Going on safari! Micro 4/3 vs. 1"

I had not taken a truly great photography trip in several years, but just returned home from Yellowstone and have some thoughts.

I always had two bodies ready to go when in the field. I used two E-M1. I think an E-M1 paired with either the E-M5 or E-M5 Mk ii would be great (the former being super cheap these days and very capable for the landscape shots). The few times I did not have both bodies on me, I wish I had. I used a pair of Celestron 9x33 Granite binoculars while my wife used Nikon Prostaff 7s 10X42 for spotting. Both were outstanding but I preferred the smaller size, build and features of the Celestron.

For the sweeping landscapes, I used the Oly 9-18mm. Sometimes with a circular polarizer but often times not due to deleterious effects on the liquid blue skies. My other body had the Oly 40-150 + 1.4x TC or the Oly 70-300 Mk ii affixed. On rare occasion I would remove the TC. This setup leaves a gap between 18-40 mm, but I never felt limited by that gap. I had the Pana 25mm f1.4 prime in my bag, but it was never used.  That said, it was nice to know I had the low light normal lens should need arise.

At times I'd have both tele lenses mounted when strictly shooting wildlife, trying to squeeze the best shot I could get out of each lens. When shooting a grizzly at over 300 yards and an eagle at 150 yards, I truly wish I'd had the Oly 300mm + 1.4x TC or the Pana 100-400mm with me. I'm pretty certain one of those lenses will make it into my bag next time around.

Speaking of bags, I had all my bodies, lenses, chargers, guide books, map, and 15 inch laptop loaded in a Think Tank Airport Accelerator. It is a great bag for air travel and should fit most overhead bins on larger planes.

I can't speak to the Sony since I have never used one, but I think m4/3 is the perfect compromise of size and performance in travel photography.

Have a great trip,

Brian