Back-Up body re-think

Ok, so I'm lying in bed last night contemplating my last post on getting a back-up body for my 5D. I'm following a few on-line auctions for camera bodies at the moment - mostly for 40D's, and it seems to me I'll be lucky to get one for less than $750NZ. And then I start thinking about the lenses I want to get for the 5D - not to mention speedlites etc. And my 'budget' starts to skyrocket.

And then it dawns on me. Why am I spending so much on a back-up body!? Since it literally is going to be a back-up to the 5D. I don't shoot with two cameras hung around my neck - that's not my style. I mostly use an assistant on a wedding, and they help me change lenses quickly when and if I need to. The extra body really never sees any action - and I hope that it never does. Yes, I'll take it out occasionally to put some images through it to keep it working - but mostly it will just sit there unused. So why am I considering getting an (arguably) better camera body as a back-up to my 5D that will never get used? Duh!

So I've changed tack slightly - and I'm thinking the 20D. For quite a few reasons.

A peek inside the 20D

First - it's considerably cheaper to buy on the secondhand market. Body only can go for about $200NZ. That's a saving of over $500NZ already. And that's a brand new 430EX II right there.

Second - the layout of the controls, menus, buttons, dials etc on the 20D are exactly identical to the 5D. Exactly. You could almost call it a mini-5D in fact. Which makes a lot of sense if you are going to be moving between the two cameras.

Third - the 20D won't make the 5D look 'inferior' in any way - the 5D is a step up, rather than a step down from the 40D (again, arguably).

Fourth - 8MP is any amount of resolution in a backup camera, as is 5fps if I ever want to take it out for some sports action.

And finally - the 20D uses the same battery, charger, cords etc, etc, than the 5D - so many of the accessories and batteries will be interchangeable between the two. Extra batteries for the 5D means extra batteries for my back-up camera as well.

I'm constantly telling my students not to worry so much about the camera body, and to concentrate on the lenses instead. Might be time I started taking my own advice?

Makes a lot of sense to me.