Interchangeable backs on medium format SLRs - when/what/why do you use them?

[abruzzi]

When I used to shoot weddings...

If I were photographing a wedding I think the only thing I'd shoot is myself. It just seems like a thankless job that would destroy my love of photography, but I it seems a number of people here have survived that gauntlet.

A12, A24 and A70 backs takup space but im shooting out of my car most times and can take out what I don't want to carry at a short distance from my transport for a best chance of getting my shots.

I'm more sensitive to bulk than I am to weight, and I've figured out ways to fit my Bronica ETRSi in some tiny bags, and still have space for mutiple backs.

 

[neilt3]

I have three camera systems that take interchangeable backs , Kiev 88 , Bronica ETRSi and Bronica SQ-Ai and have several backs for them.
Depending on what I'm doing , where I'm going and what time of day I'm going , decided what film I'm carrying.
When I go away on holiday in my campervan , I'll have one back typically with FP-4 for typical daytime use .
HP-5 for evenings or areas of low light ( inside use etc ) , Rollie infrared and very occasionally, colour film .
That doesn't mean when I go out I carry them all , I might just have one on the camera , and another type in a bag or pocket .
Sometimes if I'm near the end of a roll when I'm going out , I'll have a spare back loaded ready to take over , so I'm not changing film on a mountain or somewhere.

Sometimes if I'm shooting a TLR I might have regular B&W loaded , but I'd probably have a second body loaded with either IR or colour .

I tend to use TLR's when I know I'll only want to use one film type , it's easy to just carry a separate film back than a full camera .

 

[loccdor]

If I were photographing a wedding I think the only thing I'd shoot is myself. It just seems like a thankless job that would destroy my love of photography, but I it seems a number of people here have survived that gauntlet.

I'd imagine it's good training to operate a camera quickly, but other than that I share your view. I was friends with a family who did wedding photography and they were always complaining about the demands of their clients and the drama involved.