Options
Canon 7D with 60D as back up?
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
0
Comments
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.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
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.
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.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
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.
[thread=212087]Left hand shooting[/thread]
[thread=98547]Olympus E420 and the 4/3 system[/thread]
[thread=224244]What camera[/thread]
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Feel free to start a new thread, if you wish.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
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.
Editing with a head mouse and voice commands is a bit of a choir
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
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!
My SmugMug Galleries