If you’re a wedding photographer who doesn’t already have backup gear, this is for you. If you’ve followed me for long, you know I’m big on backup systems. Putting off investing in reliable backup gear is risky and although it’s a big expense up front, you’ll be thanking yourself later in case your camera gives out mid-wedding day or you drop and shatter a lens.
Camera Body
Did you know shooting with two different camera bodies is a backup in itself? If one set of your cards corrupts within your camera you’ll have all of your images from the other camera as a savior. If you can, purchase the body you already have. Shooting on two different bodies makes it incredibly hard when editing since each camera pulls different colors and captures light differently. Check out the Rose Anvil camera harnesses for shooting single and dual bodies! If you need a cheap option for just a backup camera that you won’t be shooting with alongside your main, I recommend getting a low-cost full-frame camera. For example, a Canon 6D is a great option and not too expensive, which you can also buy secondhand. Just make sure when you’re purchasing a used camera body to check the shutter count on the body before purchasing, as each body has a shutter life and will eventually give out. Slimy people may lie about the shutter count so use a program like Camera Shutter Count in person when purchasing the body to make sure the gear still has shutter life in it.
Lenses are really expensive so if you’re looking to save $ on your backup system, I recommend doing the following :
-Buy a lower quality 50mm. Instead of splurging on a 1.2, you could go with a 1.4 or a 1.8 . You could also get a Sigma lens which is usually a lot cheaper, and I know a lot of people love the Sigma 50’s Arts
(unlike their notorious 35mm’s).
Buy second-hand. Purchase used lenses through amazon dealers selling used
gear. The review system is reliable so you don’t have to take a chance buying off craigslist. Plus, Amazon is really great
about returns.
Flash
Again, a good flash is expensive but you don’t need to splurge on flashes if you don’t want to. I personally use a Canon 600 EX-T external flash but use a Yongnuo 600EX-RT Speedlite as my backup or secondary flash because they’re fast, easy to use and consistent with my canon version. Plus, they’re only $120!
Accesories
Of course, it’s always a good idea to have extras of essential accessories like cards and batteries. Personally, I would recommend to not go cheap on cards because they’ll surely betray you eventually, and it could happen while you’re shooting a wedding before you get a chance to back up your work. You get what you pay for with SD/CF cards. I typically use theseSD and CF cards and swear by them! I replace these once a year. Batteries are something you can get away with going cheap on. There are horror stories of cheap batteries exploding inside of camera bodies so that’s kind of scary, but I’ll take my chances on backup batteries. I personally buy these off brand cheap ones for my canon 5d Mark IV’s and they’re only $13!
