Kenya Trip 2019 – Gear to Take

Very soon, we are departing for Kenya, for what will be our first visit to Africa since 2015.

Naturally, there is some preparation in terms of photographic equipment.  A photographic safari requires a considerable amount of gear.

Here is a view of the equipment that we would like to take with us:

Kenya Trip 2019 – Gear that We Want to Take

And here is a view of what we can actually take with us:

Kenya Trip 2019 – Gear that We Can Actually Take

In reality, we are taking a decent amount of gear, which will allow us to capture the images that we seek.

Latest Lovelies

I rarely capture photographs of the gear I use to capture photographs, but this year has seen some changes to my camera and lens rig.

These are two of my latest ‘lovelies’: a Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, which I purchased on 12/01/2017 to replace my long-serving Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; and my much newer Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, which I purchased on 23/06/2017.

Latest Lovelies

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a substantial upgrade to my Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a 2008-vintage camera which I have been using since 2010.  I will keep my 5D2, but the new 5D4 will be my main camera.

I am looking forward to taking advantage of the increased dynamic range and reduced high-ISO noise of this latest generation of full-frame Canon sensors.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Coming Soon

After running my Canon EOS 5D Mark II for over seven years, I have finally taken the plunge and ordered a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

I am looking forward to experiencing the significant feature additions and improvements the latest model offers over the substantially old (2008 model) Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

I am very keen to experiment with more low-light photography and take advantage of the low-light performance that it offers.

While I rarely shoot beyond ISO 400, I have needed to shoot some images at ISO 3,200, and frankly on the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, ISO 3,200 is noisy.  The starfield images I shot in the African wilderness look great at small-to-medium sizes; but at much larger sizes the noise is very evident.  I am interested to see how the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV performs at the same ISO rating.

The in-built GPS receiver is a very appealing feature, as for years I have been recording the GPS coordinates of my shooting locations by using a smartphone app.  Now, the camera will do that automatically and embed the GPS coordinates within the metadata, which makes it fuss-free.

Being able to control the camera via Canon’s app is also very appealing.  I have not yet checked whether my remote release (Canon TC-80N3) is compatible with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, but either way, I may not need it.

This is a big upgrade for me, as I am generally not inclined to change cameras very often (this will be my fifth EOS camera in 17 years); but it is now time for me to take advantage of the technology available in current-generation cameras.

Whether this new camera will change the way I shoot, or whether it will provide my images with an obvious improvement in image quality is yet to be seen, but bring it on.

It is Official: Kenya African Wildlife Photography Trip

A few months ago we booked another trip to Africa.

It has been something we have wanted to do again since our first life-changing visit in October of 2012.

This time we are heading to the Maasai Mara region of Kenya, for some incredible wildlife encounters on an eight-day private photographic safari.

We are again going into the wilderness with our friend and guide Mario Moreno.

Also a few months ago, I bought a 400mm f/2.8 lens for wildlife photography — actually, for this trip.  On the last trip, I took my 300/2.8, which was comfortably accommodated by my Lowepro Mini Trekker AW backpack.

Unfortunately, the 400/2.8 is a much larger lens, and the Mini Trekker AW cannot accommodate it.  Well, it can (barely), but there is insufficient room for everything else I need.

In researching camera bags, I had two criteria:

1. it had to accommodate the gear I need and want to take; and
2. it had to be airline cabin-friendly.

I was pointed in the direction of the Lowepro Vertex 200 AW, and looked into this bag.  When I contacted Lowepro to enquire into whether it would accommodate a 400/2.8, I was told it would not.

Fortunately, that answer was wrong, as it very comfortably accommodates such a lens.

Today I headed into town with the lens and tried it out.  It was a perfect bag for my needs.

I brought it home and packed it with the gear I am taking to Kenya:

1. Canon EOS 5D Mark II;
2. Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM;
3. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM;
4. Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM;
5. Canon Extender EF 1.4x II; and
6. Canon Extender EF 2x II.

It all fits!

My 17″ MacBook Pro even fits into the laptop compartment, albeit somewhat snugly.  This means I will only need one bag, whereas last time I had a camera backpack and a laptop bag, which is not ideal when travelling internationally.

I am very pleased with the Lowepro Vertex 200 AW.  The build quality is excellent, as indeed it is with all Lowepro bags/cases I have owned; and the padding and straps in the waist area really make the fully-packed bag seem much lighter.

Here is a photo of the bag, packed with the bulk of the gear I am taking to Kenya:

Lowepro Vertex 200 AW Packed for Africa

This bag will certainly make travelling internationally with bulky and heavy camera gear a much more pleasant experience.  It will also serve me well locally and on domestic trips, as since having the 400/2.8, I have not had a suitable method of carrying it.

I cannot wait for the Kenya trip, and to being in the wilderness for some incredible wildlife experiences.

Luxurious Hydration

Lately we have been buying and drinking a lot of wine.  Tough life, I know.

The cellar — actually a climate-controlled refrigerator specifically for wine — has got rather full, and I have lately felt inspired to photograph some of the good stuff.

For inspiration I had been looking at other marketing-style images of wine, and I had an idea of the kind of image I wanted and how I would light it, so last week I went shopping for some ‘studio’ supplies (backdrops).

This afternoon, I set up a ‘studio’, grabbed some Grange and Bin 707 from the cellar and set about photographing it.

Being the fussy sort of photographer I am, I mucked around a lot with lighting and positioning, as well as my studio set, to achieve the kind of result I wanted.

And here it is:

Luxurious Hydration

The background consisted of black cardboard, which I had bent to form a seamless background.

The key light was a Canon Speedlite 580EX II shot through a softbox positioned at 45 degrees camera right.

For separation lighting, I positioned another Speedlite behind the wines and pointed it at the backdrop.

The last source of light was a white reflector dish placed to the left of the subject to bounce some of the key light back onto the bottles to provide some fill in those deep shadows.

I used my PocketWizard PLUS II triggers to fire the flashes wirelessly.

All in all, I am happy with the result.

The wines, by the way, are spectacular.

New Camera Bag: Lowepro Nova 190 AW

After having ‘Lowepro bag for light travel’ on my list of things to buy for a year or two, today I finally purchased said camera bag.

Hitherto, my camera bag rig consisted of a Lowepro Mini Trekker AW and an often-used 12-year-old shoulder bag which needed replacement.  I also have a Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home (Canon EOS edition) which came with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II, but it is way too small to be practical, and being bright red, stands out from a thousand miles away.

The Mini Trekker AW is a fantastic backpack, and even accommodates my Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM along with camera, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM and both the Canon Extender EF 1.4x II and Canon Extender EF 2x II (even with smaller equipment, I can fit a lot into it), but I am long past the point of wanting to carry a large-ish backpack around, and particularly when I travel (flying especially), I want a smaller shoulder-carry bag for my camera gear.  It was not unusual for my camera backpack to weigh 10kg when flying inter-state.

Today I brought home a new Lowepro Nova 190 AW.  Oddly enough, this was the bag I was considering the last time I looked into this issue and looked at bags.  I looked at the Lowepro Nova 200 AW, which is longer and deeper, but I found it to be too large, and in terms of size, it was not a great deal different from my Mini Trekker, so I went back to the Nova 190 AW, which is more pleasant to carry around.

While the Nova 200 AW will hold more gear and would undoubtedly be a great bag, I wanted something smaller and less bulky.  The Nova 190 AW will easily hold the camera and three or four fast (ie, f/2 or faster) primes or two f/2.8 zooms.

Important to me was the bag’s ability to hold my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM.  The salesman in the store grabbed a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and 70-200/2.8L (non-IS, but close enough in size), and the Nova 190 AW easily accommodated that rig, plus had plenty of room for another couple of decently sized primes or zooms.

For those unfamiliar with Lowepro nomenclature, AW designates ‘all-weather’, meaning the bag has an integrated rain cover.  As a seascaper, and one who tends to get rather wet, it is important that my gear is protected, and the integrated rain cover will easily keep splashes and rain at bay.

I have just packed it, and it very nicely holds a good rig of equipment without being too heavy, or increasing in bulk due to the gear I have placed inside it.

At the moment, it contains my:

1. Canon EOS 5D Mark II;
2. Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM (including hood);
3. Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM (including hood);
4. Canon TC-80N3 Timer Remote Controller;
5. Lee filter wallet containing GND4, GND8 and two ND8s;
6. Lee filter holder and 82mm adapter ring;
7. Hoya 82mm circular polarising filter;
8. Hoya HMC 82mm ND8 filter;
9. hotshoe-mounted spirit level;
10. spare SanDisk Extreme III 4GB CompactFlash card;
11. Princeton Tec FUEL headlamp + spare batteries;
12. Lenspen;
13. neoprene lens cleaning cloth;
14. plastic bags and ziplock bags; and
15. business cards.

Quite a lot of gear!

All in all, I am very happy with this bag, and I will keep it packed as above for the most part, as it contains my seascaping rig, plus my Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, which I do not normally carry on seascape shoots, but which will give me extra reach when needed.  I can easily swap that for my Canon EOS 135mm f/2L USM if I want even more reach.

It is just as easy to swap out some gear for a bag of fast primes and flashes.  It is very versatile, holding a decent rig of equipment without being bulky or too heavy, and when it comes to flying, it consumes a lot less room in the overhead luggage compartments, or could just as easily sit under the seat in front of me.

My Lee filter wallet and the case for the filter holder both consume considerable space.  If I needed more room or wanted to take a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM as well as my Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, I could find an alternative way of transporting the filters, as they are flat sheets of resin, measuring 6×4″ at the most, and could be stacked together with tissue paper separating them, and a ziplock bag containing the lot.

The Nova 190 AW offers plenty of options for configurability and holds a surprisingly large amount of equipment for its size.

It was definitely a good purchase; all I need to do now is head out for a shoot.  With my state of mind over the past three or four months, that has proven to be more challenging than finding a suitable camera bag!