Projects to do if you have an additional camera

Question

So I bought my 7D a while ago meaning my older 30D gets very little use and it could definitely have a better life. I would like to find some projects that would put this extra camera back to work. I'm open other suggestions but I've primarily thought of projects in these two directions:

A project that requires two cameras
I can't really think of anything here. Maybe something along the line of capturing a moment with both cameras, at different angles/focus/etc, at the same time.

A project that modifies the additional camera
I would be open to suggestions such as Magic Lanter, CHDK and such things but I assume the 30D may be a bit dated for such mods, as I haven't found any that support the 30D. I'm also open to suggestions such as infra-red modifications

And of course "just keep it as a backup" is a perfectly valid answer.

I am looking for answers more precisely for the 30D but to keep the information as useful as possible, feel free to give more general answers.

Answer 1

Things to do with two or more cameras:

• 3D Photography: You can setup both cameras with remote triggers with them mounted using a tripod accessory that holds both cameras. Then you can take photo simultaneously from two points (you would have to scale down the one from the 7D) and merge them together into a 3D image.

• Time-Lapse are great to do with a second camera because it keeps you camera busy for a long time. Actually, if you do not mind have both cameras busy, feel free to do a 3D timelapse!

• A DSLR can be modified for infrared photography. This is a costly modification and renders is not easily reversible. So most people do it with a second camera.

• Create How-To Photography tutorials :)

• Stop-Motion videos can be done with one camera but with two you can make a stop-motion video and a making-of-stop-motion stop-motion video. OK, I'm running out of ideas!

Answer 2

What about a time lapse filmed by the 7D where the 30D is the main "actor"?

For example, you could tell the story of a camera that went through the city/house/scenario as if in a tour. The 30D would move through the scenes and stop from time to time to take shots of its journey.

You could also use the 30D mechanics to give more character to it, for example pop the flash when it was "surprised", show the diaphragm "blinking" in awe at some scene.

Use images in the rear LCD (turned on) from the 30D as part of the story (say, showing something out of the 7D frame appear due to the 30D lens optics).

There are lots of lights/LEDs on the 30D that could add drama to scenes in the dark, assuming you could do long exposures in order to let them paint enough of the scene.

You could also use the 30D to take shots during the sequence and then present these shots as part of the story being told on the time lapse itself.

Think about those games where the player takes shots during the gameplay and they appear as printed photos and start to make part of the scene shown.

Maybe use a portable printer as the 30D sidekick, which would follow it Pancho style and deliver the prints of the 30D shots taking during the script (which could take a Quixotic bias by this time).

And if you need the 30D to go "faster" through the tour, just use a tripod (maybe a gorillapod to keep the scale manageable) as moving legs or its Rocinante. :o)