Two Camera Examples for JETA

[Old Timer]

In a thread earlier this week Julie was asking about weather we shot with one or two cameras at a sports event. I for one nearly always shot with two. I have been doing it for years and I just seem a little naked if I'm only packing one. As I said in that earlier thread it grew out of using primes and needing to have multiple focal lengths during a game and not having time to change lenses with the action continuing on the field. Here are two examples from a track meet yesterday. Neither are great but they do illustrate why I keep both close at all times. In the first I was at the finish line to record the close of the low hurdles but because I had the 300 on the second body hanging from my shoulder I was able to record the the far turn hurdle. That's about as far away as the athlete could get from me in this race. I got the last hurdle of the race with the 80-200 which was the prime camera for most shots. In the second example I recorded the second hurdle with the 300 and got them stumbling over the last with the 80-200. I might add that there were several more shots with each camera during the race but these were close to the first and last from each of these races.

Oops!! I think I posted them out of order. Oh well you get my meaning.

[JETA]

Thank you for illustrating this for me OT. How wonderful of you!

It gives me a lot to think about. How much does your 300mm weigh? Is it attached to a monopod?

[Old Timer]

My 300mm f4 Nikkor is fairly light at about 21/4 lbs. It can be hand held without much trouble. With something like track and switching cameras frequently and in the middle of a rather short race the monopod isn't very practical. That and given the fact that I am standing in the middle of the track just beyond the finish line on some of these sprint races and need to move pretty quickly to get out of the way as runner finish the race. If I have the 1.4 extender on the 300 I will usually have the monopod attached. I usually don't use the extender for track however. In baseball where I setup in a more static position and normally only move between innings I will use the monopod more and also the extender. I will admit that at my age and with fully loaded Nikon cameras with better (read heaver) glass it is not as easy as when I was 20 years old and packing a couple of Pentax H1a's and cheaper (read lighter) glass.

PS: The 80-200 f2.8 is heavier than the 300 at about 2 3/4 lbs.

[SmartWombat]

I always carry 2 bodies, telephoto on the 1DmkIIN and 24-70 on the 1DSmkII with the 20D in reserve in the bag.
If I'm in the stands then I'll put the 300mm on the 1DmkIIN (maybe with teleconverter) and either the 70-200 or 100-400 on the 1DSmkII.
Around the paddock, 70-200 on the 1DmkIIN and 24-70 on the 1DSmkII.
In the pitlane, 10-22 on the 20D and 24-70 on the 1DmkIIN with 70-200 on the 1DSmkII.

Overkill maybe, but with the 20D being light without the battery grip it's not a major weight issue. One 1D body on each shoulder, just grab whichever camera I need for the shot.
If I could plan what I was going to shoot it would be so much easier
But stuff happens and I have to be ready to grab it (and the camera) fast.
Mostly I use the 24-70 I admit and could probably get away with that most of the time with some severe cropping on occasion.

[Old Timer]

I agree Paul, you might as well be ready if the opportunity comes your way. On the football sidelines and sometimes shooting soccer I will have the 28-70 on camera #2. Also around the long jump pit and at the high jump I will have the shorter zoom available as well.

[livin4lax09]

before I sold my 10d I shot w/ two bodies too. 300 on the 1d, 70-200 on the 10d. I'd switch out the 300 for the 24-70 near the end of the game if I wanted any celebration shots.