Back from Safari.....

T

Tim

Guest
Yep, back from 2 weeks in Kenya. Burned 8 rolls of Velvia 100 thru the Leica; Cary put 12 rolls of Provia 400 thru her SLR. So now we just have to see if any came out. And if they did, then you guys are going to get bombarded with them ;)

Great trip, unbelievable amounts of wildlife, took some real discipline not to just go snap happy and shotgun off photos (yeh, the 20 rolls WAS taking things carefully and choosing shots....):eek:

Anyway - some of you may remember me in a quandary before I went on what gear to take - here's how it panned out.

I took the Leica with 21, 35, and 90 lenses. Used the 21 about twice. The rest of the shots were probably about 60% 90 and 40% 35. Often we were close enough to the animals that teh 90 was good enough, or the 35 allowed shots of african savannah with animals in 1/3 of the frame. I'm now a BIG believer in the 35/90 2 lens combination covering a big majority of your needs (with a little imagination and effort). I love that Leica more and more the more I use it. Precioouuuusssssssssssssssss......... :angel:

The Minox 35 was the perfect camera to stick in a pocket around Nairobi; it looks like a cheap crappy point and shoot (but is anything but)

(non RF bit...)
Cary stuck with the 75-300 lens except for about 10 shots - her other lens was a 35-70 - and took closeups of animals. So between us we shoud have some good shots. Hopefully.

Oh, and I'm sooooo glad I carried a good, solid, (heavy) tripod all the way to Africa. Didn't even take the SOB out of the bag..... :mad:

Now we just have to wait a few days for the films to come back......

cheers...

tim


(edit: correct spelling :( )
 
Alright, now that you've set us up, we're drooling to see the actual pics !!!
Just curious, what's the make of is Cary's lens?
 
pics next week, hopefully.

cary's lens is a canon 75-300 image stabilised, on a canon eos 630

tim
 
Welcome back, Tim! We were actually expecting daily reports from the field... ;)

The super-wides are tough when it comes to subject matter. In terms of the dollars invested and hours in use they are a poor investment. But sometimes you come across a situation where nothing else will work and then they are worth their weight in gold. :)
 
Can't wait to see the photos. I was always wondering if it was necessary to take a big 300mm F2.8 or larger lens to Africa or would a smaller lens such as a 135mm do. Your photos taken with the 90mm of game may have the answer for me. I hate carrying a big heavy kit.
 
Good to hear you're happy with your 35/90 set. I've been debating adding a 50 to my CV kit, but I don't seem to see the need. Plus, I have a hard time framing with a 50 anyway.

Can't wait to see the shots! I've always wanted to see the African veldt.
 
I've been told that a 300mm is the absolute minimum for a safari, and for what I know of african wildlife I stay away as far as possible :)

Canon 75-300 at 300mm on a Canon D60
 
OK, all the film's back, and it's all OK.....

(huge sighs of relief)

Now I just have to sort thru it all! But here's a taster....

(Southern White Rhino, Lake Nakuru Game Reserve; Leica M6, Voigtlander 90mm/f3.5, Fuji Velvia 100)
 
yeah, Joe - but that's a handicapped rhino. Just look at its left foot behind. :D

Neat shot, Tim. It should be a shock to the supertele-supermotordrive fans.
 
Tim

I like the rhino shot. If this is how your other shots with the 90mm turn out then I am thinking a short to medium tele would work well for "enviromental" shots as opposed to tight "portrait" of medium to large game. This would suit me fine for a trip to SA. This matches my own limited experience here in National Parks where game is habituated to the presence of people/vehicles and as a result can be approached fairly closely in some safety. I am looking forward to you posting more photos to see if this is so. I would be very happy to be able to leave my 300mm f2.8 at home and save the hassles of taking it.

Bob
 
Yeh, it was kinda close. But it then came closer.....
Some of the animals where pretty relaxed about human presence, some not. Certainly I got some great shots with the 35 and the 90, but there where times when we needed the big zoom. It's a bit of a dillema, you can do wonders with a small kit but you'll miss some shots; yet do you really want to take a huge heavy kit and lug it around? We were lucky, having two of us meant that we split the gear up, and Cary could just carry the big lens - no normals or wides.

As for "close", how's this one? This is called "Too close" :)

(Lionesses, Masai Mara Game Reserve; Leica M6, Voigtlander 35mm/f1.7, Fuji Velvia 100)
 
Note that the driver of that van is leaning WELL back from his window.... :D

tim
 
Tim

Thanks again, that settles it for me. If we do go I will be taking a small kit. If we were to go just for animals maybe then the bigger kit but on a general visit I think I get the idea.

Bob
 
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