African Safari

[RedCobra]

OK, heading out on another Africa Trip in early September.
Masai Mara, Kenya (Migration), Tanda Tula, SA (Leopards), and Madikwe, SA (Rhinos)
17 days total.
Little different kit this time.

OM Systems OM-1 with the M. Zuiko 150-400 f/4.5 w built in 1.25TC. (300-1000mm FF equiv)
Canon R5 with the RF 70-200 f/2.8, the RF 24-70 f/2.8, and the 16mm STM.
Lots of cards and batteries.
All in a Thinktank Airport Advantage Roller.
Last time I took about the same but with a second R5 and the RF 100-500 and no OM Systems.

I'm nervous about leaving the RF 100-500 behind and the fact that I will have two bodies, but two different systems. I could go all Oly and leave the Canon stuff at home but I would need a second OM-1 as I always want two bodies. The Canon has lower noise and is better in low light and I'm addicted to 45mps for cropping. But this 150-400 Oly lens is incredible and I can fill the frame better than with the RF100-500.and taking the RF 100-500 is just an overlap of sorts. Further, the OLY is f/4.5 at 800mm and the Canon 100-500 with the 1.4TC would be f/10 at 800mm .

So, I am covered from 16mm to 1000mm, with the only hole being between 200-300mm
Total weight allowance for this trip all in (cameras, clothes, computers, etc.) is 24Kg (52 lbs)

Any thoughts.

 

[MrSparks999]

If you don't have a 2nd OLY body then have you thought about hiring one just for the trip?.
Option you have set out is good, with the OLY and 100-400 for wildlife and the R5 for everything else.
Although i think getting all of this in your luggage allowance will be challenging, along with clothes etc

 

[Kwazy]

Yea... looks like you got $30K+ between the camera gear in your signature and the 17 day Africa trip, what's another $2K body? Chump change.
Pleasantly surprised to see OM-1 mentioned here. I've switched to it about a year ago for macro and it blows Canon out of the water, at least in terms of magnification. The color palette seems slightly less pleasant and the noise is higher, but it's a worthy tradeoff. The downside is I can't post the photos here

I didn't even know they had this $7.5k lens. Something to start dreaming about I suppose. I have the M.Zuiko ED75-300mm f4.8-6.7 lens that I've used on a trip, and although the 600mm effective focal length is great, the lens is inconveniently slow. I've been thinking of bringing my R6 with the RF100-400 f5.6-8 lens along with the OM-1 macro setup on the next trip, as going from macro to telephoto takes a bit of time and is rather inconvenient. No system-specific backup, but I think I'm ok with that risk. Can't justify that kind of money for a backup.

How do you find the image quality of Canon with 500mm vs OM with 400mm, aside from the extra reach OM allows? I've thus far considered Canon IQ to be much higher.

 

[RedCobra]

If you don't have a 2nd OLY body then have you thought about hiring one just for the trip?.
Option you have set out is good, with the OLY and 100-400 for wildlife and the R5 for everything else.
Although i think getting all of this in your luggage allowance will be challenging, along with clothes etc

Nah, gear before clothes.

 

[RedCobra]

Yea... looks like you got $30K+ between the camera gear in your signature and the 17 day Africa trip, what's another $2K body? Chump change.
Pleasantly surprised to see OM-1 mentioned here. I've switched to it about a year ago for macro and it blows Canon out of the water, at least in terms of magnification. The color palette seems slightly less pleasant and the noise is higher, but it's a worthy tradeoff. The downside is I can't post the photos here

I didn't even know they had this $7.5k lens. Something to start dreaming about I suppose. I have the M.Zuiko ED75-300mm f4.8-6.7 lens that I've used on a trip, and although the 600mm effective focal length is great, the lens is inconveniently slow. I've been thinking of bringing my R6 with the RF100-400 f5.6-8 lens along with the OM-1 macro setup on the next trip, as going from macro to telephoto takes a bit of time and is rather inconvenient. No system-specific backup, but I think I'm ok with that risk. Can't justify that kind of money for a backup.

How do you find the image quality of Canon with 500mm vs OM with 400mm, aside from the extra reach OM allows? I've thus far considered Canon IQ to be much higher.

With the proper post production you can get fab photos with the The OM systems IQ is absolutely fine.

 

[ACEkin]

RedCobra, they are both excellent.

 

[David Berry]

Heading out on another Africa trip in early September.

Little different kit this time.

Any thoughts?

Red …

Now is surely not the time to purchase a second R5 (Mark 1!), especially if you have the OM-1 pleading to be taken to Africa.

If you're happy with switching from one system to the other, your OM-1 / R5 combo sounds like a fun choice.

… David

 

[Dave Williams]

You know your gear and what sort of shots you are after and the places/situations/vehicles you will be in. Personally I tend to only take shots of the wildlife on my trips and all scenic ones, and they are few and far between, are taken on my phone. My last trip I just took my R5 and 100-500, 500mm f4 plus RF1.4 and EF 1.4 and 2.0xTC's. It's a risk having one body but I just can't decide what to back it up with or even to jump to another manufacturer. I used to have a lot more gear but it was stolen and I haven't as yet replaced it or even decided if I will. I set off on one trip with three bodies and four lenses but you can only use one at a time and most of the time it sat idle. I didn't think I was restricted by my options on the last trip, in fact I hardly used the 500f4 or any of the TC's.
Low light shouldn't be a problem during the main part of the day. The sun rises and sets a lot quicker in Africa but it can be the most productive time. A big lens is very restricting in a vehicle, even an OSV if you are sharing the space with others. Reach isn't everything either, even the best gear can't handle heat haze.
I do think zoom lenses are the way to go due to the size range of your subjects and I think I might be happy with just your 300-1000 and 70-200f2.8 options. Shame you can't mount the 1.4TC on the RF version that would have covered off 100-300 range at f4. Alternatively I'd just take the 100-500 and drop the other RF lenses but my needs are different to yours.

However, what I can say is I know nothing of the OM-1 and its capabilities. I have seen some excellent shots taken with it and the combination you have with the built in TC is very tempting so I'm not sure why there is some hesitance over the R5/100-500 combination. You say the 45mp and cropping ability and that I understand. It's quite amazing. Another factor you may want to consider is video. I'd do a lot more if it wasn't for my lack of knowledge and the effort needed in PP ( plus the amount of memory space needed)

Running two systems isn't for me. Been there and done that and it didn't work for many reasons but that's another discussion. Just having two bodies needing different batteries and chargers is enough of a problem. In terms of travelling the less gear the better, not only during the trip but getting there and dragging it around airports etc. Less is sometimes more!
The RF100-500 can be used in low light situations( https://rfshooters.com/media/large-spotted-genet.7272/ ) , the R5 deals with low light and video well. That combination alone is enough for me most of the time but you have invested in an expensive OM lens so I guess you will want to take it.
Have a look at your shots from a previous trip and see what lenses and how often they were used. Might give you a better insight and help your final decision.

 

[RedCobra]

Leaving Monday for Kenya (Mara), and SA (Tibavati and Madikwe). Mara is 12hr game drives everyday with box lunch. Tanda Tula and Jaci's is 2 drives per day with afternoons off.
Taking my OM-1 with the 150-400 f/4.5 (also a 1.4TC for that lens), and my R5 with RF 70-200 f/2.8 and RF 24-70 f/2.8. (threw a 16mm STM in the bag for the heck of it) So I am covered from 24mm to a FF equiv of 1400mm.
3 batteries for each body.
2 128GB CFe cards and 6 256GB SD cards. And a 512GB CFe card for video.
RAW to both cards in both cameras.
Lots of lens wipes, a blower, and a brush.
1 TB iPad pro with a card reader for backup. (and yes I will backup every night as I have done on my 2 previous trips)
When WiFi is available (most of the time) the iPad will upload to the cloud and LR cloud will then download to my home desktop. I then copy files from the iPad to an external SSD. I will not erase and reuse any cards while on the trip, so I will have triple backup.
Last trip, shot 26,000 shots. (ProCapture on the OM-1 generates lots of frames)
I'll cull when I get home.

What have I forgotten? Not much I hope.

ps: taking a few clothes too! LOL

 

[Dave Williams]

Don't forget the battery charger!
Have a great trip.

 

[MikeZ]

Looks like you have everything that you would need, and you're fully covered with back-up to HD and the cloud. It's a good idea not to re-use the memory cards and use them as a third form of back-up. Have a great trip and I'm looking forward to seeing some of the photos when you return.