{"id":2839,"date":"2025-06-10T16:24:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T15:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/?p=2839"},"modified":"2025-06-10T16:24:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T15:24:48","slug":"safari-shakedown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/2025\/safari-shakedown\/","title":{"rendered":"Safari Shakedown"},"content":{"rendered":"

After what seems like a long gap (including retirement and an operation) but was in fact only about 9 months, I\u2019m back on my travels. This time I\u2019m in South Africa, on safari. A group led by Lee Frost will be taking over Zimanga, a private game reserve north of Durban, for a week. If all goes according to plan we\u2019ll see lots of different African wildlife, and come back with copious quantities of memory cards filled with stunning images. Fingers well and truly crossed.<\/p>\n

One of the challenges of relatively short photographic trips is that it\u2019s very easy to spend the first couple of days \u201ccoming up to speed\u201d and getting back into the groove of taking varying and artistic but technically correct photos. Worst case you may find that you have forgotten how to drive your equipment, especially if some of it is relatively new to you, but it\u2019s not uncommon to find that you are missing opportunities simply because you\u2019re not seeing them and reacting quickly enough. Between some equipment changes, the technical challenges of wildlife  photography, and the fact that I had done very little photography over the winter, I felt this was a real risk for me.<\/p>\n

We therefore decided that I should do a couple of \u201cwarm up\u201d exercises in the weeks coming up to the trip. In terms of physical preparation I decided to invest in a second-hand Panasonic 100-400mm lens, for some extra reach, and swapped my old Panasonic GX8 for a used G9, to better accompany my G9ii main body and enable swapping backwards and forwards between the two bodies rather than constantly changing lenses. To make this work I also had to rethink bags, but found in my collection an old Lowepro shoulder bag which is comfortably large enough to hold the two bodies side by side.<\/p>\n

So now all I had to do was check and familiarise myself with some new equipment, get used to a new way of working, and tune back in to photographing animals. Easy\u2026<\/p>\n

Shakedown 1 \u2013 Longleat<\/h2>\n

Frances came up with the brilliant idea of a day at Longleat, photographing their big cats, so I signed up for the \u201cBig Cat Photography Experience\u201d. This turned out to be a great kit shakedown (even the old model 100-400mm lens is brilliant as long as you haven\u2019t accidentally switched stabilisation or autofocus off, GRR) and good for getting my eye in. I\u2019m very pleased with some of the results, but may need to put some tape over the new lens\u2019 controls.<\/p>\n

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Not African, but definitely a big cat (Show Details)<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Camera: <\/b>Panasonic DC-G9M2 | Date: <\/b>29-05-2025 10:24 | Resolution: <\/b>5603 x 3735 | ISO: <\/b>250 | Exp. bias: <\/b>-33\/100 EV | Exp. Time: <\/b>1\/800s | Aperture: <\/b>4.9 | Focal Length: <\/b>187.0mm (~374.0mm) | Lens:<\/b> LEICA DG 100-400\/F4.0-6.3 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

As well as the requisite lions and tigers we also saw wolves, Bactrian camels and African cattle. <\/p>\n

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Not African or a cat, but the 100-400mm lens definitely works (Show Details)<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Camera: <\/b>Panasonic DC-G9M2 | Date: <\/b>29-05-2025 11:39 | Resolution: <\/b>4344 x 4344 | ISO: <\/b>2000 | Exp. bias: <\/b>0 EV | Exp. Time: <\/b>1\/800s | Aperture: <\/b>6.1 | Focal Length: <\/b>364.0mm (~728.0mm) | Lens:<\/b> LEICA DG 100-400\/F4.0-6.3 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

It has to be said that the Longleat staff were absolutely superb. The Big Cat Experience is limited to a handful of attendees, and in my case I had a whole seat row to myself so I could shoot out of both sides of the vehicle. The guide was both very knowledgeable about the animals, but also about the needs of photographers and was happy to reposition our vehicle, off road if necessary, to get the best shots. We were also able have the windows down to avoid internal reflections, not allowed if you\u2019re driving yourself. Away from the big cats, the staff also went out of their way to make sure Frances was appropriately occupied on a tour of the house. 10\/10.<\/p>\n

Shakedown 2 \u2013 London Concours<\/h2>\n

Independent of my safari, we\u2019d also booked to attend the London Concours, a supercar \u201cshow and tell\u201d at the Honourable Artillery Company grounds in central London. As my \u201cnew to me\u201d G9 hadn\u2019t turned up before the Longleat trip, I decided to use the concours as a test bed for the G9, accompanied by the cheaper and smaller lenses which work both as my \u201csocial\u201d kit and as spares for the larger lenses if any should fail on location. <\/p>\n

The only issue was the inclement weather, but between showers I added Jaguars, Bulls and Prancing Horses to the score. No kit issues, but it reminded me that while the G9 may be less ultimately capable than the Mark II, it\u2019s actually a nicer handling piece of kit, and not much of a compromise 90% or more of the time.<\/p>\n

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Jaugar! (Show Details)<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Camera: <\/b>Panasonic DC-G9 | Date: <\/b>05-06-2025 12:57 | Resolution: <\/b>4050 x 4050 | ISO: <\/b>200 | Exp. bias: <\/b>-33\/100 EV | Exp. Time: <\/b>1\/60s | Aperture: <\/b>7.1 | Focal Length: <\/b>14.0mm | Lens:<\/b> LUMIX G VARIO 14-42\/F3.5-5.6 II <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n
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Bulls and Prancing Horses (Show Details)<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Camera: <\/b>Panasonic DC-G9 | Date: <\/b>05-06-2025 13:52 | Resolution: <\/b>4941 x 1647 | ISO: <\/b>200 | Exp. bias: <\/b>-33\/100 EV | Exp. Time: <\/b>1\/60s | Aperture: <\/b>7.1 | Focal Length: <\/b>18.0mm | Lens:<\/b> LUMIX G VARIO 14-42\/F3.5-5.6 II <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Shakedown 3 \u2013 The Hidden Forest<\/h2>\n

The trip finally arrives.<\/h3>\n

As is usual, I travelled out a day early so I could recover a bit before getting cracking. My flight out was fairly uneventful, but with some interesting contrasts. Heathrow T3 now has the integrated scanners, so you don\u2019t have to take half your luggage out of your bags at security, but the process is anything but! It took about 20 minutes to process a queue of less than 10 people. My new metal hip didn’t set anything off, but the hanky & wipes in my trouser pocket did… By contrast in Johannesburg I had to collect and recheck my baggage (quick and painless), and then joined a security queue at least 100 long. I was prepared for a long wait, but the staff were very efficient and after no more than 15 minutes I was through the check into domestic departures. Heathrow take note\u2026<\/p>\n

After an excellent brunch of a Wagu burger and red ale at the \u201cAirport Craft Brewery\u201d (also 10\/10), my second flight was also uneventful, but somehow managed to shave 25 minutes off a scheduled 1h10, so I had a bit of a wait while the taxi arrived. Eventually I arrived at the hotel in Ballito, and had dinner with the other early arrivals, Sue and Chris. Sue said we should try and find something to photograph on our first morning, and came up with the excellent suggestion of the local primate sanctuary, formerly \u201cMonkeyland\u201d but now the more elegant \u201cHidden Forest\u201d.<\/p>\n

Good choice. We had a guide who was not only friendly and knowledgeable but had the requisite eagle eyes to spot a tiny monkey up a tree 20m away, and got to see a number of species. With low light levels it was technically tricky, but I\u2019m pleased with some of my results.<\/p>\n

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Lemur in the branches (Show Details)<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Camera: <\/b>Panasonic DC-G9M2 | Date: <\/b>10-06-2025 11:30 | Resolution: <\/b>3062 x 3062 | ISO: <\/b>1600 | Exp. bias: <\/b>-33\/50 EV | Exp. Time: <\/b>1\/200s | Aperture: <\/b>5.1 | Focal Length: <\/b>200.0mm (~400.0mm) | Lens:<\/b> LEICA DG 100-400\/F4.0-6.3 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

There was one sad little aspect. The Hidden Forest is a rescue sanctuary, populated mainly with monkeys and lemurs who have been rescued from the pet trade. One of these was a tiny capuchin monkey who followed us around the whole time, mewing like a cat and taking every opportunity to lie, submissive, in front of our group, waiting to be picked up and petted. He\u2019s clearly an ex-pet who appreciates human company, but now he\u2019s in the sanctuary that\u2019s not allowed. Hopefully over time he\u2019ll adjust and fit in with his fellow capuchins.<\/p>\n

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Sad capuchin ex-pet (Show Details)<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Camera: <\/b>Panasonic DC-G9M2 | Date: <\/b>10-06-2025 11:47 | Resolution: <\/b>3921 x 5228 | ISO: <\/b>1600 | Exp. bias: <\/b>-33\/100 EV | Exp. Time: <\/b>1\/160s | Aperture: <\/b>4.5 | Focal Length: <\/b>100.0mm (~200.0mm) | Lens:<\/b> LEICA DG 100-400\/F4.0-6.3 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Tomorrow we\u2019re off to Zimanga and the safari proper begins!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After what seems like a long gap (including retirement and an operation) but was in fact only about 9 months, I\u2019m back on my travels. This time I\u2019m in South Africa, on safari. A group led by Lee Frost will … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,76],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2839"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2839\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andrewj.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}