CorpRoadie Posted August 14, 2016 Share #1  Posted August 14, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) Headed on safari in a few weeks. Has anyone gone on one With the SL and the 90-280? Did you find that it was enough for you or did you have other lenses/bodies that you used more? I am worried that the 280 isn't enough and that the 24mp isn't enough for landscape/safari photos.  Thank you in advance for your comments! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 14, 2016 Posted August 14, 2016 Hi CorpRoadie, Take a look here Safari with SL. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jrp Posted August 14, 2016 Share #2 Â Posted August 14, 2016 What's your backup body? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 14, 2016 Share #3  Posted August 14, 2016 24 MP is more than ample, in fact it is ideal as all shots will be handheld/beanbag. More pixels only get in the way.  Forget about taking a tripod, it is next to useless on safari, you'll only poke fellow guests in the eye in the vehicle. Plus you are on an unstable platform. When walking you won't want to schlepp it. A monopod that doubles as a walking stick is very advisable. If you are going walking give some thought to how you will carry a heavy lens and some odds and ends in the heat.  90-280 is great for 75% of the shots, however 280 is on the short side for birds and closeups. I would advise you to buy a decent vintage 400 or 600 and use it for the remaining 25% on an adapter. Leica should have brought out an 1.4x extender, but they didn't  Get a Vlux as an emergency backup.  And most important of all: enjoy the experience, don't see your whole holiday through the EVF. First see, enjoy, understand, only then take the image. You are not employed by the BBC or National Geographic, your experience comes first. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Ash Posted August 14, 2016 Share #4  Posted August 14, 2016 Make up your mind how to recharge your battery. Think of a power pack. You might have access to one socket at limited time only. Thus you need to be able to recharge all your devices with this one socket. Just a side hint. Regards Steve   Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 14, 2016 Share #5 Â Posted August 14, 2016 True. And spare batteries and a second charger. If that fails or if you forget to take it from the office when moving on (experience speaking!) you're lost. Record you images to two SD cards. Backup is everything. Not only can a card fail, they do get pilfered in Africa! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeinzX Posted August 14, 2016 Share #6  Posted August 14, 2016 The 24 MP are more that enough, but the 280 mm are very on the low side. If you use a Novoflex  adapter and adapt a stronger tele, the IS is not supported and the AF could be slower or not work properly - so this seems not to be the right solution. AF of my  Canon 70/200 2.8 IS II USM works even together with the 2ply extender - but I have checked it only under good light conditions and  400 mm are not very much more than 280 mm. My personal solution would be to buy or rent a Canon 7 D II together with a Sigma Objektiv Sports AF 150-600mm 5.0-6.3 DG OS HSM for Canon (only this Sigma is a sealed version). As the 7 D II is a camera with APS-C Sensor you get an angle of 240 to 960 mm and that with IS. With the Leica and the Canon and the Sigma you should have an ideal combination for safari and are not forced to change lenses. Price of the Canon Sigma combination is app. Euro 3000 if bought. Another way - lighter and cheaper, but not as perfect but may be good enough - is to use a bride camera as supplement. My Sony RX 10 III has a 24 - 600 mm built in lens (that is in fact the angle) 2.4 - 4.0, is a sealed camera and lens too and works very fine under good light conditions. In my opinion the very best bridge at the moment - price is around Euro 1800 - the original list price was below this but the new price is higher. This camera is an excellent supplement for every DSLR or DSLM. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorpRoadie Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share #7  Posted August 14, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thank you all for the quick responses. I have the D-lux and v-lux as my back up cameras. I was toying with getting the 5ds with the 100-400 L II but I think I'll take my chances with the 90-280. Its a private reserve so we are able to go off the trails and get closer to the "Action" from what i have heard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 14, 2016 Share #8  Posted August 14, 2016 The 24 MP are more that enough, but the 280 mm are very on the low side. If you use a Novoflex  adapter and adapt a stronger tele, the IS is not supported and the AF could be slower or not work properly - so this seems not to be the right solution. AF of my  Canon 70/200 2.8 IS II USM works even together with the 2ply extender - but I have checked it only under good light conditions and  400 mm are not very much more than 280 mm. My personal solution would be to buy or rent a Canon 7 D II together with a Sigma Objektiv Sports AF 150-600mm 5.0-6.3 DG OS HSM for Canon (only this Sigma is a sealed version). As the 7 D II is a camera with APS-C Sensor you get an angle of 240 to 960 mm and that with IS. With the Leica and the Canon and the Sigma you should have an ideal combination for safari and are not forced to change lenses. Price of the Canon Sigma combination is app. Euro 3000 if bought. Another way - lighter and cheaper, but not as perfect but may be good enough - is to use a bride camera as supplement. My Sony RX 10 III has a 24 - 600 mm built in lens (that is in fact the angle) 2.4 - 4.0, is a sealed camera and lens too and works very fine under good light conditions. In my opinion the very best bridge at the moment - price is around Euro 1800 - the original list price was below this but the new price is higher. This camera is an excellent supplement for every DSLR or DSLM. 960 is virtually unusable. Not only does it give stability problems -even using IS- and needs very experienced hands, there is also the problem of hot air distortion. One can basically only use it on a heavy tripod for small birds and rodents. Additionally: just try and follow - or even find- your subject with such a narrow angle of view.  In my experience 400 is the standard lens (280 can do, albeit with occasional cropping) and 600 the upper limit for safari use. Bush skills and a good guide beat focal length any time. For elephants you may need a 21. They can get really close  AF is really not needed. Not only does it struggle on fur - tip: use a patch of grass next to the animal, lock and recompose - you have very narrow DOF and want the eye in critical focus. AF tends to miss that and fix on the nose. Another tip: when using manual focus, " walk" the plane of focus into the right position. Or anticipate (bush skills again!) and let the animal move into focus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphh Posted August 14, 2016 Share #9 Â Posted August 14, 2016 Jaap, your knowledge of Safari photography is so detailed by now,... would you consider writing a little article on it? For many of us it's a once in a lifetime experience Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steppenw0lf Posted August 14, 2016 Share #10  Posted August 14, 2016 I have Canon 5Ds and EF 100-400 L IS II for "safari" since last year. Now that I have SL plus 90-280 I would still choose the Canon. First the batteries last longer as it is a DSLR. second it offers the switch of resolutions with the corresponding crop factor. Third the 100-400 is extremely close focusing (closer than anything else, from any brand). And last but not least the SL plus lens is too valuable to me, I would really regret to have it damaged or stolen on safari. The Canon is easy to replace, and it is not so close to me, I regard it more from a distance and as a utility.  The SL plus 90-280 is focusing in complete silence, while the Canon plus lens makes some noise (not a lot, very acceptable). Normally this is not important for safari (for the typical safari). If I was a professional and needed the extraordinary quality to make a difference, then I would rather take the SL, if the 280 is long enough (which it is in most cases, but it all depends on your plans and your flexibility). SL plus WATE can also be very interesting on safari (depends again on your plans). Nice is also that you can take a M as backup with the smaller/shorter M and R lenses. (WATE, 28, 50 instead of 24-90). By the way the 90 in the 90-280 is clearly better than in the 24-90.  It depends on what your main intention is. If you expect to take mainly/exclusively tele shots - then choose the Canon. Or if you want all sorts of shots - also about people and foreign cultures, exotic landscapes (desert, forest, rain forest, mountains) - then rather the SL.  If you have access to electricity to recharge the accumulators, then the SL is ok, because it recharges very quickly (80% in 1 hour, full in less than 3 hours). If you have no access for several days, then you need a lot of spares (strain on budget and additional weight). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erlingmm Posted August 14, 2016 Share #11 Â Posted August 14, 2016 Just back from safari in Kenya with SL and 90-280, loved the setup, especially with stabilization. Close enough for me if you have a good driver. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 14, 2016 Share #12 Â Posted August 14, 2016 Jaap, your knowledge of Safari photography is so detailed by now,... would you consider writing a little article on it? For many of us it's a once in a lifetime experience I might -after I worked through my current to-do list... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvaliquette Posted August 16, 2016 Share #13 Â Posted August 16, 2016 I might -after I worked through my current to-do list... Â Then, why does your avatar show you smoking a pipe, in the shade, under a tree, in Africa(?) Â Get up and get to work! Â ;-) Â Â Â Â Â Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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