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Hello friends,
It is closer to the date when I will be heading to the long-dreamed trip to Masai Mara. Just two weeks later :-)
Over the past few years, i invested myself body, mind, soul and money into the Pentax 645Z and associated lenses. I never for once thought I would ever venture into wildlife photography. Landscapes, portraits, studio....yes, but never wildlife.
But then I was introduced to this new genre of wildlife photography in the recent past and before I would know it, I booked a ticket to Masai Mara with a group of friends.
I wrote about my dilemma in another post
Pentax-FA 645 400mm F5.6 ED [IF] Lens Use for Wildlife Photography - PentaxForums.com
Now, after a lot of research and thinking hard, I have decided the following:-
1. I will take the 645Z with 28-45 mm DA f4.5 SR, 90 mm DFA f2.8 SR and 300 mm FA* f4. This kit will be used for landscapes. I also have the 400 mm f5.6, 150mm f3.5 (manual focus), 55mm f2.8 and 2X rear converter which will be left behind. I also have a 10 year old Canon 50D and two lenses - 50mm f1.8 and 10-22 mm EFS lens, which would be left behind.
2. I will buy either the Canon 5D Mark IV with 100-400 mm f4.5-5.6 L IS II lens OR the Pentax K1 with 150-450 mm f4.5-5.6 AW lens. This kit will be used only for wildlife photography now and most of the time in future.
The second part about the buying decision is getting devilishly confusing & frustrating. What do I do?
K1 is tempting because of the future possibilities of using 645 lenses on it through an AF Adaptor. But such a possibility may never become a reality. Another tempting aspect is the camera body layout of K1 is almost the same as 645Z thus helping me shoot seamlessly between MF and FF formats. Further, for hiking and especially high altitude trekking in India in future, if weight becomes a restriction (I am 51 years old), I could take the K1 with one of the 645 lenses & the K mount adapter or a nice lightweight K mount lens strictly only for landscape photography. Here the IBIS of K1 would be really useful even with vintage FA lenses. Landscapes would remain my first love.
5D is tempting because almost everyone is saying that for wildlife, the K1 with its 150-450 can never match the 50D with its 100-400 whether it is the AF speed, subject tracking, image stabilisation and touch LCD - factors which will substantially increase the numbers of keepers from the 5D than the K1. But then i will end up handling two different camera bodies and using them together could be disconcerting if not downright traumatic. This itself may make me lose good shots as i may fumble in using camera controls.
Another thing - landscapes of Africa are reportedly as photogenic as its wildlife. It is only here that i would be shooting landscapes and wildlife in equal measure. However, while the wildlife in India is great, the same cannot be said of the landscapes of the animal habitats in India as they are essentially deep forests. Point is, in India, when you shoot wildlife, you shoot only wildlife, and not really landscapes at the same time. So most of the time in India, I would be carrying only one of the two kits mentioned above but not both. In Africa, i will be carrying both the kits.
Another thing - K1 II is not yet available in India. So in case i decide to buy only Pentax K1 as the second kit, am i missing too much by settling for K1 and not buying the K1 II (strictly from the point of view of wildlife photography in future).
Options to rent lenses for the 50D or renting a camera & lens combo itself have been thought over and discarded. Unless I must buy K1 II in future (and not K1 which is available now), I won't like to rent for the Africa trip.
I bought a Pentax 645 to Canon EOS adapter to use the 645 lenses in MF mode. But that combination compromises on too many aspects. So I discarded that option too for the Masai Mara trip.
I thought of buying the 645 to K mount adapter. But that also imposes restrictions which I am not ready to live with as of now.
I am putting a lot of premium on this new experience in life even if it means splurging a bit of money.
So the immensely talented & experienced minds on this forum, what are your frank suggestions for me:
1. K1 or 50D?
2. K1 or K1 II ? (if K1 II as a long term investment, then I will rent a camera lens combo and wait for launch of K1 II in India).
Thank you.