adli Posted May 30, 2014 Share #1 Posted May 30, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, I will go on a safari next year, first time on a safari for me. Any tip on setup/lenses to use? For the moment the longest lens I have is 90mm, but I assume I need something longer.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 30, 2014 Posted May 30, 2014 Hi adli, Take a look here Safari lenses for M240?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted May 30, 2014 Share #2 Posted May 30, 2014 On Safari, with 25 years of experience on the subject, I would not leave the house without my Vario-Elmar 105-280 and 1.4x extender. Get some practice in with very long lenses because handling these in basically handheld situations takes some experience. Take a beanbag, it is essential. Forget about a tripod. It is useless in this situation. The 240 EVF and focus peaking work excellently, use 5x. Do get an IR filter. In the tropics you will be fighting the colour otherwise. PM me with any question you may have. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJWhite Posted May 30, 2014 Share #3 Posted May 30, 2014 You have a huge assortment of lenses to choose from. Any manual focus lens from a major manufacturer will work with the appropriate adapter. I have Canon FD lenses from the 1970's and 80's which work. You can get adapters for Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Olympus and others. Tamron's Adaptall II lenses are quite good, and once you have an Adaptall II mount for one of the major camera brands, you can then add the Leica adapter and you're all set. Plenty of those old lenses are available used. The pros that bought them for sports have all switched to auto-focus cameras so they aren't using them, making them available cheap for the rest of us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 30, 2014 Share #4 Posted May 30, 2014 That is certainly true. However, on Safari you will mostly be shooting from a fixed position, so a tele zoom is really preferable over a fixed focal length. And there are very few long tele zooms around that do the M240 sensor justice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woorob Posted May 30, 2014 Share #5 Posted May 30, 2014 As the owner of an M and quite a few R lenses, my own personal viewpoint, for what it's worth, is that I would use a Canon 6D with Canon's 70-300 L lens. I really like the M with R lenses on a tripod when taking landscape pictures, especially with my 180/2.8 and 280/2.8 APO lenses, but as a practical matter can't see using them for wildlife photography with an M. The 6D comes close to matching the M's image quality and the 30-700 L lens has image stabilization which works very well indeed. It's also a fraction of the size of my Leica-R 280/2.8 APO and the auto focus can be invaluable (not to mention continuous shooting of up to 4.5 frames per second). My brother, who also has an M and a 6D, has a Tamron 150-600 on order. He lives in Colorado and plans to use it for wildlife photography. It's also image stabilized. If I were going on a once in a lifetime trip like you will be, I'd take the 6D with 70-300 as my primary camera for wildlife shots, and use the M for landscape and people pictures. You might also want to look into a "beanbag tripod" of the sort made by Pod of Canada (THE pod Tripod Alternative - beanbag with a bolt travel). They work great in my experience. Just my two cents' worth; I hope you have a great trip! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikouyou Posted May 30, 2014 Share #6 Posted May 30, 2014 If you absolutely want to stick to an M, get an R lens like the Telyt 500mm f/8 (750 grams) to be used wit the VF. It is a super light set-up that will give you reach! A monopod would help to stabilize if you have the time to set-it up... I like the wired bokeh of this lens and you can get contrast and pop in Lightroom. A zoom would be great as indicated above for more flexibility, but it depend how much weight you want to carry... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 30, 2014 Share #7 Posted May 30, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) You mean the mirror lens? I have one, and consider it an interesting curiosity, but just about any R tele cropped beats it hollow for image quality…. 500 mm is on the long side for mammals anyway. If you want a light option take the ApoTelyt 180/3.4 and 2x Apoextender. As for a Canikon DSLR, consider this: The vehicle will be full of tourists using the same Nikon (Canon appears to have fallen from grace in the Safari Circuit) with the same lens shooting the same sleeping Lion. The results will by pretty good technically, and back home Uncle Harry will have a slideshow to prove he saw The Big Five. My comment : Pretty good stuff for a holiday album, but intrinsically boring. Now using a camera that requires a different approach from the photographer will make you consider your surroundings, your plane of focus and cause you to engage (mentally!) with your subject matter as you have to anticipate. Maybe fewer, but certainly better shots. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted May 31, 2014 Share #8 Posted May 31, 2014 Woorob is right. Not quite safari but some of the same limitations in Galapagos. I didn't yet have a M(240) but I did not even bother with my M9. I took a Nikon D800e and used the Nikon 28-300 almost exclusively, and with very good results. That's not even one of Nikon's best lenses but it was just what I needed. One thing to think about is platforms like Land Rovers or in my case Zodiacs as well as unpredictable wildlife. There are two things you need that you cannot get on an M: (1) image stabilization; and (2) excellent very high iso performance. the former is pretty self-explanatory; the latter is to allow you to get the shutter speed high enough to both counteract camera motion and subject motion. The third thing you just might want is autofocus. Now don't get me wrong. I strongly prefer using my M (and now T) and I know it is theoretically possible to use them and get good results in these situations but IMHO there are times when a different tool is a better tool. I don't know how many safaris you have been on or will be going on, but I was going to the Galapagos just once and wanted the right camera so I would have the best chance of comeing back with excellent images without making concessions and with no excuses ("ah, if only I had a camera with stabilization....."). So if I were you I would take the M and use it for people and landscapes but take a modern DSLR for wildlife. If you want to experiment, get an adapter for Canon or Nikon on M body and see how that goes, but don't rely on it exclusively. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted May 31, 2014 Share #9 Posted May 31, 2014 On Safari, with 25 years of experience on the subject, I would not leave the house without my Vario-Elmar 105-280 and 1.4x extender. Get some practice in with very long lenses because handling these in basically handheld situations takes some experience.Take a beanbag, it is essential. Forget about a tripod. It is useless in this situation. The 240 EVF and focus peaking work excellently, use 5x. Do get an IR filter. In the tropics you will be fighting the colour otherwise. PM me with any question you may have. Jaap accepting that it doesn't quite have the same reach, how much difference in IQ is there between the Vario-Elmar 80-200 and the Vario-Elmar 105-280, especially if it would only be for very occasional use? There's certainly a significant price difference. Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS Posted May 31, 2014 Share #10 Posted May 31, 2014 Adli I too am going on Safari this year and I am taking my M240 and 50mm Noctilux for anything that comes up close. I am also taking Nikon D4s/D800e and a truck full of Nikon long lenses including 600mm f4 and 300 f2.8. Its a once in a lifetime trip for me and I dont want to leave any pictures at home..............if I can get any pictures with the Leica that will be a bonus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmark Posted May 31, 2014 Share #11 Posted May 31, 2014 Adli, where are you going? Some of the countries/parks (like Kenya) doesn't allow off road, so you have to stick to roads thus long tele lenses are absolutely must. My setup for Kenya is D4s/D3s with 400/2.8 and TC 1.4, 2.0, Df/D700 with 70-200/2,8 and M240 with 50 Nocti (sometimes 24 lux or even WATE). When off road is allowed, lenses like 300/2.8 or zoom 70-200 with teleconverters are enough (and M with 50mm is getting definitely more use). In many countries (SA, Kruger for example) cars are open type, beanbag cannot help but monopod would be your friend. Never tried safari with M only but usually have ~40-60% keepers from M Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 31, 2014 Share #12 Posted May 31, 2014 In my experience a monopod is not very practical in a vehicle, as it catches on projections in the interior,on your fellow passengers feet, and generally restricts movement. But the worst thing is that a vehicle is a sprung, unstable platform that will transfer movement and vibration to the camera through the monopod/tripod. Beanbag and freehand technique work far better I have a monopod that doubles as a walking stick for trekking in the bush, ( by Novoflex) which works fine.. Indeed many National parks do not allow off road throughout Africa, although they will have a finely networked road infrastructure that allow you to come reasonably close. For that reason private concessions and game reserves are preferable. And the nicest thing is to have a private vehicle/guide. I have a monopod that doubles as a walking stick for trekking in the bush, ( by Novoflex) which works fine.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 31, 2014 Share #13 Posted May 31, 2014 Jaap accepting that it doesn't quite have the same reach, how much difference in IQ is there between the Vario-Elmar 80-200 and the Vario-Elmar 105-280, especially if it would only be for very occasional use? There's certainly a significant price difference. Mark Very little, if Erwin is to be believed. But you will lack reach in some situations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 31, 2014 Share #14 Posted May 31, 2014 AdliI too am going on Safari this year and I am taking my M240 and 50mm Noctilux for anything that comes up close. I am also taking Nikon D4s/D800e and a truck full of Nikon long lenses including 600mm f4 and 300 f2.8. Its a once in a lifetime trip for me and I dont want to leave any pictures at home..............if I can get any pictures with the Leica that will be a bonus Ah! How much is the airline fare for your donkey? There are hand luggage limits, and all light aircraft transfers to and in the Safari areas will have a luggage limit of 12 to 15 kg including camera gear. - and they weigh the passenger. The pilots are lenient but also safety-concious and when the Cessna is full the limits will be enforced and you will have to purchase a separate seat for your camera bag on another plane flying in - if available. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmark Posted May 31, 2014 Share #15 Posted May 31, 2014 In my experience a monopod is not very practical in a vehicle, as it catches on projections in the interior,on your fellow passengers feet, and generally restricts movement.But the worst thing is that a vehicle is a sprung, unstable platform that will transfer movement and vibration to the camera through the monopod/tripod. Beanbag and freehand technique work far better Have to disagree. In my experience monopod is the only viable solution for long lenses in open car (try hand shooting for longer time with 400/2.8 or even 300/2.8). I do use also clamps and gimbal heads if needed. Monopod is also better to stabilize your lens during dusk and dawn time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 31, 2014 Share #16 Posted May 31, 2014 Hmmm..Not my experience…Agree to disagree. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adli Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share #17 Posted May 31, 2014 Thanks for all the tips. The Vario-Elmar 105-280 sounds tempting, but seems to cost a small safari budget in it self. Is it possible to use any extender on the 80-200? I will probably go to Masai Mara so there will be a 15 kg limit on luggage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted May 31, 2014 Share #18 Posted May 31, 2014 Thanks Jaap. I think an 80-200 with 1.4X adapter seems like a good and budget-friendly option for an infrequently used FL range. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 31, 2014 Share #19 Posted May 31, 2014 Not sure if it takes the 1.4x Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted May 31, 2014 Share #20 Posted May 31, 2014 Well looks like only the 2.0x adapter is compatible with the 80-200 lens but it does then extend it's reach. From a Leica R lens & accessory brochure: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/228038-safari-lenses-for-m240/?do=findComment&comment=2601173'>More sharing options...
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