Travel with a back up camera body?

[kramer92911 2]

I am about to upgrade my system to the D500 and have always travelled with a back up camera body. Just wondering with the new vacuum systems to help prevent against the dreaded f word and the price of a second D500 body how many others travel with a back up.

 

Thanks in advance

Jamie

[TimG 62]

Always. And I have a vacuum system too.

 

Even if a flood is not the problem, it's always possible that a camera fails or goes faulty for some reason. And then with the second body you can do topside pics too.

[eyu 27]

I do as Tim, back up body plus back up charger, batteries, body & port o-rings and housing parts.

Basically anything electrical I carry a extra one.

I too have a vacuum system.

Why I carry back ups, flooded housing in Palau, shorted hot shoe in Tulamben, housing circuit board failed in Alors, card reader failed in Bunaken and strobe died in Anilao.

 

Elmer

Edited August 21, 2016 by eyu

[BC83 7]

I do as Tim, back up body plus back up charger, batteries, body & port o-rings and housing parts.

Basically anything electrical I carry a extra one.

I too have a vacuum system.

Why I carry back ups, flooded housing in Palau, shorted hot shoe in Tulamben, housing circuit board failed in Alors, card reader failed in Bunaken and strobe died in Anilao.

 

Elmer

You get some very bad luck!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TimG 62]

Never go diving with Elmer, eh? He's jinxed.

[paratom 1]

I just left my backup em-1 at home for my last 2 week dive vacation. Just to realize the on camera flash didn't work, so I couldn't trigger my sea& sea flashes. I wished to have my backup em1 with backup on camera flash.

Next time I will bring a backup!

In the end it depends how important it is to YOU. Another option I though about is to by a smaller backup like a TG-4 with housing. I could use it on the boat and at the beach and in case the main rig fails one has at least something to take some images.

[eyu 27]

Never go diving with Elmer, eh? He's jinxed.

Tim,

 

Considering these failures have been over the course of 1000+ dives there is no jinx here.

Flood was user error, don't assemble your kit on 3 hours sleep. The hot shoe was also user error, a drop of salt water from hair. The circuit board was from corrosion from salty moist tropical air, the card read wore out and the strobe was 12 years old.

I guess if I dove less my equipment would last longer

 

Elmer

Edited August 22, 2016 by eyu

[TimG 62]

Tim,

 

Considering these failures have been over the course of 1000+ dives there is no jinx here.

Flood was user error, don't assemble your kit on 3 hours sleep. The hot shoe was also user error, a drop of salt water from hair. The circuit board was from corrosion from salty moist tropical air, the card read wore out and the strobe was 12 years old.

I guess if I dove less my equipment would last longer

 

Elmer

 

Maybe we need to add a 3 hour No Sleep No Equipment Assembly rule to the advice list that was posted a couple of days ago? And head shaving.

 

[Larry C 24]

I keep a back up and use it for topside pics so I don't have to pull the camera out of the housing, and I can leave the back-up out of the room for a couple of hours to de-steam it before shooting in sultry climates.

[JamesR 26]

I don't have a backup body that can go in my housing. I can't justify the cost of another D810 body just to have a backup.

[kramer92911 2]

Thanks guys. I was trying to save some coin but probably knew the answer before I posted. Thanks for your time. Two new bodies it is.

[TimG 62]

Save some coin???????

 

 

Two bodies. You wont regret it. And neither will Mastercard.

[DrFiscus 1]

Elmer also forgot to mention his MacBook Pro died in Philippines (I think it was Philippines) and he had to replace it there or no photo processing.

Andy

[TimG 62]

Elmer also forgot to mention his MacBook Pro died in Philippines (I think it was Philippines) and he had to replace it there or no photo processing.

Andy

 

 

Thanks, Andy

 

So he is jinxed then?

 

Despite a highly persuasive post above.

[kramer92911 2]

Save some coin???????

 

 

Two bodies. You wont regret it. And neither will Mastercard.

I know, who am I kidding. Taking camera's underwater and saving coin. lol

 

I agree Elmer is jinxed ;-)

[eyu 27]

For a jinxed guy I have been fortunate enough to ware out in addition to the above, a MacBook Pro, by diving and doing photos through the Indo-Pacific.

 

I do not mind being called "jinxed" as long as I can continue enjoying the "Coral Triangle" by diving and doing underwater photography!!!!

 

Also I am a bad influence, I got Andy to join me in Raja Ampat this December. And how many housings has my non-jinxed friend Andy flooded??

 

The jinxed Elmer

[KeithG 21]

Maybe this does not count?

 

I travel with a complete backup camera - but it is a teeny tiny fully automatic canon P&S with housing that I stow in my BCD pocket at the start of the week (vacation diver). Its life is kind of like my backup dive computer. It does every dive but gets no love. I have used it once when I screwed up switching camera batteries on my real camera.

[maractwin 2]

I carry a Panasonic Lumix as a backup camera. Without a housing it is rated to 48 feet, but I've had it down to 100 feet. It's useful having a waterproof point-n-shoot on the boat deck. I've used it on dives where there were both macro and wide angle subjects expected: my SLR system setup for macro, and the Lumix in my BCD pocket for the occasional wide angle shot. It can't get me closeups of moving subjects because of shutter lag, and the onboard flash produces backscatter sometimes, but it is surprisingly capable. When I flooded my SLR on day 11 of 14, I was able to take photos the last three days with the point-n-shoot.

 

-Mark

[davephdv 0]

I carry a back up housing and camera, an LX100. I've had to use it as well. Also a back up Gx7 body.

 

The smaller housing I can carry in my carry on, along with a strobe.