most used adjustments on the D7100, after a few days of using it I was set.

    I also got the D7100 to use lighter DX lenses and since both of your cameras are crop sensors this applies even more to you. While the current generation of third party lenses seem to be emulating the Nikkor/Canons in quality and functionality they also are about the same size. If you go back a little bit though you can get some smaller/lighter lenses. The best example I'd say is the Sigma 50-150 (non-OS) F2.8, it's much smaller than any 70-200 2.8 and it has good AF speed, along with image quality. Now for that last bit it isn't as sharp as the best lenses in the 70-200 class but it still can produce good results, I'd have no hesitations about using it for a wedding.

    The Tamron 17-50 would be another good/lighter lens, just with that one the trade off is slower AF for the smaller size, but it's a very sharp lens.
  • NikonsandVstromsNikonsandVstroms Registered Users Posts: 990 Major grins
    edited February 23, 2014
    Melodina wrote: »
    Thanks, I bet there are more than one might think who develop this problem, not only from shooting but also editing. I'd soo appreciate a thread on this subject.

    Editing with a head mouse and voice commands is a bit of a choir lol3.gif but if you have any issues with repetitive movements I found a Wacom tablet is a lot easier on my hands than a mouse. I still can only work on it for short times but it lets me do a little bit more between those breaks.
  • Brett1000Brett1000 Registered Users Posts: 819 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2014
    Melodina wrote: »
    Thanks for the ideas I'm mulling all this over and over. Researched a little more and am concerned also with the difference of CF cards vs SD. The switching of cards alone could get confusing. From what I read the difference in cards doesn't seem to be so vast? Am I missing anything about two different cards?

    Then, perhaps most important to me ........ is there a thread that talks of hand and arm problems and solutions to this? It isn't all the time but it is a factor still in my life.

    I would want similar controls and the same memory cards for a back up wedding camera. But if weight is a recurring issue have you considered mirrorless options and pancake lens
  • sapphire73sapphire73 Registered Users, Super Moderators Posts: 1,971 moderator
    edited February 27, 2014
    I among those trying to reduce the stress on my wrist, knees, etc. by keeping down the overall weight of my camera equipment. i have flare ups of tendonitis in my wrist - especially if I am doing a lot of photography followed by some other activities (developing RAW photos, word processing, knitting). Also, I recently had a knee replacement so that is another reason to watch what I carry around with me. I am not a pro and don't shoot weddings, but have opportunities to travel and could not imagine not taking photos on my journeys.

    I have the Canon 7D and picked up a Canon t4i for shorter trips, family photos, etc. It was so much lighter than the 7D and I got great results relative to my goals. While shooting with the t4i, I grew to value the articulated LCD screen and liked some of its other features. I am heading to east Africa in a few months and was looking for another camera body. I ended up buying the 70D which is between the 7D and t4i in weight and size. (I will let my husband use the 7D with his heavy 100-400 when he has a chance to photograph birds, so it will not be shelved.)

    There are acceptable lens options for me - partly because landscape photography is my love. But apart from a lens like the 10-22mm, my choice of lens often involves some compromise or other.

    One last thought is that I got a good brace from an orthopedic surgeon that I can wear at night to immobilize my thumb if the tendonitis flares up. Haven't used it in several years now, but it has been a great help in the past. And it worked much better than anything I could find at a pharmacy.

    Good luck with it all!
Sign In or Register to comment.