should I carry two cameras ?

[jim sink]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Should I trust my SL2 when it's the only camera I use on a job or should I always carry a back-up body ? I have a SL2s also but just trying to cut down on weight .

Edited December 22, 2023 by jim sink
add info.

[robb]

I don’t think you need to carry a second body on your person all the time, but you could keep a backup in your:

hotel

car trunk

house if near local work

 

I rarely go to work with only one camera near me.  Although, I have not had a Leica fail on a job (Knock on wood).

I think your main question to answer is if a camera goes down, can I come back a different day, get the second camera quickly, or would you lose work if the camera wasn’t available in minutes… then you know what you have to carry nearby.  I agree, set up a plan to minimize weight and extra stuff.  

Robb

 

 

[helged]

For paid jobs/professional use, its safest to bring two bodies. SL2 and SL2-S is a quite popular pair, having shared interface and their own strengths. 

Edited December 22, 2023 by helged

[BernardC]

17 minutes ago, jim sink said:

Should I trust my SL2 when it's the only camera I use on a job or should I always carry a back-up body ? I have a SL2s also but just trying to cut down on weight .

What kind of job?

I can't imagine any paid photographic work where I wouldn't bring a backup, unless it's within a short distance from my home. That goes with any brand of camera.

Your backup doesn't need to be the same as your main camera. A Panasonic S1/S5, or an original SL, or a Sigma FP should be fine.

[theseahawk]

If you're using primes having the two most-useful ones mounted on separate bodies is worth considering.

Edited December 22, 2023 by theseahawk

[pippy]

1 hour ago, BernardC said:

...I can't imagine any paid photographic work where I wouldn't bring a backup...

^This^

If you only have one body and it fails what can you do to finish the job in a professional manner?

Philip.

[Luke_Miller]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

For important events for which there are no "do overs", like weddings, I will have two bodies and regularly carry both (with different lenses).  I use long straps, worn bandolier style so each camera rides at a hip.

[Sohail]

I'm no spring chicken. Wrong side of 50.  Slim build. But I always carry 2 SL2 bodies including the insanely heavy 50 SL Summilux. 

[jim sink]

Thanks for all the replies . Actually I always carry two bodies but I just wanted to see how much confidence everyone has in the SL2 and SL2s.

Never had either fail but I guess there is always a "first time"

Thank again !

[BernardC]

16 minutes ago, jim sink said:

Never had either fail but I guess there is always a "first time"

Having a camera failure is only a small worry. I've never had an SL fail either. However, any camera can be dropped, or stolen. Any lens can have a loose screw, any shutter can have a thumb go through it. Any memory card can go bad. Any battery can refuse to hold a charge. Someone might even spill a drink on your camera bag, when there's no time to clean-up the mess.

I've never had that happen to me on a paid job, but I have heard of professionals who have. No worries if you have a backup.

[MarkinVan]

I kept my SL 601 when  I got the SL2. I've been looking for a convenient backpack to carry both the SL 601 with the 16-35 and SL2 with the 90-280.

At times it seems that would be simpler than switching lens.

Edited December 22, 2023 by MarkinVan

[Sohail]

38 minutes ago, jim sink said:

Thanks for all the replies . Actually I always carry two bodies but I just wanted to see how much confidence everyone has in the SL2 and SL2s.

Never had either fail but I guess there is always a "first time"

Thank again !

I've had an SL2 body fail on me. Leica were really good in providing me a spare, while it was being repiared. 

[Bruno F.]

8 hours ago, Sohail said:

I've had an SL2 body fail on me. Leica were really good in providing me a spare, while it was being repiared. 

SL2 or SL2-S? What happened?

[jaapv]

13 hours ago, robb said:

car trunk

Only if you want to make some junkie happy...🙄 

I slip a CL into my pocket... And I am not even a pro.

[Virob]

I’m no pro, but even for amateurs, having an alternative is important. During a photo trip to Kenya in 1998, the shutter on my main camera blew up on day 3 of a 2 week safari. Having a backup body saved the trip. A other times having an actual backup is of less concern if it is relatively fast and easy to pick up a replacement. 

[Stuart Richardson]

11 hours ago, jim sink said:

Thanks for all the replies . Actually I always carry two bodies but I just wanted to see how much confidence everyone has in the SL2 and SL2s.

Never had either fail but I guess there is always a "first time"

Thank again !

A lot. I have had a lot of cameras fail over the years. Not the SL2, however. I have an S1 as a backup, but I rarely use it at this point. A lot of this really depends on the kind of work. If you can come back and do it again, then sure, it is probably not a big risk. Doing it for a wedding or important even would be living quite dangerously, even with a super reliable camera. No camera is reliable if you drop it off a balcony onto concrete, or something similarly disastrous happens.

[Sohail]

3 hours ago, Bruno F. said:

SL2 or SL2-S? What happened?

SL2 - I got the dreaded "System Error". AKA it's bricked!

[hellobrandonscott]

For weddings I carry three SL2-S bodies and a Q2. I had to use the third backup SL2-S twice in 2023 when the battery release lever broke in separate instances on two of the other bodies. If people are paying you to photograph something that can't be repeated, two is one and one is none. 

[HPFM]

I´m not a professional SL2 user but my SL2 went down with "system error" (shutter defect) in Svalbard at the first shot september 2023..... So about 700 photos from Svalbard, Jan Mayen and Iceland were taken with my Q3.... wide angle only and a little bit difficult for polar fox and whale watching 😂. Repair time for the SL2: 2 month at Wetzlar...

Next time august 2024 in Svalbard I´ll take a second Sl-body with me, hopefully the new SL3😎

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[FlashGordonPhotography]

I buy my cameras in pairs, if they're work cameras.

Gordon