Advice on lenses for Europe and S Africa

[M8China]

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I will be spending a few weeks in Europe (Germany, Switzerland, France and Netherlands), and a week in South Africa Kruger Park for a Safari tour. I plan to bring along a M9-P and a CV15mm, Leica 28mm/F2, 35mm/F2 and 50mm/F1.4. My interest are in scenery, building and people, but this time will add quite a bit of interior like museums in Paris.

 

Please comment on the lens set I plan to bring and what lens to leave home if I want only three lens. Also will a 90mm/F2 help in taking pictures of wild animals, then which two lenses to cut. In M8 days I always bring 15/28/50, but being just having the M9-P for a few weeks I am confused.

 

Any comments will be welcome.

[La Morte]

In Kruger you will need the longest you can get. Even if you go on a guided safari you still want an long lens. It is such a rare visit to the Park,- don't go unprepared.

 

http://streamlightphotography.blogspot.com

[giordano]

For the cities, take the lenses you like to use at home. People and streets and buildings are much the same size in all cities!

 

I like the 15mm on the M8 but on full-frame I feel it's so wide that it's seldom much use except in specialised circumstances. So I'd leave it behind (or trade it for a 21mm).

 

With nothing longer than 50mm you won't really be able to photograph wild animals, just landscapes with wild animals in them. Even if you think of it that way, having the 90 as well will bring you more opportunities. (In my experience 135mm is the shortest really useful length in a game park and 200-300mm is preferable; you may give yourself the best time by taking some good binoculars and not worrying much about photography at all.)

 

So: of your lenses I'd probably take the 28, 50 and 90. Or maybe just the 35 and 90. My favourite Leica set is 21, 35 and 90.

[Ellie]

I don't have much advice other than some smaller towns in europe has really tiny city squares. I had to back up against the wall on one side of the square (and even back down on a side street ) to get the coverage when I used the X1 (36mm eqv). A 28mm/M9 is much better for this.

[jonoslack]

HI There

I've just been reviewing my 'hits' from 2 weeks in China - I took:

WATE

28 'cron

35 'lux

50 'lux

75 'cron

90 f2.8

 

I used all of them, but I'd say:

 

75 'cron 40%

50 'lux 35%

90 f2.8 10%

28 'cron 7.5%

35 'lux 5%

WATE 2.5%

 

FWIW!

[kdriceman]

In Kruger you will need the longest you can get. Even if you go on a guided safari you still want an long lens. It is such a rare visit to the Park,- don't go unprepared.

 

Streamlight Photography

 

I agree. The 90 will get you some photos of animals, but I think you will be disappointed with the detail except in the rare occasion that you are very close. For my trip to Krueger I rented a 400mm lens to go with my Canon DSLR. If you are mostly interested in landscapes at Krueger, the M9P will work well, but for wild animals you may want to consider a DSLR and long lens and renting is a great option as it is relatively inexpensive and there can be a lot of banging around in safari vehicles.

[viramati]

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Personally for a 3 lens kit I would go with the 28/50/90 set up. That way you get both ends of the useful internal Rangefinder end and the 50 in the middle. the 28 cron is a superb lens and the same goes for the 50. I usually carry 2 M9's with the 28 on one and the 50 on the other and this covers 90% of my photography. the 90 is a fantastic portrait lens and even though it is hardly telephoto will help a bit with wildlife

[Phil U]

For the cities, take the lenses you like to use at home. People and streets and buildings are much the same size in all cities!

 

... in a game park...you may give yourself the best time by taking some good binoculars and not worrying much about photography at all.

 

So: of your lenses I'd probably take the 28, 50 and 90.

 

+1

[stunsworth]

When I lived in Paris 90% of everything I shot was done with a 35mm Summicron. I've never bought into the idea that if the streets are narrow or the squares are small you need a wide lens.

[jaapv]

It is a sad fact that if you want to take a Leica M system for city and travel -the best choice imo- you will have to take a second system for Safari photography, or a Visoflex.For places like Botswana and the private concessions around Kruger you can get away with a 400 or even shorter, but in the Kruger you must stay on the road, so your sightings may be far off. At the same time you will be shooting from a fixed position (vehicle or hide) so a zoom lens is essential to get decent framing. The best solution in your case would be to take a zoom up to 300 on a APS DSLR and a 1.4x and 2x teleextender to save weight. It will cost a bit of quality (although if you take the 105-280 and both Apo-extenders on a good APS Canon body you will get excellent results) but it will save you a lot of hassle with full camera bags. For stabilisation take an empty a beanbag and fill on the spot.

I usually have to travel this way for this very reason.

I can get all my camera gear into a Lowe Minitrekker backpack and it will weigh between 9 and 12 Kg.

 

So to summarize:

Leica M, 24-(35)-50-90, APS DSLR with standard zoom (backup!) and long zoom up to 400 with 1.4x extender. Or zoom up to 300 with 1.4x and 2x extender.

Batteries, chargers ( universal extra for backup)

Memory cards

Image tank (in the normal hand lugage)

 

Don't forget to pack your spare batteries in separate plastic bage with taped-up contacts for air travel.

Take your photo gear as hand luggage.

If you fly in to the Kruger by light aircraft, your weight limit will be 15 kg total, so camera bag, clean underwear and socks,toothbrush and suntan lotion only With Comair larger aircraft you will get 20 Kg so you can take a bird book as well.

On Safari wear dull colors like Khaki and avoid white, red yellow etc. Dark blue is not a good idea either. TseTse flies are attracted by it.

[xalo]

Hi,

Personnally, I'd tend to render the places I visit a first time as "natural" as possible, e.g. not use extreme wideangles. No need for 15mm then. Basically the 28 or 35 (depending on your preferred FOV - also think distortion for buildings) and the 50 would be great for most places I know in Europe. One-lens kit: 35mm only.

 

For isolating an architectural detail, perhaps light compression of perspective, the 90mm could help, but for Kruger Park I would agree with Jaap and others above, it's likely too short unless you will be happy with (amazing) scenics including some animals.

 

When I had the chance to travel to Kruger last year in July (winter in RSA, less leaves, easier sightings) I long pondered about a light enough SLR setup and finally took and found very useful my Oly E-3 with 50-200 (equiv 100-400) plus extender 1,4. I had no bean bag, but steadied the lens via the tripod collar (wrapped in gaffer tape) pressed against the lowered car window (tourist vehicle). I tried the MP & 50/2 on some antilopes close to the car, though. Could have been nice, had I better composed...

 

Enjoy the trip!

 

Alexander

[bocaburger]

I will be spending a few weeks in Europe (Germany, Switzerland, France and Netherlands), and a week in South Africa Kruger Park for a Safari tour. I plan to bring along a M9-P and a CV15mm, Leica 28mm/F2, 35mm/F2 and 50mm/F1.4. My interest are in scenery, building and people, but this time will add quite a bit of interior like museums in Paris.

 

Please comment on the lens set I plan to bring and what lens to leave home if I want only three lens. Also will a 90mm/F2 help in taking pictures of wild animals, then which two lenses to cut. In M8 days I always bring 15/28/50, but being just having the M9-P for a few weeks I am confused.

 

Any comments will be welcome.

 

The M9 is my go-to travel outfit. That said, if faced with your itinerary I would leave it home and instead bring a DSLR. I travel with one carry-on-legal bag plus one "personal item" which of course is my camera bag. Taking two systems would be more than I could or would want to handle.

 

I would probably take a small APS-C body with 18-55 IS lens plus a 35/2 or 50/1.8 (light, small lenses) and 70-300 IS + 1.5X Kenko Teleconverter (which I modified to allow AF to function with <f/8 lenses). The latter would be kept securely at the hotel until I got to the Safari.

 

If decided to bring the M9 (not unreasonable considering it would be appropriate for the majority of the trip) I would bring the Visoflex and the 400/6.8 Telyt, which is lightweight and comes apart in two for travel. Both would stay locked in the hotels until Africa.

[kdriceman]

It is a sad fact that if you want to take a Leica M system for city and travel -the best choice imo- you will have to take a second system for Safari photography, or a Visoflex.For places like Botswana and the private concessions around Kruger you can get away with a 400 or even shorter, but in the Kruger you must stay on the road, so your sightings may be far off. At the same time you will be shooting from a fixed position (vehicle or hide) so a zoom lens is essential to get decent framing. The best solution in your case would be to take a zoom up to 300 on a APS DSLR and a 1.4x and 2x teleextender to save weight. It will cost a bit of quality (although if you take the 105-280 and both Apo-extenders on a good APS Canon body you will get excellent results) but it will save you a lot of hassle with full camera bags. For stabilisation take an empty a beanbag and fill on the spot.

I usually have to travel this way for this very reason.

I can get all my camera gear into a Lowe Minitrekker backpack and it will weigh between 9 and 12 Kg.

 

So to summarize:

Leica M, 24-(35)-50-90, APS DSLR with standard zoom (backup!) and long zoom up to 400 with 1.4x extender. Or zoom up to 300 with 1.4x and 2x extender.

Batteries, chargers ( universal extra for backup)

Memory cards

Image tank (in the normal hand lugage)

 

Don't forget to pack your spare batteries in separate plastic bage with taped-up contacts for air travel.

Take your photo gear as hand luggage.

If you fly in to the Kruger by light aircraft, your weight limit will be 15 kg total, so camera bag, clean underwear and socks,toothbrush and suntan lotion only With Comair larger aircraft you will get 20 Kg so you can take a bird book as well.

On Safari wear dull colors like Khaki and avoid white, red yellow etc. Dark blue is not a good idea either. TseTse flies are attracted by it.

 

Good advice Jaap, but keep in mind, at least the Canons won't autofocus if the widest aperture is smaller than f/5.6. If you use a 2x tele-extender, you will need a f/2.8 or faster lens to insure autofocus... Which you will want at Krueger.

[bocaburger]

Good advice Jaap, but keep in mind, at least the Canons won't autofocus if the widest aperture is smaller than f/5.6. If you use a 2x tele-extender, you will need a f/2.8 or faster lens to insure autofocus... Which you will want at Krueger.

 

They will if you tape over one or maybe two of the contacts in the TC. I did mine a long time ago so I forgot the exact directions, but mostly likely a Google search will turn it up. The AF can get a little slow and hunt a bit in low light, but in good light it works pretty well. That said, my TC is a 1.5X which only costs 1 stop, making an f/5.6 zoom into an f/8. How well a 2x would work at effectively f/11, I can't say. (Sorry for getting OT).

[FlashGordonPhotography]

Close up shots of animals may not be your thing, but I think if you get to Kruger with a 90mm you will be very disappointed. But there are much smaller options than a huge DSLR. The Fuji XS1 is the best of the super zoom cameras, with a slightly larger than normal compact camera sensor. It has a maximum zoom of 600mm equivalent. Better still would be a Panasonic GX1 (or G3 if you prefer a viewfinder) with the very good Panasonic 100-300 (600 equiv. also). You could pick up a Leica to m4/3 adaptor and also be able to use your M lenses ( with a 2x crop), so the GX1 would also be a "backup" camera. The GX1 and 100-300 is still only about a kilogram in weight. It's also a camera that your traveling companion may enjoy using. Then you don't even have to carry it. :-)

 

If the wildlife is important then take a good DSLR. However I'm not sure I'd be wanting to be adding/removing tele converters in the back of a dusty Land Rover. A longer range zoom would seem to be more practical than primes, unless your living depends on it.

 

My choice would be to take the 15, 28, 50 and 90. Then I would have a GX1 with the 14-42 power zoom and the 100-300 OIS lens and a Voigtlander m to m4/3 adaptor. The 15 would be used the least but it's so small I think it would be a shame to leave it at home.

 

Oh, and definately a good set of binoculars.

 

Have a great trip.

 

Gordon

[algrove]

FlashGordon has it right. I have used the 4/3 100-300 on a GF1 and it works VERY well for what you will encounter in Africa, but not Paris IMHO.

 

I would not head to Africa with less than a 200, but 500 and up is best.

 

In Paris the 20mm/1.7 Panny (40mm equivalent) on the GF1 is very good for low light levels.

[jaapv]

Good advice Jaap, but keep in mind, at least the Canons won't autofocus if the widest aperture is smaller than f/5.6. If you use a 2x tele-extender, you will need a f/2.8 or faster lens to insure autofocus... Which you will want at Krueger.

 

In twentyfive years of wildlife photography in Africa I have never felt the need for autofocus

[NZDavid]

For Europe, the 28 and 50 should be fine, but 15 is so small it won't be hard to pack.

 

For wildlife, you need to invest in something much longer. Why not a Leica V-Lux 3?

 

Leica Camera AG - Photography - V-LUX 3

[jaapv]

Yes, a bridge camera can be an excellent choice too, but you will be making a few concessions on image quality. I don't feel the use of extenders cumbersome, but YMMV. In fact, the 1.4x Apo extender is more or less a permanent fixture on the 105-280 VarioElmar in good light on the DMR. As long as one avoids the 100-400L on a Canon. Not only is the image quality such that one wonders at the "L" desgnation, it is a dust pump too.

And yes, the Leica combo id heavy and other options may be preferable in the case of the OP.

As an aside-I would dearly love to use the Leica Modul lens system - if I could afford it...

Close up shots of animals may not be your thing, but I think if you get to Kruger with a 90mm you will be very disappointed. But there are much smaller options than a huge DSLR. The Fuji XS1 is the best of the super zoom cameras, with a slightly larger than normal compact camera sensor. It has a maximum zoom of 600mm equivalent. Better still would be a Panasonic GX1 (or G3 if you prefer a viewfinder) with the very good Panasonic 100-300 (600 equiv. also). You could pick up a Leica to m4/3 adaptor and also be able to use your M lenses ( with a 2x crop), so the GX1 would also be a "backup" camera. The GX1 and 100-300 is still only about a kilogram in weight. It's also a camera that your traveling companion may enjoy using. Then you don't even have to carry it. :-)

 

If the wildlife is important then take a good DSLR. However I'm not sure I'd be wanting to be adding/removing tele converters in the back of a dusty Land Rover. A longer range zoom would seem to be more practical than primes, unless your living depends on it.

 

My choice would be to take the 15, 28, 50 and 90. Then I would have a GX1 with the 14-42 power zoom and the 100-300 OIS lens and a Voigtlander m to m4/3 adaptor. The 15 would be used the least but it's so small I think it would be a shame to leave it at home.

 

Oh, and definately a good set of binoculars.

 

Have a great trip.

 

Gordon

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Hallo,

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[rramesh]

For the safari tour, bring along a M43 camera (Olympus) with an M-M43 mount as well. With an M43 and a 2x crop factor, you can use a kit 300mm lens (Olympus) on it that will give you 600mm effective zoom. Of course a tripod is essential.

 

While it will not provide you with the full-frame of the M, it would be a reasonable compromise and you will not lose any photo opportunities. The M43 will also serve as a useful backup to your M and can use all M lenses with a suitable M-M43 mount.

 

For Europe and other places, a 18 or 21, 35 and 90 combination would be perfect.