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On safari with the Olympus mirrorless camera and 75-300mm lens

In 2013, I kept hearing the term mirrorless and micro 4/3 but wasn’t sure exactly what it was. After some research and a visit to a camera store, I was sold on the Olympus mirrorless camera system and specifically the OM-D em5. I wanted a travel-friendly camera that uses interchangeable lenses that could eventually replace my heavy and cumbersome DSLR as well as compliment my iPhone photography.

My initial impressions were based on the way it felt in my hands, the solid build and how lightweight and compact it was in comparison to my Nikon camera body and lenses. One of the things I liked about the Olympus camera system was that they had a greater selection of lenses than any other mirrorless system as Panasonic lenses work on the Olympus camera bodies.

As you know, I advocate for the iPhone as a capable and fantastic camera and even made a case for photographing your safari with a smartphone.  While I recommend taking photos with your iPhone, the camera in your pocket, sometimes you need more of a reach while on safari or photographing wildlife in the distance.

Hello Olympus.

The male sub-adult lion at 300mm

SWITCHING TO OLYMPUS

In the Autumn of 2013 was the OM-D e-m5 camera body, the 12-42mm 3.5-5.6, 45mm 1.8 and the 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 lenses. Then came the OM-D em-1, a contender for making a switch from DSLR to a mirrorless system for my photography business.

I purchased it and some prime lenses, a 17mm 1.8, 45mm 1.8 and 75mm 1.8 lenses. The em-5 became my backup camera and the 75mm 1.8 quickly became my favourite portrait lens out of the studio and the 45mm 1.8 lens became my favourite portrait lens in the studio.

I was impressed with what I was achieving with the Olympus system, even with ‘straight out of the camera’ images. It had been some time since I touched my Nikon camera, so I made the switch from DSLR to a mirrorless micro 4/3 system and haven’t looked back since. I travel everywhere with my Olympus camera and use it in the studio with my studio flash units and pocket wizard flash triggers; it works perfectly.

In 2014, the M. Zuiko 40-150 mm 2.8 pro lens made its debut and I could hardly wait. I received it just in time for a November 2014 trip to South Africa for a project I was working on there and also planning some time for a safari. One of my favourite captures with the lens is of a leopard in the Sabi Sands private game reserve.

THE OLYMPUS MIRRORLESS CAMERA SYSTEM ON SAFARI

The photo below is of a much-loved leopard known as Karula, and she was on the move. She was also travelling with a companion, a male leopard known as Tingana. They were mating so any chance of a shot, you had to be quick. Here’s the shot I captured of her as she looked my way for a second, literally.

African safari pictures, Karula the leopard in Sabi Sands game reserve

When on safari in a private game reserve, you get fairly close to the animals. The M. Zuiko 40-150mm 2.8 pro lens is a fantastic lens for the situation. It is fast, incredibly sharp and gives you an equivalent focal length of 80-300mm on a full-frame camera. Add the mc-14 teleconverter and it’s a fantastic combination. Keep in mind you lose 1 full stop with the teleconverter.

When on a self-drive or guided game drive in the Kruger National Park, the animals may not be as close and you must stay on the paved or dirt roads. In a private game reserve such as Sabi Sand, your guide can drive off-road if you’re tracking an animal. I’ve often needed a further reach in Kruger.

I read about the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 75-300 mm f/4.8-6.7 ED II, a super-telephoto lens that is equivalent to a focal length of a 150-600mm lens on a full-frame camera. It is much smaller and lighter than the comparable focal length reach with a Nikon or Canon. Fortunately, I was able to get the lens on loan from Olympus, and I took it with me to South Africa for some wildlife photography testing.

ON SAFARI WITH THE OLYMPUS M. ZUIKO 75-300MM LENS

Here are some images using the lens while on safari in South Africa.

Lions109
The Tsalala Breakaway pride of 13 lions at 109mm. The lone male at the back, photographed in the Sabi Sands game reserve.
safari photos
A close up of a lioness with the male sub-adult lion in the background, at 300mm and, cropped and photographed in the Sabi Sands game reserve.
The male sub-adult lion at 300mm
The male sub-adult lion at 300mm and cropped. Photographed in the Sabi Sands game reserve.

I was impressed especially considering these were handheld shots and I was in a safari game viewer with seven other passengers, not the stillest of conditions.

An African bull elephant at 208mm
An African bull elephant at 208mm. It is taken in the Balule nature reserve.
African bull elephant at 300mm
A close up of an African bull elephant at 300mm and cropped. Photographed in the Balule nature reserve.
A stork at 300mm
A heron at 300mm, photographed in Kruger National Park.
African safari photos
A hippo surfaces, 300mm and cropped, photographed in Kruger National Park.
A yellow billed hornbill at 300mm
A yellow-billed hornbill at 300mm, photographed in Kruger National Park.
A giraffe at 300mm
A giraffe at 300mm, photographed in the Balule Nature Reserve.

The quality you get for the price, the reach, the size, and weight make this lens one to add to the camera bag for anyone that is looking for a super-telephoto glass that travels well and doesn’t break the bank. It’s a great option for safari.

UPDATE AUGUST 2019

Olympus has since released an M. Zuiko 300mm F/4 IS pro lens and a 2x teleconverter that works with the M. Zuiko 40-150mm 2.8 pro lens and 300mm pro lens. I haven’t invested in the 300mm pro lens because I need the flexibility of a zoom lens as I do not want to travel with 2 camera bodies. I do however get to borrow the 300 mm F/4 pro lens from time to time for my Spring and Fall bird-watching activities.

In case you haven’t heard, Olympus announced a 150-400mm f/4.5 lens. I’m waiting to hear more about it, but I suspect it will be out of my budget. I’d like to test the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-200mm F3.5-6.3 lens. This could be in consideration for the one perfect travel lens, although I do love my 40-150mm f/2.8 lens.

Birding with the Olympus M.Zuiko 300mm F/4 IS pro lens.
Birding with the Olympus M.Zuiko 300mm F/4 IS pro lens.

In October I’ll be leading a 7-day Cape Town photo tour. While in South Africa, I’ll once again be visiting  Kruger National Park and the Greater Kruger area for safari. Stay tuned for a report on the new 2x teleconverter that I recently purchased.

Note:  All Olympus camera bodies and lenses I own have been purchased by myself and have not been sponsored by Olympus. The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 75-300 mm f/4.8-6.7 ED II was temporarily on loan to me from Olympus. All opinions, as always, are my own. I will only ever share reviews of products I find worthy of telling my readers.

Best camera and lenses for safari:

Other lenses I use and love and are great for travel: 

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Asia, Culture, Family Travel, instagram, Myanmar

The long road to Mandalay

I have always known that my paternal heritage is from Myanmar. I’ve also known about the political and humanitarian issues there. I have followed the news as much as I could and watched any documentary I could get my hands on over the last ten years. I never expected anything to change though I wished and I hoped it would.

As much as I wanted to join in ‘Free Burma’ campaigns, I didn’t because you live in fear that “they” would find out and my relatives would feel the repercussions. I was careful with what was said or shared on social media.

In 2010, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest after 15 years. In November 2012, I stayed up into the wee hours and watched when Barack Obama visited Myanmar and made history by becoming the first sitting United States president to do so. Hope was palpable, but we remained cautious.

I have always called the place where my father and grandmother are from, Burma. It’s also where a grandfather I’ve never met but spoke to once, lived, along with his parents and their parents and so on. Until about three years ago whenever someone asked me what my ethnic background was, and I mentioned Burma or Myanmar, most were puzzled as they had never heard of it let alone tell me where it was. It became routine to answer that it was in south-east Asia and is bordered by Bangladesh, China, Laos, Thailand, and India, that the people are similar to Thai people in appearance and that the food is influenced by Thai and Indian food, but is unlike anything most of have tasted and is unique.

Myanmar started to appear in “where to go” lists in travel magazines and my social media feeds slowly began to fill with images from the country in the last two years. Now I refer to it as Myanmar as that’s what most people know it as. Though when I say it, it sounds like ‘Myan-ma,’ not ‘My-an-mar,’ the ‘r’ is silent, and the ‘ma’ is abrupt. That is what my dad taught me.

About three years ago and after some significant changes, I decided I wanted to visit Myanmar. I told my dad about my desire to do so and asked him if he would join me. I wanted to learn about his history and see where he came from, meet my relatives that still live there and walk in the footsteps of my ancestors. I invited some of our cousins to join us. One of my dad’s first cousins and her husband were excited to come along as we started talking about plans more than two years ago.

I wanted to visit during Thadingyut, the Festival of Lights, on the full moon in October. It’s a time when pagodas, temples, and Buddhist homes are lit up with candles. It’s also a time when youth pay homage to their grandparents; I thought it would be meaningful.

"celebrating
Celebrating Thadingyut in Nyaung Shwe (Inle Lake)

 

arriving in Mandalay, Myanmar
Arriving in Mandalay, Myanmar

 

On October 21st, 2015, that day finally came. As my flight descended into Mandalay, I peered out the window with my father beside me, excited at first sight of golden stupas that dotted the landscape and the brown-coloured Irrawaddy River that snaked its way through the city.

Checking into our hotel, I turned and noticed a face I had only recognized from Facebook but had known about all my life. My father’s first cousin from Yangon and her husband were sitting in the lobby of our hotel. They travelled to Mandalay to accompany us around the city and to meet our relatives. We all greeted one another and in that moment I was thankful that the Burmese government had relaxed its censorship of the Internet in the last two years so that we could connect on Facebook. It was the third time that my dad was seeing his cousin since he left his birthplace and home in Rangoon (Yangon), 50 years before.

We made our way through the dusty roads of Mandalay. Old motorbikes, scooters, and many new cars filled the streets. Soon we arrived at an alleyway. I wasn’t sure where we were, but I knew we were going to a cousin’s house. It was after 3:30 pm and I had just learned that our family had been waiting for us since 7 am even though we weren’t due to land in Mandalay until that afternoon.

I followed my aunty’s husband out of the van. In Myanmar culture, she is known as ‘aunty’ and not ‘first cousin once removed’ as it is here in Canada. As I walked through the alleyway dodging small potholes, uneven ground, garbage, motorbikes and orange betel nut splattered patterns I noticed there were small buildings on each side of me. Some made of bricks, some of woven bamboo. It looked like the back entrance of shops, but longyis, western clothes, and worn household blankets hung over the fences. I realized that the buildings were people’s homes and that we were in a residential neighbourhood. I looked ahead and noticed a group of people, maybe 30 or more. They watched as we walked towards them. I thought of how we would have to pass them as they looked on. Suddenly it dawned on me that the group were not random people, but were the family waiting for us.

That day I met 11 of my granduncle’s 12 children (my father’s first cousins), some of their children and their families. There were over 50 people in attendance of the more than 90 relatives I have in Mandalay. Even though it was slightly overwhelming and there was a significant language barrier, my heart was full. It took a long time to get there, more than 40 years.

family

family

family

family

family
After I had taken photos of all our relatives to share with family that couldn’t be there, they took some of me.

 

The Glencoe Baobab tree in South Africa

This baobab tree is found near Hoedspruit, South Africa and is said to be over 2000 years old. It is known as the Glencoe Baobab. It is on a farm in the Limpopo province and is the second largest baobab tree in South Africa. The farm has an onsite restaurant, the ‘Upside

http://www.buyambienmed.com

Down Restaurant’. You can have a pannekoek, a South African savoury or sweet pancake (similar to crêpe) and enjoy a beautiful view of the baobab tree and the Drakensberg mountains. This mountain range extends over 1000 kilometers (600 miles) and goes as far south as the Eastern Cape province.

A dancer at the Aboriginal Cultural Festival in Victoria, British Columbia

First Nations dancers from the Lekwungen Traditional Dancers group performs at the 2nd annual Aboriginal Cultural Festival in Victoria, British Columbia, June 2015. The Lekwungen dancers are from the Songhees Nation and the wolf is the symbol of the Songhees, traditionally known as Lekwungen.

This festival celebrates the rich Indigenous cultures in British Columbia. Dancers, singers and artists come from all over Vancouver island, mainland British Columbia, and some from other parts of Canada. The festival coincides with Aboriginal Day in June. If you love festivals and want to learn about and join in celebrating First Nations culture, get to Victoria in June. 
 
For more information about this festival, visit here. 

I was honoured to cover this 3-day festival for @matadornetwork as a guest of @tourismvictoriabc, as always, opinions are my own.

Nature and beautiful light in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar

Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar at Pwe Kauk Falls

Found this bit of trees and beautiful light in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar. This park is home to the picturesque Pwe Kauk Falls. There are vendors, a small carousel, toilets and lush grassy areas that are a popular picnic spot for Myanmar families. Pyin OO Lwin was formerly called Maymyo and was a British hill town. It’s worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Cows in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

cows in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

I spent a weekend at my dear friend’s family home in the rolling hills of the Eastern Cape between Qunu and Mqhekezweni, immersed in amaXhosa culture. It was a weekend I will not soon forget and takes a spot in my heart.