On the importance of a backup camera
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011there are situations that are unique. There are shootings that were difficult and expensive to set up. In such situations it is rather disturbing if your gear lets you down. Last weekend we staged a wedding (nobody was harmed). Logistics for such an undertaking is complicated, the mood is delicate and the whole thing wastes two handful of models and lots and lots of money. And my Canon 1 Ds Mk III – a camera the size of a mountain and the price of a well equipped city car – ceased to focus properly. Even with moderate apertures and under ideal conditions (much light, hi contrast, sedated models) the scrap rate was around 80%. It is known that Canon is the one camera maker who managed to somehow incorporate an epidemic failure in the AF-system not of the cheap cameras in its setup but exactly in the two most professional and expensive models. But my camera was fixed two years ago but now the error seems to return. It is surely not the lenses but the camera – all lenses work fine on the backup 5D Mk II. Which is probably what I want to say here: have a backup cam ready. It may seem as a waste of money so many times, but there will be a situation where it saves your life. Or at least your mental stability. Priceless.
