Londolozi Specialised Photographic Safari vehicle
 

A great innovation and not before time. Thanks Bill (predator biologist) for the heads up.
Here:

http://www.londolozi.com/going_on_sa...fe5b316d6f17c3

This quote here says it all

“it’s not about the bathroom, safari is about being in the wilderness, it’s about the animals and the people!”

Lets get back to the experience of viewing wildlife rather than the fabric of a lodge interior!

Cheers
Marc

I'm not too sure about the Lazer pointer =-O
Plus I think guests who would use this service would already have their DSLR of choice.

Yeah, they provide the cameras, all set on "P" for professional mode. The Canon DSLR shown should be "good enough" (but not the best) for their guests :-) .

They forgot one big feature, putting the guest seats down LOW. Yes lower. I want to be at eye level with the cats. Not above them looking down on top of their head. And also of course the transmitter chip in the big 5 so that their location is always known from a monitor in the vehicle.

regards - tom

I love the seating of that vehicle! However I too want to use my equipment. The concept is certainly interesting. However knowing Londolozi, they are going to have nice bathrooms and nice fabric too :}

Mike

From my experience, this vehicle is little to gimmicky for me.

I do not see an issue with a conventional vehicle. The reason why most people do not get fantastic shots is not to do with seating, but not having a private vehicle.

People fail to work well with their guides and not predict animal behaviour. There is a tendency to follow the animal, rather than be one step ahead. (this is based on the average safari guests requirements)

f.e. Drive 100 metres along the game trail, get yourself into position early and make sure your camera settings are correct.

It is your reponsibility as the photographer tell the guide where you want to be from an early point. Be procactive, not reactive. You may be looking for a different style of shot that where the guide places you. By the time you move, the moment can be lost.

Learn animal behaviour and take a gamble of what may unfold. Let your guide know this is your attitude, otherwise they may be afraid of being criticized their gamble missing all the action!

The guest is king afterall.

Would have to agree with Tom on the seating, it is far too high to be considered good for photography.

What would I look for in a Safari Vehicle, rather than night vision and the bells and whistles;

1) Built in tripod heads at different points on the vehicle, with quick release wimberly heads

- one that gives a high perspective, excellent for photographing the depth of herds

- one at a low perspective

Check out the Joubert's vehicle for a rough idea.


2) Like on big cat diary (in the Simon King image), have a piece of the vehicle that sticks out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bigcat/presenters/simonking/

Make this section mechanical, so that it can be lowered closer to the ground. This is what the BBC did when filming in the Okavango.

3)Adequate storage for all your equipment for when travelling at high speed. For example, Pelican boxes.

The vehicle could look a little hideous, and designed for only 2 photographers at most. Yet it would yield excellent results.

Having re-read the promo.

I think the emphasis on photography has been overstated, with it offering a greater experience for those on a photographic safari, not neccessarily, a vehicle designed for photographers!

<i><b>There is a tendency to follow the animal, rather than be one step ahead...Learn animal behaviour and take a gamble of what may unfold.</b></i>

Bingo! For good photos, and especially for good video, this is key. And, in my mind, this skill is one of the key differences between an average guide and a good (or great) guide.

I had a sit in this vehicle when it was delivered a week or so ago during my stop at Londolozi (was there for six nights and at Kirkmans for four nights beforehand).

To be fair the seats aren't as high as they look in the photo...I would say the front two seats aren't particularly higher than the normal seats (although obviously they can be heightened) and the rear two aren't any higher than the back row in a normal vehicle. For those that use Wimberley mounts the all round rails are good and there is more than enough leg room to swivel the seats. The seats can be removed and replaced with boxes for large lenses and equipment. I'm sure they'll make adjustments and improvements as they go. As for Wimberley mounts they provided one for me in my vehicle although I didn't use it.

I also had a drive round in the electric Landrover they are developing. It's certainly very quiet and a bit odd hearing only the wind and the crunching of the gravel on the road. There's still a bit of work to do but they do have an aim of going to an all-electric fleet with obvious environmental benefits if charged by solar power (no diesel being delivered or stored and no emissions). Not sure how long it would take the animals to get use to the vehicle not having it's associated engine noise.

With regards getting back "to the experience of viewing wildlife" that's certainly something they are putting the emphasis onto. I had two of the best wildlife experiences so far in my life while I was there - tracking and seeing lions and leopard on foot (well, for the for lions hearing them moving through long grass about 15 yards away). The leopard popped out 25 yards in front of us after 45 minutes or so of tracking through the bush. A rather intense experience but an amazing one nonetheless.

Quote from ibj2: "What would I look for in a Safari Vehicle, rather than night vision and the bells and whistles;

1) Built in tripod heads at different points on the vehicle, with quick release wimberly heads

- one that gives a high perspective, excellent for photographing the depth of herds

- one at a low perspective"

I agree, 3 important points in my book as well. ;-)

Cheers
Marc

From what i hear the vehicle is not just all about photography its about spending time out in the bush and using a number of gadgets to keep people entertained and to enhance the experience. from my experience far too many guides are inexperienced and are only concerned with ticking off the big 5, i am far more interested in the experience of tracking the animals, spending hours photographing and actually engaging with my ranger and tracker. i think this is what this vehicle allows good quality time in the bush without conforming to the military time of the average game lodge. i have always dreamed of using night vision goggles and if you read the lastest

www.timesonline.co.uk http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tra...cle6734875.ece

you will see they had an awesome experience watching lions hunting buffalo in absolute darkness. and if you have ever had a star presentation with some one who has a passion for stars using a laser pointer well it a huge difference from the average ranger that uses the broad beam of the spotlight. proffesional tools for professional people. anyways i think its a great idea lets give it a chance as it certainly beats the mundane experience of the mass market.

Tanky(Gary),

Hope you enjoyed your 6 nights at Londoz! Hope Chris gave you a few good photo ops!! Hope the shots you took at KK came out alright! Holding thumbs for a trip report soon enough!! Elliot sends his regards!

JP

What photographers mostly need are (in no particular order)

1) good guide
2) private vehicle
3) stabilization device for camera. Many options to choose from.

I recently tested out the new Novoflex QuadroPod, and I have to say that it works great as a platform for using big lenses on. The downside is that the solution is expensive. I have a demo unit from them, and I can only imagine what the cost is going to be. My hunch is about $1000. I will be posting a review on my blog soon. I just need to process the images of the unit while out on game drives.