Safari Decision... leave the Oly 40-150 Pro behind?

Chizuka wrote:

Hello. I will be going on a safari in Tanzania. I was planning to take the PL 100-400 mounted on the Lumix G9, the Olympus 40-150 Pro mounted on the Olympus EM10 mk2 and the Olympus 12-40 Pro in my bag, or mounted on the EM10, with the 40-150 in the bag.

For space and weight reasons, I am wondering if I could afford to leave the Oly 40-150 Pro behind?

What are your thoughts?

That's a really good question. I've been reading up a lot on this same subject because I'm traveling to Londolozi in ZA next month, and the general agreement seems to be the following:

- If you can, bring everything. Safaris have like a million photo opportunities per day, or so I'm told 

- Bring at least two bodies. Changing lenses on the field seems to be a really bad idea.

- Bring three bodies if you can. Seriously, almost every account I've read emphasizes how bad the dust is! It'll be a hardcore test of your equipment, and it wouldn't be surprising if part of it fails in the middle of the trip.

- Depending on the type of safari that you're taking, there's two approaches: if you're going to somewhere like Kruger park, where the vehicles aren't allowed to leave the road, bring the longest lens you can find - the 100-400mm is ideal; on the other hand, if you're going on a private reserve, and the guides can leave the trails, then forget about reach - it's all about speed, and then the 40-150mm f/2.8 will be worth its weight in gold.

- Don't forget about the reach if you are a birder - you know you'll need it 

- Most of the really good animal closeups seem to happen at dawn and dusk, and so a fast lens is always handy. Or even better, a powerful flashgun - park rangers and guides are apparently OK with them, and the difference they can make is astounding.

Remember that this is all from hearsay. Take it with a grain of salt; but I've been on enough nature/wildlife trips in other remote locations to realize that it's sound advice.

I was thisclose to purchasing a used 40-150mm f/2.8, but then realized that my wife would kill me (the "safari excuse" will hopefully cover the brand-new G9, but I can't push my luck), and I already have both a Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 II and an Olympus 75-300mm II to cover my bases, and both together weigh almost the same as the PRO lens alone. Still, it's apparently the perfect private reserve safari lens, and if I miss some opportunities because I didn't have it I'll be really angry at myself... and my fear of the wife