Camera Settings for Safaris

I have been to Africa a number of times. Most recent trip here :

My default setting (not using a myset) is shutter priority, auto iso. Then I set the shutter speed based on conditions, with selected shutter speed based on focal length and whether the subject is moving.

I do have a myset for birds in flight - all focus points, highest speed burst that allows continuous focus and continuous auto focus selected.

From my observation of photos that people display after a safari, the most common problem is little or no attention paid to composition. You might not be inclined to do this, but I have seen many potentially good photos ruined by the animal's face being in the middle of the frame, with part of the animal cut off and a large amount of empty space above and in front of the animal.

That's not so say you shouldn't zoom in for a portrait, or include negative space, or some other object in the frame if the scene requires it, of course. I think your idea of practising at the zoo is a very good one.

Enjoy your trip.

As I was experimenting with the Pany 100-300, I have noticed that the Pany's OIS seems to give me sharper (static shot, low light 1/50 f4.0 hand held) images than using the EM-1's stabilization wide open and at both ends 100 and 300.

I will be making more tests once the EM-5 arrives, to see which camera/lens combo works best.

Next Day:

Done some more testing, hand held using a downloaded microscopy resolution test chart, printed off a laser printer and taped onto a solid panel.

Trying to use all the lenses wide opened using both A and S dial settings.

Standing approximately 20 feet from test image outside in overcast light, I ran off a series of shots on the EM-1 Mk I using both my 100-300, Oly 40-150 with and without the TC.

Based on these rough tests shots, I found that my copy of the Pany 100-300 at f5.6 resolves significantly better than the 45-150 at F2.8 when the image is enlarge to equate to the Pany at 300mm.

The images of the 40-150 with the TC and the Pany set to 214mm and f5.1 (I must have moved the zoom ring) is about the same, with the Pany perhaps just slightly better.

The Oly f2.8 40-150 without the TC is sharp wide open.

What I have concluded for the Safari purpose is to have the Oly without the TC on one camera and the 100-300 on the other (either EM1 or EM5). Depending on distance, I will need to switch from either camera. The third camera, GX-7, will have the 12-40 in case we get fairly close to the animals. Probably have my wife carry that camera leaving me handling the two.  Granted, the two lenses are not at the same f-stop, possibly giving an edge to the Pany, but the Oly pro lens should be sharper.

Next step is to conduct similar testing at the zoo with moving animals

Oly at 210mm f4.0 1/500, no editing, just converted to jpeg.

Pany at 214mm f5.1 1/320, no editing, just converted to jpeg.

I was hoping that others with experience would chime in on the their settings when using either the EM-1 Mk I or the EM-5 MK II.

Hopefully I'll have the EM5 within a week and can begin testing which lens combination and settings works best for each of the two cameras using either the Oly 40-150 pro (+/- TC) or the Pany 100-300 MkI.

I used Back Button Focus and have three of them saved to my custom setting for different scenarios.

• Aperture Day Light shooting
• Shutter Speed 
• Aperture Low Light Shooting

Regarding shutter speed. Normally you don't see animals running and you have to be at the right spot and at the right time to see a hunt that develop into to a chase.  You would be very lucky to discover predators stalking it prey, which develops into a chase and ends in a kill.

Thanks Bobby. I'm going again in March 2019 and am really looking forward to it.

Yeah those pics are really nice! It looks like you used a really long lens for all of them. For a wide-angle shooter not accustomed to teles, what would you say is the shortest focal length one can get away with on safari to get environmental portraits of the animals? Close-ups don’t interest me, but, you know, it should be clear that wildlife is there, right?

I’m going to Botswana in late Dec with my GX9. Will I be kicking myself if my longest lens is 60mm?

On m4/3 I have done a similar trip (in 2013) with a Pana 100-300. I wouldn't want to go any shorter than that. It, or the Oly 75-300 are both pretty compact and not a big deal to carry.

I think you will regret it if your longest focal length is 60mm. I certainly took very few at, or near, that focal length on either of those trips. You'll enjoy the trip though.