Tag Archives: backup

Commentary, Equipment, Reader Questions

Using Multiple Camera Systems

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A reader noticed that my recent Death Valley photographs were made with two different systems — a Canon full frame system and a Fujifilm APS-C system. Apparently some people DO look at the EXIF data! ;-)

He wrote:

“Hi Dan, I’ve been enjoying your recent posts and comps from your Jan visit to DV. After visiting your flickr site, I noticed that you use a Canon 5DSR with 100-400 telephoto lens for its reach across the terrain, and a Fuji XT-5 with a medium telephoto for the more intimate canyon shots. Is that your set up for convenience depending on the scene? I’m guessing the 5DSR is tripod mounted for shots, and the Fuji is handheld when hiking. I’m curious why you don’t pair the Canon with the same focal lens that you use on the Fuji. Thanks for your insights.“

For example, this photograph was made with the little Fujifilm XT5 rather than with my much larger Canon system. If you are interested in my answer, read on!

Light in the Canyon
“Light in the Canyon” — Afternoon light strikes a hill in the lower reaches of a Death Valley canyon.

With his permission, I’m going to write a bit about why I use two systems, and how and when I use both of them together.

Continue reading Using Multiple Camera Systems →
Commentary, Equipment, Ideas, Technique

Thoughts About ‘Backup Cameras’

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Recently I read a post in a photography forum in which a poster asked for advice concerning selection of a back-up camera body. If you do a lot of photography, eventually you will have gear fail on you. The last time this happened to me, my EOS 5D developed a shutter problem with no prior warning. In the middle of a night photography shoot the camera simply stopped working. I had no backup camera at that point, so my shoot was over – after driving nearly two hours to the location and making two exposures I packed up and drove two hours back home. If you shoot in remote locations, as I often do, or if you find yourself in other situations in which being unable to shoot isn’t an option, you need a backup camera strategy. (You might also want to consider how you would deal with a lens failure, too, though there are more ways to work around that possibility if you usually carry more than one lens.)

Rather than re-writing the whole thing, what follows is the text of my reply to that forum poster – with just a few contextual edits here and there. Note that I refer to Canon products, since that is what I use, but that equivalents from other manufacturers could replace those I mention.
(The original poster’s message/question is not included here, but he was essentially musing about whether to use an existing camera as a “backup” body, buy a second copy of one of his current cameras, or use some other strategy.)

I wrote, more or less…

This gets at what I regard as the primary question here: “What is the role of the back-up camera in the [your] shooting?”

The term “backup camera” can mean different things to different people. Continue reading Thoughts About ‘Backup Cameras’ →

Commentary, Photographs: Nature

A Bunch of Saturday Links

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This past week I came across a number of interesting links. I didn’t have time to post then, but now that it is the weekend and I have a bit of time, here they are:

  • John Paul Caponegro has been posting frequent updates about a photographic expedition to Antarctica at the John Paul Caponigro Blog.
  • Speaking of Antarctica, the Boston Globe has published a stunning series of photographs from Antarctica, made by a variety of photographers all over the continent.
  • Over at his blog Jim M Goldstein has reported on his hard drive disaster and his successful efforts to recover. He also shares some interesting and useful ideas about backup strategies.
  • Yosemite photographer – and author of a highly regarded book on photographing in Yosemite – has started a blog: Michael Frye Photography Blog. He has a lot of good information to share about photographing the Valley, and he has already published useful information about photographing the iconic Horsetail Fall in the next month or so.
  • Andy Frazer has offered another in his ongoing series of commentaries on night photographers, this time with words about and links to Aaron Hobson.

All good stuff!