Re: [Leica] Second body (NOT back-up)

[Dave Richards <dprichards@uswest.net>]

>Does a second body significantly increase the number of good pictures?
{snip}

This is a question I've been asking myself.  The answer: it may not
increase the number of good pictures but it does increase my flexibility.
For instance:

Color print in one, color slide in the other.
Color print in one, B&W in the other
B&W in one, infrared in the other
I think you get the idea.

I could buy a lot of film for what I have just paid for a second body, but
cost isn't the whole story.  What about having a camera at hand, already
loaded with the film I want, rather than taking the time to unload one and
reload it?  What about being able to handle a single subject with two
different films simulataneously? 

And, although you may not necessarily feel it's prudent, simply having a
backup.  No camera is foolproof and nothing works forever.  Leica's MTBF
may be very high, but that still no guarantee  that a body won't fail right
out of the box.  I went to Yellowstone on a motorcycle trip a couple of
years ago with one camera, a Retina IIIC, to save space and weight.  Three
exposures into my first roll the shutter froze up and didn't work for the
rest of the trip.

Almost two years ago I made a conscious decision to trust all my 35mm
photography to a Leica rangefinder of one type or another.  That is limit
enough.  I'm no longer willing to risk loosing pictures of a hard-earned
vacation simply because I only have a single body to take.

Dave