Photography News Issue 67

Photography News | Issue 67 | photographynews.co.uk

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Profile

So-far-i, so good Out of Africa Armed and ready for a walk on the wild side, Daisy Dickinson took to safari in Zimbabwe to test out the Olympus OM-D E-M1X and E-M1 Mark II – read on to see if she scored it the big five

Words and pictures by Daisy Dickinson

It’s hot, dusty, and totally remote. I’m sitting in an open-sided jeep staring down the barrel of an Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro lens at the 13,000lb bull elephant standing directly in our path. He’s on musth (heat) and feeling a little unpredictable. With only one direction we can go, we sit with bated breath, fingers on shutter buttons. Quickly, the elephant approaches, becoming decidedly huge in my viewfinder as he warns us, pushing a tree with his trunk. A trunkwith 150,000muscles binding it, capable of lifting 700,000lbs. We finally find an opening to move off, and as the John Williams’ Jurassic Park theme tune starts to play in my head, the colossal elephant begins to chase us down the track, trumpeting triumphantly, flapping his ears in a cloud of dust.

When Olympus asked me if I wanted to come and spend some time with them in Africa, getting to grips with newly released pro camera, the OM-D E-M1X, while on Safari in one of the country’s most idyllic spots in Zimbabwe, I couldn’t have even imagined half of the unforgettable memories I would take away with me. An absolute opportunity of a lifetime, it’s been a personal dream of mine to take a safari trip, and so being able to combine this with use of some incredible photographic equipment and expert help from Olympus’ wildlife ambassador Tesni Ward – I couldn’t pack my khaki quick enough! Having tried out the E-M1X earlier in the year at its launch, I had a good grasp of what this new beast was capable of, but to put it to the test in these new, challenging conditions

– potentially photographing some of the world’s fastest animals (cheetahs can reach over 60mph!) – I was excited to see how it would hold up. We took a flight from London to Johannesburg, then another on to Victoria Falls, and finally a dinky six-seater propeller plane to our camp in Hwange. Because of our final flight it was important to pack light, and we were under strict instructions to use a soft bag, with restrictive weight limit. Inmy kitbag I had the OM-D E-M1X, OM-D E-M1 Mark II, M.Zuiko 300mm f/4 IS PRO, 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO, 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO and MC-14 1.4x teleconverter, a handful of batteries, chargers andmemory cards. This all packed neatly into my backpack, which I carried comfortably as hand luggage under 9kg, including some audio kit and personal effects too.

For our trip, we were being hosted by ecotourism operator, Wilderness Safaris. Rich in history, Wilderness was founded in Botswana in 1983 and is truly dedicated to conserving and restoring Africa’s wilderness and wildlife. With around 50 camps, through eight countries, they offer private access to over six million acres and also support local communities by creating jobs, giving back and pioneering projects – and now offer another string to their bow since partnering with Olympus. With guides trained in using the equipment, they are able to offer Olympus loan kit to guests, but are also experienced in seeking out photo opportunities too, and while not marketed as a photography safari experience, can definitely cater for the image-minded.

Right Leaning on just a backpack for extra stability, I captured this lioness not long after a kill, approximately 80m away, handheld using the OM-D E-M1X, 300mm f/4 IS PRO

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