Medium Format on safari ??

[Neil Williams]

Guys
I am going on another Tanzania safari in September and have this possibly stupid idea of taking my Hasselblad H6D100 with me rather than what might be considered the correct tool for the job being my Nikon gear. If I take my Nikon gear then it will be this;

 Nikon D500
 Nikon D810
 Nikon 600mm f4 (latest one)
 Nikon 100/400mm (latest one I think)

But If I take my H6D then I guess I would need to get a HC300 to go with it, but even that on my H6D would be maybe 200mm (135 equivalent) which in my opinion would be way way to short. Last time I was in Tanzania I used my D800e with my 600mm f4 lens 95% of the time and my 70/200 the rest

I'm thinking leave the Hasselblad at home and take Nikon, but would be interested to hear what others think

Neil

[Bo_Dez]

I would take both personally.

You would likely find your Nikon more usable on some shots but the Hasselblad would still have it's place for landscape sort of work and I think you would regret not having it.

Get the 300 for the Blad - there is also a 1.7 tele converter too as well so that would take you close to 400mm. Also, being 100MP you can crop it right down anyway.

[Neil Williams]

I would take both personally.

You would likely find your Nikon more usable on some shots but the Hasselblad would still have it's place for landscape sort of work and I think you would regret not having it.

Get the 300 for the Blad - there is also a 1.7 tele converter too as well so that would take you close to 400mm. Also, being 100MP you can crop it right down anyway.

Does the 1.7 TC give AF as well??

Neil

[stever]

i'd take both with the 200 and a moderate wide angle for the Blad. I like African landscapes and animals with landscape (eg wildebeast herds).  That said, if you're only going to be in the Serengeti where you're confined to the roads the wide to medium opportunities are reduced.

[Joe Towner]

Does the 1.7 TC give AF as well??

Yep, at least with the 210mm.  Take the Hass and what ever glass you can carry.  Toss in the D500 with the longest zoom and call it done.

[landscapephoto]

There was an article about that subject on this very site 4 years ago:

https://luminous-landscape.com/why-medium-format-digital/

and more here, from the same photographer:

http://www.theglobalphotographer.com/the-global-photographer/tag/tanzania?currentPage=2

[Neil Williams]

Yep, at least with the 210mm.  Take the Hass and what ever glass you can carry.  Toss in the D500 with the longest zoom and call it done.

Joe
I am taking
H6D100c with HC300 HC100 HC50 II and a 1.7 TC
Leica Binoculars
I will leave the Nikon gear at home

Thats it

Neil

[Joe Towner]

H6D100c with HC300 HC100 HC50 II and a 1.7 TC
Leica Binoculars
I will leave the Nikon gear at home

It's gonna be a blast - you'll get plenty of odd looks I figure.    The HC300 is the only Hass lens I haven't used, and with the 1.7x a focal length of 510mm is going to work the higher ISOs on the body.

Crap, now I want to play with one....

[Neil Williams]

So here is the final list of equipment for now;
Leica S007 (Body Only for a backup)
H6D100c
HC300
HC100
HC50 II
HC1.7 TC
Leica S to H adapter
Ball head with clamp to fit on top of the jeeps roof

Cant wait to go now......roll on September

Neil

[Joe Towner]

You know they'll announce the X2D in time to screw with your decisions 

[Neil Williams]

You know they'll announce the X2D in time to screw with your decisions 

X2D
X2D to H adapter 
Leica S007 (Body Only for a backup)
H6D100c
HC300
HC100
HC50 II
HC1.7 TC
Leica S to H adapter
Ball head with clamp to fit on top of the jeeps roof

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

You could consider the Fuji GFX-2 also. It has a real focal plane shutter, also supports HC lenses but can probably also work with a Canon 100-400/4.5-5.6L .

Best regards
Erik

X2D
X2D to H adapter 
Leica S007 (Body Only for a backup)
H6D100c
HC300
HC100
HC50 II
HC1.7 TC
Leica S to H adapter
Ball head with clamp to fit on top of the jeeps roof

[Graham Welland]

I shoot GFX with 100-400 Canon & techart adapter and it works fine with AF etc but does vignettete past 200mm or so.

[Joe Towner]

X2D to H adapter 

I want a more structural X2D to H adapter, with 500mm of focal length in front of it, it's more the camera is just hanging on for life.

The new GFX 250mm/f4 with the 1.4x tele makes the GFX a very nice backup to the H, with full AF fun.

[hubell]

With the HC 300mm lens, you don't need to worry about the structural integrity of the XH Adapter. The HC 300mm lens had a built-in tripod collar that is very robust.

[landscapephoto]

I don't understand the point of all this.

The photographers who took a MF to a safari found out that they could make different images. Images that could use the higher resolution of the MF, but would be taken with a shorter focal length. More atmospheric images, groups of large mammals, etc... By seeking the longest lens available for MF, you seem to be trying to force the MF to do the same job as a 24x36 camera, except that it will not be as good. If you want to take the kind of pictures a 24x36 is best at, use a 24x36. If you want to use a MF, take the pictures for which the MF is the best camera.

[Neil Williams]

With the HC 300mm lens, you don't need to worry about the structural integrity of the XH Adapter. The HC 300mm lens had a built-in tripod collar that is very robust.

Mate
Will the HC300 lens rotate on the collar so that it makes it easy to switch from landscape to Portrait...........I also have a Wimberly Gimbal head at home, do you think that would be overkill of something to consider to take with me to Tanzania. I used it last time clamped to the jeep roof when I took my D810 plus 600mm f4 lens......it worked flawlessly

Neil

[BernardLanguillier]

Will the HC300 lens rotate on the collar so that it makes it easy to switch from landscape to Portrait...

Yes.

Cheers,
Bernard

[Neil Williams]

I don't understand the point of all this.

The photographers who took a MF to a safari found out that they could make different images. Images that could use the higher resolution of the MF, but would be taken with a shorter focal length. More atmospheric images, groups of large mammals, etc... By seeking the longest lens available for MF, you seem to be trying to force the MF to do the same job as a 24x36 camera, except that it will not be as good. If you want to take the kind of pictures a 24x36 is best at, use a 24x36. If you want to use a MF, take the pictures for which the MF is the best camera.

Not necessarily. Yes I want to try and get as long as possible which I have done with my HC300 + HC1.7 TC with a combined focal length of 321mm (135 equivalent) I will also have my HC100 for wide angle + if I take it my HC50 II for super wide landscapes........both of those lenses can also use the TC if the scene calls for it.
My plan will be to have the HC100 or HC50 II attached to my Leica S007 (my back up body) sitting on one of the seats in the jeep incase something pops up nearby (This combination will have AF via the S to H adapter) with the HC300 plus 1.7TC permanently on the H6D100c either sitting on my Wimberly Head or on a bean bag................
Neil

[Neil Williams]

Yes.

Cheers,
Bernard

Fantastic Bernard