Crisis Averted - Always Have a Backup Camera!

Why Have a Backup Camera?

It’s always good to have one or more backup cameras in the event the #1 camera bites the dust. It is my policy to never, ever go to shoot either a paying job or to work on travel, landscape, wildlife, or whatever without a reliable backup to my #1 camera, which is a Canon EOS 1DX. Sure enough, while on my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Africa one of my cameras went haywire. Luckily it was not my #1. It was #2, a backup, that I was using with shorter lenses and as a “side shooter” for grab shots, wider angle, and scenery shots. But since I actually took 3 cameras on the trip the #3 was promoted to #2 and life went on normally from that point. Once I got back home I pulled out the “sick” camera and started testing it in an effort to find out what was wrong. Well now of course it was working just fine and I couldn’t make it malfunction no matter how hard I tried. I guess that was good news but now I’m thinking this camera can’t be trusted.

When Backup Camera #2 Bites the Dust

Late last month I had the opportunity to visit Caddo Lake in Texas. On a late afternoon boat tour I took both my #1 and #2 cameras, each one with a much different lens for much different views of the lake. Right off the bat the #2 camera refused to work properly and I decided right then and there to quit fighting with it. I stopped at a place called The Camera Cure in St. Petersburg on my way home to see if they could fix #2 but the answer was a great big “no.” They don’t make the parts for that thing anymore and it needs a new shutter. Camera #2 is officially and permanently out of commission.

My brand new Canon EOS 5D Mark IV arrived in mid-December. I now have two #1 cameras and a #3. This new camera has a 30+ megapixel sensor and is great for everything except fast action sports, which is what my 1DX is for.

Over the last few days I’ve been able to get out and put the 5D through its paces. Here are a few photos taken with the new camera.