Safaris – remote airstrips, luxury tented camps, game drives, nature up close and personal – something that I’ve loved experiencing over the years, with a different camera every time.
So a while back, when Fuji asked if I’d be interested in trying out the Fujifilm GFX 100 II, along with their GF 250mm F4 R LM OIS WR lens and 1.4x extender, I thought what better place to put it through its paces than at Mahali Mzuri, Richard Branson’s private game reserve in the Maasai Mara, Kenya?
(Warning – there are images in this post which depict nature very much “being nature” in quite some detail – so if you’re not a fan of that, you might want to stop scrolling much beyond the blue skies below!)
Granted – when I say it was a while back, they’ve since refurbished the rooms(!) but hey, I got to the edits eventually…
Arriving Into Camp
So after a late night arrival into Nairobi, we found ourselves on a multi-hop Safarilink plane, touching down at Olare Orok Conservancy in the midday sun.
With the only flights in or out of the airstrip being to the local area, air traffic control is at a rather appropriate level of “bloke on a bike who sits under a tree” whenever any aircraft are due in or out.
Despite my initial concern that we could be left in the middle of nowhere as the plane departed for its next hop – Newton and Diana, our guides for the week, were there waiting with all the essentials for life; you know, cold towels, fruit, wine, spirits and champagne.
And so, to camp.
Passing through what felt like a mini-safari in itself – elephants trying to hide amongst trees (it’s not working dude…), herds of Zebra, lions and their cubs – we got to camp having already caught a load of animals on my iPhone.
But I hadn’t lugged that kit all this way to sit in the back of a jacked-up Land Cruiser and only use my phone for images – so this was more of a “preview” than a success as we approached the hilltop.
When they say this is a luxury camp, they really do mean it. We’ve been to similar setups before, or so I thought, but while the nightly price tag isn’t for the faint-hearted, this little slice of paradise is divided into 12 iconic rooms (they say “tents” – but I’d argue at the point there are solid walls involved, it’s become something a little more grand!) in a way that makes you feel like you’re on your own out here whenever you want to escape.
As I mentioned, the rooms have since been updated to remove some of the outside space and provide an air-conditioned separate living room area instead – but I must say there were no complaints about facilities when we were there (aside from the extreme “camping” conditions that clearly had to be endured).
And the extra touches? Like everything being included – all chef-made food, mixologist drinks, expert game drives, etc. Or maybe like how they have an incredible pool, spa and deck to enjoy while taking in the view of all the animals as they move across the huge rivers down below.
But we weren’t here to swim (not just yet) – we were here to see some beasts – so I unpacked the first one from my bag.
The Fujifilm GFX 100 II
As someone who’s shot game drives with both a Canon EOS setup and a Phase One XF IQ4 setup, I can confirm this GFX 100 II from Fujifilm sat right in the middle of those two in terms of “portability”. Not too bulky, but not exactly subtle or lightweight – and I was promised the outstanding autofocus performance to ensure all my shots would be great (something the XF finds limitations in, with its 1 (one!) focus point).
With the 1.4x extender, I’d lose light (and wide-open aperture) from the f/4 lens, but would gain another 100mm to form a 350mm lens on the 100 megapixel crop sensor. I needed great high-ISO performance, perfect AF lock, and a lot of luck…
Game Drives
Over the next few days, we’d head out with Newton and Diana from rain to sunshine, pre-sunrise to late at night, traditional dress to 7 layers of keep-warm technical clothing (I didn’t find it too cold!) – all to go and capture the other residents of the Mara.
As any Brit will tell you, the only appropriate word for your first game drive of the trip being flooded with rain is “typical” – but with everything onboard for a dry and warm trip, we headed deeper into the conservancy.
Stop 1 – A lioness in the rain…
Followed by Harry, my newly named weather-depressed lion.
With both shots being taken in severe low light due to the storm and overcast skies, the ISO1000 (1/320s, f/5.6 with extender, 350mm) output was surprisingly sharp, and AF did a great job of hitting the subject each time – so far impressed.
With a satisfying couple of tricky-light pictures saved, and the rain having died off for a while, although the light had gotten a little better it felt like time to head back for dinner, until a call came over the radio…
The First Kill : Giraffe vs Lions (Lions Won)
Two lionesses had taken down a Giraffe (evidently it was already tired from a previous wound) – and seemingly Harry (or a very similar mate of his) wanted in on the action. We arrived just as he did.
It’s brutal. There’s no two ways about it.
Keen to get us closer to the action, Newton positioned us later on into a much more graphic spot (I’ll spare you those shots), but there’s something very distancing about capturing this through a lens – you don’t “feel it” as much.
Put the lens down for a bit, notice the silence (apart from the odd pop or bone crack and lion-lip-licking), and it’s an altogether different experience.
Harry had been called upon mainly to ensure the Giraffe was dead – while the lionesses had brought it down by attacking and hanging on to its hind legs (which in itself was quite disturbing to watch), it took the Lion himself to come on-scene (they seem to show up only when there’s guaranteed food!) and attack the neck to ensure the animal’s time was truly over.
And then, not pictured, is when the rest of the pride arrived. Mealtime brought a mix of around 20 lions, lionesses and cubs – meaning things got crowded, quick.
It’s an interesting thing to head back to camp and tuck in to a plate of (predominantly) meat after seeing that action up-close – I didn’t feel the need to capture my own food on camera, but it was definitely cooked better than the evening supper we’d just seen enjoyed.
Mornings at Mahali Mzuri are really special.
At sunrise, you’ll find the entire team getting each of the Land Cruisers packed up for the early game drive – coffees are made, food is packed, waters replenished, hot water bottles (yes!) are provided, and off we head back out into the valley and beyond.
Hakuna Matata : Pumba’s Presence
And as that early morning light broke through, one of my favourite scenes appeared before my lens: A warthog running away from a danger it’s likely already forgotten about (and then wondering why it’s running for a while, confused).
You can fill my memory cards with lions, hippos, wildebeests, the works – but for me it’s the Pumbas (as the guides have adopted over the radio) that bring the area to life, with a bit of quirk and fun thrown in too.
Blending in to the landscape better than expected (including the baby one on the right, above), they’re strong, fast (faster than you’d think), and so ugly they almost become cute – what’s not to love about them?
They’re skittish, for sure – a slow autofocus isn’t going to help you capture these funky little things – but I’m also sure their little tusks could cause some serious damage to a human if they knew it. Guess it’s a good job they don’t…
That nervous disposition is clearly a method of staying alive – but it is amusing to watch one of these guys just randomly kick up a plume of dirt into the air, nothing chasing, nothing threatening, and scurry off to its next resting place before doing it all over again.
And speaking of resting places, Newton decided it might be worthwhile for us to see the site of last night’s party feast – to be able to get a sense of scale away from the focused eyes of a pride of lions last night who could have been confused into thinking we were there to challenge them for meat.
As we drove back to the area, I can honestly say it’s the first time I’ve distinctly “smelled death”.
The entire place was empty, silent, and stinking.
The unwanted parts had been flung far and wide – rib cages hanging from trees, leg bones flung across the site, unwanted organs left out to rot – and two very full lions (seemingly the last to leave) sat “resting their eyes” after enjoying their equivalent of Christmas dinner.
The guides explained the “pecking order” – from lions and leopards in first, followed by hyenas and then jackals for the scraps, before the vultures return to start picking away at what’s left.
And yes – they were waiting for that exact moment.
GF 250mm + 1.4x Extender – Sharp?
Now with daylight fully upon us, it was an opportunity to see how the GFX 100 II would perform with less challenging light. To keep shutter speed up, I locked the lowest ISO I’d aim to use to be 400, and to be fair, it was delivering clean shots that were sharp, full of detail and with decent colour rendition on most clicks.
While I still felt the urge to zoom in further for details (and was disappointed I couldn’t in the same way as my Phase One 151MP allows), the AF system in the Fuji was certainly getting me to a higher hit rate of sharp scenes with the subject I wanted in this particular setup.
At 250mm, the camera felt a lot better balanced in the hand without that 1.4x extender, but I didn’t notice much practical difference in image quality and noise between ISO200@f4 and ISO400@f5.6 – so I stuck with the longer lens build for most of the time.
Except for the elephants – that is.
Why?
Well, for a few reasons…
- They’re HUGE – in most scenarios we’re not needing to zoom that much.
- They come CLOSE to the truck – I found myself struggling at 250mm at times as the elephants explored us as much as we did them.
- Just like with a funky human portrait, I really wanted that wide-open f/4 look with the faces sharp, textures detailed, but a calming sense all around.
And as far as those sharp, detailed, textures go – here’s a 50% crop of that one above, unsharpened, just graded in Capture One…
Now – could my Phase One XT with a Rodenstock lens have gotten sharper? Well, not beyond 150mm, sadly, but other than that – sure, it would deliver even sharper results in theory.
But the issue with that theory is we’re talking about a manual focus system (XT) or a single-point of focus system (XF) to get there – neither of which has the speed that the GFX demonstrated when shooting fast. Fair play to Fuji – while I may not be a fan of some things, it nailed these shots.
Then we have the Lilac Breasted Roller (I mean, they could have given it a catchier name as the National bird of Kenya, but hey – it’s descriptive I guess!)
The challenge with these guys is, frustratingly, they do not seem to enjoy moments of reflection or staying in any way still. Focusing on a branch and waiting for their return seemed to be the game today, but again, stunning colours and details at a wide-open aperture when factoring in the extender.
Who doesn’t love a Giraffe – and more on those later – but while they stand out like a sore thumb in captive environments due to their distinctive patterns and obvious height, it’s surprising how well they blend into the background out here on the conservancy, and they’re the first to see danger coming too…
And that danger is very real – for all the cuteness of baby animals being born to several species, we’d cross paths frequently with lions on the prowl, hyenas not far behind and a line of other animals just waiting to pick on the easier targets of youth for dinner.
Despite that, Newton thought it would be a good time for a walk across the Mara – and in fairness, while not my first choice of hiking location without any form of weapon or protection, the view from across the valley at Mahali Mzuri was stunning.
From here we could see our tent (the very furthest to the right), along with the main bar and restaurant and swimming pool below.
And a reminder – no fences, no “protection” (other than the canvas walls), and a (literal) safari’s worth of hunters out there all day and night, no doubt watching us as much as we watched them.
And watching, we did a lot.
While many would tear through the game drives with their “Big 5” checkboxes to tick, we’d somehow managed to calmly see most of the animals we’d wanted on previous trips to Kruger and Sabi Sands – meaning this could be a little more relaxed, and for good reason.
Just sitting and watching a Topi stand on top of this mound for no apparent reason – nothing gained, no insight into what they were thinking, but who doesn’t remember wanting to be the King of the Castle on a hill at school or on the beach, right?
Or when two younger zebras departed from their usually observed calm, slightly nervous, disposition to take on each other at wrestling in moves that would challenge Hugh Grant and Colin Firth in a fountain mid-movie…
And, again, that detail from the 350mm combined from the GF 250mm lens + 1.4x extender onto the GFX’s 100mp base (even at higher ISOs than I’d normally shoot for faster shutter speeds) delivered the results I was hoping for.
Now I mentioned the surprising ability for giraffes to “blend in” – and it’s something I genuinely believe is an underappreciated skill of their species.
Where’s Wally?
The problem is, just like humans, there’s always one Norman, Wally or Donald who insists on standing out. That’s right – on a hill where it takes time to spot the multiple elephants, along with all of his mates who are hiding in amongst the trees on the left, there’s always one who wants to peacock, somehow.
And that would be Norman – blue skies (although with the sun itself blocked, granted), it’s not possible to find a more obvious place to stand out while trying to “hide” on this hillside. Luckily, there were no lions around – as we all know what happens when they join the safari-party, but come ON Norman, put some effort in, at least?
Anyway – that 350mm reach still did me proud, across all parts of the frame.
Of course, the Maasai Mara National Reserve is home to many other species than the “standard zoo collective” – meet the “grandma’s” (as Vic calls them).
African Buffalo with their unmistakable “wigs” (between two rather fierce horns, I might add), are some of the most moody, dour, grumpy beasts on the conservancy – and yet, just like the same in human character types, strangely loveable.
With their bird friends hitching a permanent ride (a symbiotic mutualism relationship, as one gets a permanent source of food while the other gets a constant grooming service) – and their constant need to scratch on any post or tree stump around – these guys and girls feel like the grandparents of the area: Ancient, set in their ways, and thoroughly disappointed at any change.
But it’s that ever-present threat that seems to keep many of these different species together, looking out for (and after) each other.
It turns out, you’re never too far from a pride of lions, or more importantly, a group of hungry lionesses (as they do most of the hunting) while they head out looking for the weakest link or biggest meal.
When you’ve seen them attack, kill and devour an animal the size of a giraffe (in an eerily silent fashion – the only sound being that of cracking bones and gnashing teeth), it’s easy to forget that these predators are also, essentially, just a family going out for dinner.
Mum and dad hang out – for “special time” every now and then – but essentially it’s all about keeping the pride fed, protected and looked after. Once that’s done, once they’ve enjoyed an all-you-can-eat buffet at the local diner, they’re surprisingly docile and relaxed.
To the point where you can get seriously close to them with no fear of attack.
Maybe that’s naive – maybe they’re just waiting – but I personally never felt threatened by their presence, even when they looked at me straight down the barrel…
Sunset Vibes
As the sun began to set on another day in the wilderness, we took the opportunity to head back to the camp viewpoint – that overview of the luxury tents of Mahali Mzuri was sitting in the sweet-spot of the last warm rays of the day.
We weren’t alone – others had made their way to the high point to enjoy the sunset (or ensure their safety, I guess!)
Indeed, other groups had the same idea too.
But this was what it’s all about. Having tracked animals throughout the day, a quiet beer or wine looking out over the plains as the neighbours transitioned from daytime activities to nighttime hunting, or resting, depending on their food choice of the day.
Although, just as it felt “normal” to be in their territory, a quick reminder was of course waiting for us back at camp.
Nighttime Nightmares
Gun-armed escorts between tents and public spaces after nightfall, as some big wildlife often makes its way into camp each night – but that evening there had also been reports of another animal that had made it into the compound and it was “the type you don’t want to meet when hungry”.
Walkie-talkies turned on for the night, we were all set.
Or so we thought.
Up until that point, the only wildlife we’d actually seen at our tent (we’d heard quite a bit at night) had been the local hyraxes. These little mammals enjoy setting up their own camp in the poles and hidden corners of the structures.
This night would be different – getting back to the tent, we were greeted by thousands upon thousands of “kumbikumbi” – winged termites.
Turns out, if you leave a light on, no matter how small the gap – they’ll find it, tell all their mates, and cover your entire room, belongings, floor to ceiling with wings and bodies in a way that can only be described as a living version of the Crystal Maze Dome.
Now obviously, being a strong, fearless, 6’2 alpha male – I did the only thing appropriate in this situation: Called reception.
Who promptly arrived in head-to-toe rubber boots and coats with bug spray, brushes, bags and a mission. To give them credit, it was over in minutes – with a disappointed air about the place as they left.
“If we hadn’t used the spray, we could have eaten them.”
I mean, OK guys, sorry…
(And that, right there, is the definition of “luxury safari” – it’s nature, but with someone to call.)
Spotted at Sunrise
Sunrise called, another game drive from darkness into the golden light that bathes the area and wakes its residents. Word had come across the radio that a cheetah was on the move, so like all good wheeled safaris, we soon found ourselves among another 5 jeeps all searching for the same, camouflaged, target.
As we sat watching from the Land Cruiser, Newton explained just how restricted these incredible animals are in terms of how long they can keep their “top speed” going – and it explained our reality for most of the morning, following her around as she casually strolled towards groups of other animals, just deciding whether to bother turning it up to 11.
Sadly, it seemed this wasn’t her assigned leg day, so while incredible to see her assessing up-close, most of our time was spent observing her sunbathing habits rather than hunting skills.
But then, the radio went – again.
This time, to an altogether more “active” scene. Of course, it was the lions – they’d caught a grandma (African Buffalo).
Kill Two : Buffalo vs Lions (Lions Won)
Reminding ourselves this was all about feeding the family, despite the obvious brutality of the situation (and there were a lot more gruesome parts of this scene that I’m not posting here) – it was, essentially, just another reminder of the food chain, and how life works.
I guess the only difference is, these guys haven’t got lazy enough to demand their meals to be packaged in plastic and refrigerated on a supermarket shelf for them to collect.
That chain of command was pretty obvious here too – while the lions ate, the downstream queue of scavengers formed.
Hyenas were rounding, trying to get closer in between angry stares from the lions forcing them to back off. (Ironic, in some ways, as the hyenas can often be the stronger hunter than the lions who tend to go for the lazier kills).
Little jackals stuck with the hyenas, as if checking-in with them on whether it was OK to go for a bite yet (it wasn’t).
And high above, the vultures started readying themselves for their late-afternoon snack of whatever remained.
Despite all those animals in line, today’s commotion wasn’t caused by any of those guys – instead, a lion leaped into action towards a rusting tree; a hyena followed.
What caused the stir…?
A warthog, of course.
He’d erupted from the ground, darting out and away from the kill site the second he saw the lions (and, of course, the second they saw him).
Never before has one warthog had so many people cheering for it in one place – but he made it, with enough time to look back in self-congratulatory pleasure as the predators backed off, focusing once again on the already downed buffalo.
But then, our joy was short-lived.
Newton explained – one of the challenges warthogs have is their (believed) extremely useless short-term memory.
They can remember exactly where their burrows are – where they found food, water, family, all the things to “live”. Only, they’re long-term memory things.
The short-term elements, like – “I’m running away from danger! I’m running fast! I’m running! Why am I running? Huh.” (Stop, look around) – “OH, THAT’s why I’m running…!” – and the chase continues.
Sadly, it seems these lapses in concentration can be the cause of that hard-earned distance between prey and predator being lost, and ultimately, becoming an appetiser.
On the Down-Low
Still, could be worse – at least a warthog can hide, right?
Not Norman – he’s still here believing he can blend in as a bush.
Maybe don’t look at the camera mate, then they won’t see you.
Nope, not working – how about making yourself look smaller?
Yeah, that’s done it. 20 out of 10 for effort dude, well played.
Speaking of effort, you have to give credit to the chefs at camp – while the animals are enjoying their lunches, our own 3 meals a day was prepared perfectly by the team back at Mahali Mzuri.
While a lot of meals were fresh, locally sourced, meats and vegetables – they did at least try some of the more “down low” dishes on request – with cheffy-swirls, the works. And while you sit looking out over the valley, enjoying a glass of wine and your choice of meal, once again it becomes way too easy to forget you’re in the middle of a savage location full of threats to life (including our own).
Still, tastes good when you can get back for a burger and fries after a morning watching grandma buffalo being eaten by a pack of lions, I guess?
While the safari elements themselves were genuinely fantastic, I was, however, keen to get back to putting the GFX through its paces.
My Camera Success Criteria
One of the biggest reasons I’d brought it along was that in this specific scenario – while shooting with a Phase One XF is possible, I’d say it’s not entirely advisable for most. Three factors were there to bear in mind:
- Low light performance (high ISO)
- Fast, multi-zone, focus points that can track a subject.
- Long-long lenses to get close to the action.
Sadly, in all three cases, while I love my Phase One setup (and wouldn’t trade it for the world), it’s a perfect setup for my style of shooting – and this, ultimately, isn’t my normal style of shooting. In this specific scenario, it could be a hinderance rather than a help, so I figured I’d give the Fuji a try.
And what better way to test the autofocus system out than with a leopard in the bushes – by definition, something that’s not designed to be seen.
Now what I will say, is I was disappointed by its performance here. Sure, I got a few shots, but my iPhone got a lot more – and as a hit rate, it was often out.
Would I have gotten a better success ratio on my XF? Unlikely.
Would the longer lens option, even with extender, have worked in the relatively low light for this scene? Possibly not.
But I was expecting to be WOW’d – and I wasn’t – it “did OK”, nothing more, nothing less.
Once out in the open, the GFX’s ability to find the bright spotty thing stood in front of the dark background was a lot more successful – but then… errrrr…
Anyway – it was a test. It passed, ish, but I’m not convinced this was the golden bullet for my point number 2 that I’d been hoping for.
Which is a shame – as the image quality itself, when it does latch on to the subject, is beautiful.
While the falloff isn’t the same as on a full frame medium format system, it does deliver a “better than 35mm” quality to the shots – which is, I suppose, its purpose in life.
And even with an extender, so stopped down and using a higher ISO than I’d have wanted, the details and textures are impressive.
It’s just, if I’m sacrificing dynamic range and even more detail from my IQ4 digital back, I really need the alternative to deliver the missing pieces of the jigsaw perfectly, not “just a bit better”.
Back for our evening drive, the dreaded radio was in use again – but this time, it was our Land Cruiser initiating the call. While watching some of the lions, sleepy and chilling out, something changed mid-yawn…
The other lionesses from the pride returned in a hurry – summoning “dad” to come and see what they’d prepared for dinner.
Now, finding yourself in a vehicle literally in-between where the lion, lionesses and cubs are all coming from and where they’re heading to, there’s an element of squeaky-bum syndrome that sets in – but as further testament to the fact the lions aren’t interested in 4 humans in a truck, it was the complete ignorance they showed to our presence (if anything, slight annoyance they had to walk round), on the way to their meal.
We followed, we heard the “reassuring” bone cracks, flesh rips and snapping teeth as more and more joined – but then the reality of their success kicked in…
They’d caught a Pumba.
Kill Three : Warthog vs Lions (Lions Won)
Granted, the first thing they tend to do is “put it out of its misery” before tucking in (although evidently that doesn’t always work, which is all the more brutal) – but to see the little bundle of packed-in twitch-muscles succumb to the hungry attack of that pride was a pretty sad moment.
But then, you see the lion cubs arrive, and remember – that’s just how it works out here (and everywhere, really). These are just one set of parents providing food for their family and themselves, without the abattoirs and remote guilt-offshoring we do with blind eyes to our own processes.
As for “dad” – well, he grabbed his prize and snuck away.
Weird, the “big bad lion” feeling the need to move away from the group to have his meal. Was he outcast? Had he left his socks by the side of the bed that morning? Or was he just not wanting to get involved with the rest of them?
Who knows – but he was having none of that chaos, opting for the quiet corner to enjoy his main course.
And naturally, a quick reminder that one animal’s discarded scraps are another animal’s main event. Of course, right on cue, the vultures started assessing their options…
Another morning, another game drive – but today, a rest.
It was time to enjoy camp. While, of course, everyone is there to see the wildlife of our incredible natural world, it would be rude to ignore the fact you’re in a crazily-well appointed luxury destination in the middle of nowhere.
A Morning Around Camp
With views down the valley for miles (and across to Newton’s lookout point on the top left), Mahali Mzuri’s communal spaces boast outdoor fire-pits, a full service cocktail bar, restaurant, pool and spa – all the essentials for a few nights of “tented survival” in the wilderness.
And when the rest of camp is out on drives – those few hours of having the place to yourself feel priceless.
Almost as priceless as the moment I was put into a large checkered blanket and made to dance, jump and holler with a stick with the rest of the local village on a quick trip to see how they live, and how the resort supports the local community.
Turns out I’m the worst jumper out of all of the guys, which means I’m most definitely a failed alpha – I’ll evidently have to stick to making necklaces and coasters out of beads with the women of the village instead.
Stormy Weather
The drive back was interesting – we’d had a true mix of weather during our stay, but I have to say the cloud structures above the landscape were truly awesome this afternoon. So awesome, that when Newton said “look at that!” – I thought he was talking about the storm in the sky, not the meal that our friendly leopard had saved themselves for later hanging half-eaten in the tree.
That’ll keep the Hyenas and Jackals at bay, I guess.
But those storms also brought something new to the scenes – drama and mood.
With wind increasing, light levels dropping and imminent rain in the air, the animals started to make their moves for this “scene”. Most impressively (or naively, I guess), I had no idea that elephants could climb rock-formed hills and steep terrain.
No idea why I found that unexpected (nobody’s ever told me an elephant can’t climb), but for some reason it just made me chuckle.
Back on the valley floor, that moody light was delivering the goods, photographically, as breaks in the cloud acted as nature’s spotlight over individual members of the herd against the threatening tones of the sky behind.
Contrast that with the playtime enjoyed by the babies of the family (and their mother’s frustration at one who kept getting stuck in a hole as the rest tried to move on), and it was quite the mix of activities to capture from just one position out there.
Having been surrounded by what felt like hundreds of elephants for an hour or so, clearly it was time for them to move on – in a way that I can only really describe as “regimented”, following a line (of command/seniority?) across the horizon, with the last in the group perfectly aligned to where we were.
And it wasn’t just the elephants that felt the pressure to get moving as the weather pulled closer – the pride was relocating too.
Turns out, if you’ve been running around all day, however, that final push is just one step too far, until a clearly exasperated lioness showed pity and gave him a ride. Not sure I’d last between a lion’s teeth for a cross-country trek, but I guess this method somehow “just works” when you’re both furry….
Again, as further evidence of their indifference towards us and our presence, I must have shot 30 frames of this mother looking me straight in the eye (and lens) while carrying on with her removal mission. Sometimes, it’s clearly very handy to be the lowest priority on someone’s list!
Of course, “dad” was not far behind – and this gave me the chance to really see what the GFX 100 II could do with a mix of my demands: Low light, fast focus, long lens.
While he contemplated “life” (I guess), I clicked just once, despite the fast frame rate promoted by the camera.
Capturing The King
One shot, relying on the Fujifilm’s ability to deliver a noise-free image despite a high-ish ISO 2500, with a quick-reaction autofocus as we moved into position (before he realised we were there).
I mean – could I be picky? Sure.
But could any of my other cameras deliver that level of detail, those tones, that (relatively) clean image – at that speed of shooting? Unlikely.
I’m not saying NO camera can – but out of my selection of Canon, Phase One, Sony and other body and lens combinations, I’d say this one hit the mark pretty perfectly in comparison.
So – testing done? Not quite.
Newton asked on our last morning what we wanted to see. My requests for penguins had fallen on deaf ears – but the reality was I’d enjoyed seeing a lot of the big tick-list animals already, and still had a weird yearning to get up close with the hippos, so off we went to their morning swim.
And you’ll never convince me otherwise that hippos are cool.
Hungry Hippos
Granted, Henrietta was a little self-conscious about getting in the pool the second she saw my lens appear…
But she managed to put her shyness to one side and go for her morning dip, regardless of the weird hippoperve in a Land Cruiser that was clearly stalking her as she got on with her bath.
Now, without fat-shaming(!) – just look at the incredible detail in those folds, and scars, and texture in the skin – it’s phenomenal in that light, and the GFX 100 II picked it all up perfectly, just how I remember when I look back over the shots.
But yes, I know Henrietta, nobody wants their morning bath to be captured, let alone published. Good job I got a release form signed, I guess.
Fujifilm GFX 100 II – Is It Any Good?
So – my final thoughts on the Fujifilm GFX 100 II and GF 250mm F4 R LM OIS WR lens and 1.4x extender?
- Is it a fantastic piece of kit? Absolutely.
- Is the low-light performance and lens combination what I expected? Entirely.
- Does the Autofocus work well in most scenarios? Of course.
- Does it deliver images as great as my Phase One IQ4 150MP digital back? No.
- Is it the better fit for this particular type of shoot? Probably.
- Was I “overwhelmed” by the output? Not quite.
- Was I pleased by what it delivered? Absolutely.
So – I guess, take from that what you wish…!
And my random, final, final, thoughts?
- Gourmet food is possible to deliver in the middle of nowhere – “top” city and town hotels often fall short.
- There was one particular drink they made that was epic – but I’ve forgotten what it’s called, what was in it, and how it was put together. I guess that’ll be saved for when I next visit.
- Many things in Kenya seem to reflect the shape of body parts.
- You CAN produce a soft-boiled egg, wherever you are – hotel chefs, time to put those excuses away.
- Lions win.