African Safari pics, add your own!

[Stu14]

Thanks all for the comments, is anyone else going to post their shots? I know others have gone with m4/3 gear!

--
Bob G
Visit my website at:
http://bobgreenberg9918.zenfolio.com

These are stunning photos and certainly show how good the m4/3 camera and lenses are.

We were in Kenya last month and took a short trip to the Mara. For various reasons I decided to try and make do with my LUMIX Tz100, thinking that the 250mm reach would be enough. I did get some very acceptable shots, but nowhere as good as these. I often felt I needed to use the izoom, thus reducing the quality of the shot. On the other hand some of the video was great, and I cooked with the small viewfinder. I am slightly regretting not waiting for the GX80 or getting an Om10 but that would have meant more weight, along with my binoculars.

Incidentally, I found that the natural camouflage of giraffes and cheetahs, etc, made then really tricky to photograph juse using autofocus, and so was glad of the touch screen focus, and the manual focus worked well when I had time to compose the shot.

Sadly, although we were in the Mara in July, the day we went to the river, there were no crossings. Judging from the number of wildebeest we saw, they had already made it across! Nevertheless a wonderful experience.


Alone at last!


Not our van but very similar


Local giraffe family



A small committee meeting!

Stuart

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[PixYourLife]

Beautiful!

Here are a few of mine, from a safari in Tanzania. One of my first outings with M43. All made with Em-10 + Oly 75-300 II, and E-PL5 + Pana 14-42 II. Some with my girlfriend's Sony compact. ;-) I've started saving smoney for the Pana 100-400 and a safari trip to India and Nepal.

 

[Rogerf1948]

What a great selection of pictures.

I've been lucky enough to go on two short safaris to the Kalahari in 2012 and 2016. The first was better for wildlife, but both were hugely enjoyable.

The Kalahari only has two of "the big five", lion and leopard, but I have only seen the big one, lion. But I would say my big two includes the cheetah, which I love.

Taking good pictures on safari is quite difficult. You need a lot of luck and patience, and the lens you have on the camera is never the best!

Anyway, I have attached a few from both trips which I hope you like. I used a Panasonic GH2 with the 100-300 zoom in 2012 and an Olympus OMD EM1 with the 40-150 f2.8 on the second. Sadly, the 300 was not available when I went.







I just liked the shape of this one.









This is a young male. Evidence seen at the rear!









I just love these cats.







Where's me lunch?







Not great quality as it was taken through the mucky front windscreen. The lion was about two metres in front of the vehicle.







In yer face.







Flying Oryx







Lion scent marking a tree.







Early morning Springbok.







Playtime







A Roller.







Cute Meerkats.



I hope I will get another chance to visit Africa. I especially would like to go to Namibia and Botswana.

 

[Bob657]

Some great shots, I'm surprised you saw the serval!

 

[Bob657]

Nice, I like the flying oryx and meerkats best.

 

[Bob657]

Nice shots with the ZS100!

 

[Rogerf1948]

Thanks Bob, they are my favourites also, just as they are a little different.

 

[C Sean]

The last time I went on safari just happened to be my 2nd safari holiday and the first time I took some photographer gear with me. There were two or three problems I had encountered and it took some time to realise this.

1. The 100-300 wasn't reliable and it let me down so many time. To resolve this problem I used the 35-100 a lot more than I should of.

2. I didn't know how to use a long telephoto zoom correctly and this comes to number three.

3. I was using the rule of the thirds in most of my photos and they basically look all the same.

At the moment I watching a youtube lecture hosted by who uses wide angle lenses on medium format. Very interesting stuff and some of my best photos took in Botswana with the 12-35 but it's a shame people only take one body and one medium or long telephoto lens.

Anyway here is some of mine taken from my previous thread. Sadly my photos are on another computer.

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[howardfuhrman]

PixyourLife

Very nice set of photos.

--
Howard

http://www.photo.net/photos/howardfuhrman

 

[PixYourLife]

Thank you! We were surprised too! But unfortunately we didn't spot one single rhino during the whole trip. :-(

 

[absoluutbeginner]

Beautiful!

Here are a few of mine, from a safari in Tanzania. One of my first outings with M43. All made with Em-10 + Oly 75-300 II, and E-PL5 + Pana 14-42 II. Some with my girlfriend's Sony compact. ;-) I've started saving smoney for the Pana 100-400 and a safari trip to India and Nepal.

I still have a lot to learn ..if I see yor pics !

 

[Bob657]

Some great contributions, anyone else want to post?

 

[howardfuhrman]

Bob,

My 100-300 lens is no match to your 300mm lens. I did the best with what I had. They certainly will not be making to National Geographic, but do bring back memories of my wife's and my safari.


Meerkat standing guard watching for preditors


Wake up, a king needs more than food - taken in dusk at higher ISO.


Snack time on a termite hill


Buffalo at the lake for drink.


Sibling cheetahs


Cheetah - significant crop of larger image


A vulnerable giraffe getting a drink


The eyes of a Leopard looking for lunch

--
Howard
http://www.photo.net/photos/howardfuhrman

 

[Bob657]

Nice shots Howard, you had a great leopard encounter to see it in the open like that!

 

[howardfuhrman]

Nice shots Howard, you had a great leopard encounter to see it in the open like that!

--
Bob G
Visit my website at:
http://bobgreenberg9918.zenfolio.com

Bob

Thank you for your comments. Our safari was one of the highlights of my wife and my life. Given a year or two, I would have gotten the 100-400 teamed up with my GX8, would have given me more reach, better quality and IBIS combined with lens stabilization, all of which would have improved the results, especially as the light became dim. I also took photos with my Sony RX1 which were very good especially when we were able to get close to animals. Since this is a 4/3's forum I did not post them.

Keep posting, I enjoy your photos.

--
Howard

http://www.photo.net/photos/howardfuhrman

 

[srvdp1]

Very nice, I love the cheetah with blood on her mouth! The leopard looks a bit overexposed though.

--
Bob G
Visit my website at:
http://bobgreenberg9918.zenfolio.com

Yes the lighting was tricky with primarily dark branches and a very light background. I did play around with the exposure a bit. This one is better (should have posted this one) although I wish that branch wasn't in the way.

 

[Bob657]

Looks good, thx! Leopards tend to be in shadow, don't they?

--
Bob G
Visit my website at:
http://bobgreenberg9918.zenfolio.com

 

[srvdp1]

Looks good, thx! Leopards tend to be in shadow, don't they?

--
Bob G
Visit my website at:
http://bobgreenberg9918.zenfolio.com

Definitely. Here's the other one we saw and I would have loved to have a 600mm lens.



As you know, a lot is involved when it comes to getting great shots on safari, and luck plays a big role. You have to have an animal that (1) is close enough to be "in reach" of your lens, (2) is in good lighting without shadows, (3) is in a clear line of sight without any obstructions, and (4) is looking at least in your general direction. I had plenty of times where I had 1-3 of these things, and I'd end up with something like a perfect picture of an elephant's rear end while I was waiting for them to turn around. But it is also what makes it rewarding when you do get lucky and can capture the moment.

 

[absoluutbeginner]

All are afraid to go to Africa Bob .

 

[Stu14]

This discussion has been an eye opener for me, and apologies for crashing this thread with only a 1 inch sensor. We did our first safari in July and then only for a few days. Now I see what really skilled photographers can do, I think I would have been much better off with either an m4/3 (probably OM10) or something like a FZ1000, both of which I considered before opting for the ZS100 (on the grounds of weight and portability).

Anyway, looking at these photos, especially yours Bob, I can see a few clear lessons.

1. There is no substitute for good glass. The shots from your 300mm lens are absolutely stunning!

2. You need a lot of patience and and a large amount of luck with animals. I am guessing also that you didnt just shoot these in a couple of days but were on safari for at least a week.

3. "Framing" the shot is hard on a tiny EVF. In fact, I probably spent more time looking at animals through my binoculars, than via the camera.

4. Even with good equipment, skill and experience will have a huge effect. Seeing your photos, I can see I still have a lot to learn.

For me, the interest of the African experience was the vast scale of the landscape as much as the excitement of seeing individual animals. I just couldn't capture that!

Sigh!