Dual Camera Shoot

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chris-red

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So I'm doing a shoot of a Roller Derby Match on Saturday. It'll be in a Sports Hall. I was going to mainly going to use the 70-200 2.8 I have on long term loan from my Uncle on my 50d. But figured I'd also want to use my 18-135 or my new 11-16 for closer things.

I considered having one of the shorter lenses on my 20D as a secondary camera, I've seen other people do this before I just wondered how the logistics of it work.

I can't help but think carrying 2 cameras would be awkward and heavy. Any advice on carrying 2 cameras on one shoot. Is it worth it should I just concentrate on 1?
 
Using 2 cameras is manageable but takes a bit of care. Firstly i wouldn't personally use the 18-135 on the second camera as the upper end of this range is covered by the 70-200, use the 11-16 instead. Secondly i normally put the cameras on different sides of my body, this way there is less chance of them smashing together. The 50d with a 70-200 on it is a big bit of kit, take care when this is slung and you are using the other camera as it's way too easy to smash it against things as you move around (lens hood used to alleviate the pain of smashed glass).

As a final note, keep track of them, if you aren't used to carrying 2 cameras at the same time it's easy to leave one of them behind!
 
Sarin said:
Using 2 cameras is manageable but takes a bit of care. Firstly i wouldn't personally use the 18-135 on the second camera as the upper end of this range is covered by the 70-200, use the 11-16 instead. Secondly i normally put the cameras on different sides of my body, this way there is less chance of them smashing together. The 50d with a 70-200 on it is a big bit of kit, take care when this is slung and you are using the other camera as it's way too easy to smash it against things as you move around (lens hood used to alleviate the pain of smashed glass).

As a final note, keep track of them, if you aren't used to carrying 2 cameras at the same time it's easy to leave one of them behind!
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Cheers! Looking at a few tips pages suggest you want 2.8 or lower which rules out the 18-135.

I think I'll trial it and seehow I go, it it comes to it I can dump the 20D somewhere!
 
Get out of the habit (if you do it) of turning your camera off. There's nothing more frustrating than seeing a potential shot, pressing the button and realising you turned the camera off.

Deffo cover both ened of the spectrum - 11-16mm on the camera with the weakest high ISO ceiling... you can get away with lower ISOs and slower shutter speed with the 11-16mm, because it's a compact, easy to hold package. The long zoom will require as much leeway to get the shot as possible, which means having good high ISO and fast shutter speeds.

In terms of holding and carrying, whatever feels comfortable. Having both straps over your head (one camera each side) can make your clothes ride up around the neck and can feel like you're strangling yourself. After a few minutes of moving between the two bodies you'll find a way of carrying them that's comfortable...
 
chris-red said:
Cheers! Looking at a few tips pages suggest you want 2.8 or lower which rules out the 18-135.

I think I'll trial it and seehow I go, it it comes to it I can dump the 20D somewhere!
Click to expand...

f/2.8 or lower would have been suggested due to needing the extra light to allow a faster shutter speed i would imagine. I cannot imagine why f/2.8 would have a massive advantage over say f/5.6 or f/8 unless you wanted to blur the background. Having shot football, i have learnt the hard way that by shooting at something like f/2.8, it is easy to miss the focal point of the target. Instead i would shoot at f/5.6+ and increase the ISO if needed. You'll need to decide what shutter speed you require and adjust the ISO / aperture accordingly, for football i would be shooting at 1/400+. The last thing that you need is either well exposed but blurry photos or dark but sharp photos - the latter is preferred if it has to be that way.

TL;DR Decide on the shutter speed required, adjust the aperture / ISO to give the correct exposure.
 
Consider a dual harness.

I use a Black Rapid DR1 and it is brilliant for supporting two weighy setups, I usually have a 5D3 / 24-105 and speedlite on one side and a 1Ds2 135mm f2 and speedlite on the other side, both weighty setups. I can do a whole day without discomfort.

Whilst you're using one body the other is tucked down by your side, slightly around your back. One thing to watch is crouching down when you should keep an eye on the body you're not using to make sure it isn't bouncing off the floor.

As said above by Pat, leave them both switched on and just set to go to sleep. If you can set your two bodies up to work in the same way it helps, I have mine set for example with the top dial to change aperture, the dial on the rear of the camera to change shutter speed. Make sure your clocks are set accurately so the image timestamps are sync'd, that way when you import the shots for processing you can have them in a chronological order.
 
I had planed to have the shorter lens on the 20d mainly because I don't think I'll use it as much.

I only turn my cameras off when they are being put away so shouldn't have a problem with that.

2.8 is recommended as the sport is fast and indoors, so a need for a fast shutter and low light mean low aperture I guess, I'll see when I get there!

That Black Rapid DR1 looks great, a bit too much money to get on a whim I'll see how I go without it and if I get invited back! Is there any lock on it? I'd be paranoid the fitting will work itself lose and Thousands of pounds of kit will come crashing down.

I think I'll have a trial run in the living room tonight:D
 
I had a play last night I found the easiest way to carry them was have the first Camera on first with a reasonably short strap just over my neck then I reversed the strap on the second (so it was less grippy) had it at maximum length and had it under my right arm,
 
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