Walking Safari / How Much Gear? (1 Viewer)

[Robert / Seattle]

A general question to all of you fellow naturalist world travellers:

I'll be spending a few weeks in Botswana and Zambia next year on a walking safari and want to take enough equipment to observe and record the birds and widlife, but not so much to burden the experience and end up not seeing or enjoying anything. I'm thinking of a Leica Ultravid 10x32 (my light-weight travel preference), teamed with a 2-lens digital SLR kit (Leica Digilux 3 w/2 mega zooms - together encompassing 28-500mm (in 35mm equivalence)), and a Leica VLux with fixed 12x optical zoom (35-420mm) "point and shoot". Maybe a Gitzo monopod as well. The critical criteria is that all my gear fit into an airline carry-on (less the checked monopod), and be both professionally useful yet comfortably portable for a given day's trek. The above "kit", with pack and accessories, sundries and etc., might weigh in at ca. 20 lbs.

What would you bring? What did you bring and regret? What did you leave behind and regret?

Robert / Seattle

 

[citrinella]

Hi Robert,

I'd forget carrying more lenses than bodies. Suggest you either leave the Vlux behind and take a second body for your shorter zoom; or take the Vlux and leave the shorter zoom at home.

First might be optically better (depending on lens quality) if you have the second body.

Second might be lighter, then the monopod wouldn't be such a burden.

I am assuming that 28mm and 35mm are both effective focal lengths quoted in full frame equivalents. In that case the 2 body set up has a distinct advantage at the wide end as well. Just googled the digilux 3, seems to have 2x crop factor - is that right ?

Hmm, lot of money for a second body, and your short zoom might be 14-50, not very heavy. However, you won't want to be changing lenses. The wee birds will only appear when you have your short zoom on. They're not stupid ;-) Then there is dust ...

Mike.

 

[Robert / Seattle]

Hi Robert,

I'd forget carrying more lenses than bodies. Suggest you either leave the Vlux behind and take a second body for your shorter zoom; or take the Vlux and leave the shorter zoom at home.

First might be optically better (depending on lens quality) if you have the second body.

Second might be lighter, then the monopod wouldn't be such a burden.

I am assuming that 28mm and 35mm are both effective focal lengths quoted in full frame equivalents. In that case the 2 body set up has a distinct advantage at the wide end as well. Just googled the digilux 3, seems to have 2x crop factor - is that right ?

Hmm, lot of money for a second body, and your short zoom might be 14-50, not very heavy. However, you won't want to be changing lenses. The wee birds will only appear when you have your short zoom on. They're not stupid ;-) Then there is dust ...

Mike.

Mike,

Many thanks for your input. Much appreciated, and some good points raised.

The main logic for the two camera bodies is simple -- a back-up camera should one of the the two hit the fritz.

Secondly, one body has a fixed 12x optical zoom -- i.e., no lens changes and therefore no dust on sensors in at least one of the two cameras. Light weight (at 18 oz., hardly a burden, and at 10 mp with a 35-420 zoom (in 35mm equivalence), not a bad point-and-shoot to have around. Well tested on trips around the Pacific Northwest, this camera (Leica VLux) has no business performing as well as it does).

The Leica Digilux 3 SLR is, in fact, a 4/3rds mount (i.e., 2x factor). So with a mere two lens set-up I can reach from 28- 400 mm (580mm with the Olympus 1.4 teleconverter). I chose it because there are times when a real time viewfinder is critical for rapid response and/or critical composition (I have a problem with the ELV finders in point-and-shoots, regardless of the camera's other attributes). Neither do I want to be lugging around a Nikon D2X (my "big guns") with an 80-400 VR megazoom -- I'm there to enjoy myself, after all.

All fits within a newly aquired Filson "Sportsman's" Field Bag (http://www.filson.com/product/index...&cp=2065674.2065687.2065708&parentPage=family), with domke inserts (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/shop/4382/Domke_Inserts.html), for cameras (2), lenses (3), and accessories (chargers, cards, filters, manuals, miscellaneous electronics, 2 field guides (birds/mammals) and a 10x32 Leica Ultravid -- all weighing in at 21 pounds. A Billingham backpack harness turns the entire kit into a reasonably lightweight day pack. The monopod will ensure steady compositional exposures, when time allows, or a handy last ditch effort to save my life when a hungry pride of lions wants a piece of my human butt.

I suppose an item or two can aways be left behind at the lodge in the event I wimp out.

Cheers,

Robert / Seattle

(PS -- Still curious how others deal with this dilemma, i.e., pleasure treking vs. optical performance).