Trip Report Djuma/Londolozi/Lion Sands
Oct 24th, 2010, 08:19 AM
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Trip Report Djuma/Londolozi/Lion Sands
Well its taken over a month for me to get settled back in and pictures and videos up and time to think about the trip. I traveled in late August to mid September, my favorite time to be there.
This was my longest trip so far and there was lots of great and not so good events that occurred.
The total trip was 15 nights in the bush and 1 night at in Joberg in transit.
I can very highly recommend Bateleur Air if you decide to transfer by charter to Sabi Sands. They are incredibly professional. I even accidently left my Ipod on the plane and they managed to return it to me at Londolozi!
My first 3 nights of my adventure started at Djuma Vuyatela Lodge and it started well. My first drive, I was with Marc Weiner of Safari TV on camera for 3 hours ! Marc is wonderful and it was a very unique experience. If you want to exeperience game drives where you need a "fix", go to http://www.wildearth.tv/safari-tv where they have two game drives per day. Its not the same as being there, but it sure helps provide a "fix" while you are sitting at home.
The lodge was very clean and the rooms were nice, but I did have some minor and major disappointments when I arrived. The first, was I was promised room 2 by the lodge manager, however when I got there, I was told that someone else was there already. They did move me the following day, but it was a not my idea of a good time. I switched to a Djuma ranger, Henry who did a great job of finding wildlife. However as can be expected when sharing experiences with other guests, things may not go the way you want it. We were on a leopard kill and we decided to leave. While leaving the kill, a second leopard approached the kill. Now to me, that interaction would be exciting to watch, but Henry offered to see a lion kill that we had already seen. The other guests decided to see that instead. I think he could have easily talked them into staying to see something unique rather than to see lions eat the same thing we had already seen....oh well. Other than that, the game viewing experience was very good.
My biggest disappointment came on the 3rd and final night there. After we got back from the night drive, Henry offered to take me to my room because the porter was escorting other guests. This was great and at the room he asked me when I wanted to be picked up for dinner and I said 10 minutes. 35 minutes later I was still waiting in my room. I tried to call all the numbers I had and no one was answering. I was about to walk to dinner which is a big no no when finally there was a knock on the door. Henry was very apologetic and stated that all the guests were sitting for dinner and they finally noticed I was not there. As you can imagine, I was quite angry. To add to this, on the way to dinner, I, in my anger, was not paying attention and tripped and fell, badly bruising my knee. Of course there were the usual apologies, but I was still not happy. The following day I expected to hear from management about the event, but there was nothing. I ended up writing to the GM and I got a reply they were looking into it, and then...nothing!
One comment on the room design, is that while the rooms are large, comfortable and beautifully appointed, there is a major design flaw. There is no proper indoor shower. They have a bath tub with a shower handle. I found this to be very annoying. If you try to shower standing up, water splashes all over the place and if you try to do it sitting down it is very awkward. There is an outdoor shower which is fun, however if you do not want to do that, you either need to be into baths or the shower handle in the tub.
The food there was tasty, the desserts excellent. There were a couple of dishes I had to try to fight with. Personally I would not serve meat dishes on the bone where its not easy to get the meat off. I got tired of fighting with the bone publicly for meat and gave up. Again, thats me, so not everyone would have my problem.
I am sure most people will have a wonderful time there, however, for me I will not be returning. The lodge does provided a great value, their lack of appreciation for what happened to me will keep me away.
Shots taken at Djuma http://www.pbase.com/mytmoss/djuma_2010
I then transferred to Londolozi Granite Lodge and all I can say is WOW. The room was very large and beautiful. The cost here was about 60% higher than Djuma, so not everyone will see its value, but I sure did. There are only 3 rooms at Granite and there is a maximum of 6 people in the vehicle where Djuma can have up to 8. This is very important to me because of my interest in photography.
My ranger was David and Kate was the lodge manager. What impressed me almost immediately is that they asked me if I liked to eat by myself or I would like company. I have never been asked this before, and since I travel along I thought the question was great. I always prefer company and they always joined me at breakfast and dinner which made my trip most enjoyable. The food was excellent and the service top notch !
David is an excellent ranger and my experiences there were incredibly unique. During my 6 days there, we got to see 34 lions, 5 leopards, 3 cheetah and a host of other animals. I was fortunate to see a leopard and hyena eating together on the same kill, a leopard and giraffe next to each other and lions interacting in ways I have never seen.
Even David was in awe of the experiences we shared. My final day, I had the pleasure of being driven by Chris Goodman, the head ranger and a specially equipped photographic vehicle that only seats 2! The seats were extremely comfortable and they rotated so that you can take photos from many angles. This vehicle is very expensive, so it will not be for everyone, but it will provide you with an experience you cannot get from the normally equipped landrovers.
Londolozi is a very large piece of property, over 15,000 hectares. This means that often you get to be at sightings where you can sit for hours. I spent hours with lions, leopards, wild dog and hyena. This experience was a bit unique to me as often with the best sightings, you are pushed off because other visitors want to see the animals too. Quite often my experiences elsewhere were limited to about 20 minutes but not at Londolozi. Almost every sighting, I could sit there for as long as I wanted. This was
especially fun when viewing lion cubs playing and sitting at a hyena den.
I definitely plan to return to Londolozi on my next trip ! Photos taken at Londolozi http://www.pbase.com/mytmoss/londolozi_2010
I was transferred to Lion Sands by Londolozi for free! This also was unique for me and I appreciated it for it gave me some extra time to spend with David.
My stay at Lion Sands Ivory Lodge was again a wonderful experience. The rooms there are so incredible as is the food and safari experience. Because I have been there so many times, I felt I was staying with family. I had 3 rangers there Trevor, who was my very first ranger on my first 2 trips, drove me for the first 2 days before he went on leave.
If you get Trevor you will get probably the best ranger you will ever have. After he left, I then got to experience both Talley and Stanley. Both are friendly and have an incredible wealth of knowledge. It never ceased to amaze me some of the birds that Stanley located just based on their calls. I got to experience some bird sightings that I have never seen before. The leopard and lion sightings were OK, but the weather made some photography really tough as it was quite overcast for several days.
I did get to see the new rooms and room remodels at River Lodge. These rooms are so nice now, that I think on my next trip there, I will experience River Lodge to save some money. With the very poor exchange rate of dollar to rand at the moment, I think this maybe what I can do to afford it better. After seeing the rooms, especially the deluxe rooms, I will have no problem giving up the plunge pool to save serious money. Also I said before, I prefer to dine with others, so the privacy that Ivory Lodge provides for you is not that important to me. The food is equally wonderful at both lodges, so there will be no suffering there! I was delighted to see the viewing deck rebuilt so that I could sit over the Sabi River and watch the world flow by.
Oscar is the lodge manager and his assistant is Nicolene. They do a wonderful job managing the lodge. They do everything in their power to make the experience wonderful.
Nicolene even assisted in helping me back as my suitcase was so full, I had trouble getting everything in!
I would have no trouble recommending any of the LS rangers, but as I mentioned before, Trevor is the best. If you happen to get Alan, you will also be in for a great experience!
Since I have come back, there have been some great changes at Lion Sands as far as traversing rights. There is now an agreement with Kirkmans that will expand Lion Sands vehicles to traverse an additional 2500 hundred hectares. This will be great for game viewing and the slight additional of Kirkman vehicles on Lion Sands property will not have a major impact on "traffic". Lion Sands does have a strict policy of only 2 vehicles per sighting, so you will never feel that there are too many vehicles interfering with the lives of the game.
As with Londolozi, I definitely plan to return to Lion Sands, my 2nd home ! Photos can be seen at http://www.pbase.com/mytmoss/londolozi_2010
Videos of this trip as well as others can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...y=mytmoss&aq=f. I am not a very good videographer. My photos are much better, but these provide snippets as to what I saw.
Mike
This was my longest trip so far and there was lots of great and not so good events that occurred.
The total trip was 15 nights in the bush and 1 night at in Joberg in transit.
I can very highly recommend Bateleur Air if you decide to transfer by charter to Sabi Sands. They are incredibly professional. I even accidently left my Ipod on the plane and they managed to return it to me at Londolozi!
My first 3 nights of my adventure started at Djuma Vuyatela Lodge and it started well. My first drive, I was with Marc Weiner of Safari TV on camera for 3 hours ! Marc is wonderful and it was a very unique experience. If you want to exeperience game drives where you need a "fix", go to http://www.wildearth.tv/safari-tv where they have two game drives per day. Its not the same as being there, but it sure helps provide a "fix" while you are sitting at home.
The lodge was very clean and the rooms were nice, but I did have some minor and major disappointments when I arrived. The first, was I was promised room 2 by the lodge manager, however when I got there, I was told that someone else was there already. They did move me the following day, but it was a not my idea of a good time. I switched to a Djuma ranger, Henry who did a great job of finding wildlife. However as can be expected when sharing experiences with other guests, things may not go the way you want it. We were on a leopard kill and we decided to leave. While leaving the kill, a second leopard approached the kill. Now to me, that interaction would be exciting to watch, but Henry offered to see a lion kill that we had already seen. The other guests decided to see that instead. I think he could have easily talked them into staying to see something unique rather than to see lions eat the same thing we had already seen....oh well. Other than that, the game viewing experience was very good.
My biggest disappointment came on the 3rd and final night there. After we got back from the night drive, Henry offered to take me to my room because the porter was escorting other guests. This was great and at the room he asked me when I wanted to be picked up for dinner and I said 10 minutes. 35 minutes later I was still waiting in my room. I tried to call all the numbers I had and no one was answering. I was about to walk to dinner which is a big no no when finally there was a knock on the door. Henry was very apologetic and stated that all the guests were sitting for dinner and they finally noticed I was not there. As you can imagine, I was quite angry. To add to this, on the way to dinner, I, in my anger, was not paying attention and tripped and fell, badly bruising my knee. Of course there were the usual apologies, but I was still not happy. The following day I expected to hear from management about the event, but there was nothing. I ended up writing to the GM and I got a reply they were looking into it, and then...nothing!
One comment on the room design, is that while the rooms are large, comfortable and beautifully appointed, there is a major design flaw. There is no proper indoor shower. They have a bath tub with a shower handle. I found this to be very annoying. If you try to shower standing up, water splashes all over the place and if you try to do it sitting down it is very awkward. There is an outdoor shower which is fun, however if you do not want to do that, you either need to be into baths or the shower handle in the tub.
The food there was tasty, the desserts excellent. There were a couple of dishes I had to try to fight with. Personally I would not serve meat dishes on the bone where its not easy to get the meat off. I got tired of fighting with the bone publicly for meat and gave up. Again, thats me, so not everyone would have my problem.
I am sure most people will have a wonderful time there, however, for me I will not be returning. The lodge does provided a great value, their lack of appreciation for what happened to me will keep me away.
Shots taken at Djuma http://www.pbase.com/mytmoss/djuma_2010
I then transferred to Londolozi Granite Lodge and all I can say is WOW. The room was very large and beautiful. The cost here was about 60% higher than Djuma, so not everyone will see its value, but I sure did. There are only 3 rooms at Granite and there is a maximum of 6 people in the vehicle where Djuma can have up to 8. This is very important to me because of my interest in photography.
My ranger was David and Kate was the lodge manager. What impressed me almost immediately is that they asked me if I liked to eat by myself or I would like company. I have never been asked this before, and since I travel along I thought the question was great. I always prefer company and they always joined me at breakfast and dinner which made my trip most enjoyable. The food was excellent and the service top notch !
David is an excellent ranger and my experiences there were incredibly unique. During my 6 days there, we got to see 34 lions, 5 leopards, 3 cheetah and a host of other animals. I was fortunate to see a leopard and hyena eating together on the same kill, a leopard and giraffe next to each other and lions interacting in ways I have never seen.
Even David was in awe of the experiences we shared. My final day, I had the pleasure of being driven by Chris Goodman, the head ranger and a specially equipped photographic vehicle that only seats 2! The seats were extremely comfortable and they rotated so that you can take photos from many angles. This vehicle is very expensive, so it will not be for everyone, but it will provide you with an experience you cannot get from the normally equipped landrovers.
Londolozi is a very large piece of property, over 15,000 hectares. This means that often you get to be at sightings where you can sit for hours. I spent hours with lions, leopards, wild dog and hyena. This experience was a bit unique to me as often with the best sightings, you are pushed off because other visitors want to see the animals too. Quite often my experiences elsewhere were limited to about 20 minutes but not at Londolozi. Almost every sighting, I could sit there for as long as I wanted. This was
especially fun when viewing lion cubs playing and sitting at a hyena den.
I definitely plan to return to Londolozi on my next trip ! Photos taken at Londolozi http://www.pbase.com/mytmoss/londolozi_2010
I was transferred to Lion Sands by Londolozi for free! This also was unique for me and I appreciated it for it gave me some extra time to spend with David.
My stay at Lion Sands Ivory Lodge was again a wonderful experience. The rooms there are so incredible as is the food and safari experience. Because I have been there so many times, I felt I was staying with family. I had 3 rangers there Trevor, who was my very first ranger on my first 2 trips, drove me for the first 2 days before he went on leave.
If you get Trevor you will get probably the best ranger you will ever have. After he left, I then got to experience both Talley and Stanley. Both are friendly and have an incredible wealth of knowledge. It never ceased to amaze me some of the birds that Stanley located just based on their calls. I got to experience some bird sightings that I have never seen before. The leopard and lion sightings were OK, but the weather made some photography really tough as it was quite overcast for several days.
I did get to see the new rooms and room remodels at River Lodge. These rooms are so nice now, that I think on my next trip there, I will experience River Lodge to save some money. With the very poor exchange rate of dollar to rand at the moment, I think this maybe what I can do to afford it better. After seeing the rooms, especially the deluxe rooms, I will have no problem giving up the plunge pool to save serious money. Also I said before, I prefer to dine with others, so the privacy that Ivory Lodge provides for you is not that important to me. The food is equally wonderful at both lodges, so there will be no suffering there! I was delighted to see the viewing deck rebuilt so that I could sit over the Sabi River and watch the world flow by.
Oscar is the lodge manager and his assistant is Nicolene. They do a wonderful job managing the lodge. They do everything in their power to make the experience wonderful.
Nicolene even assisted in helping me back as my suitcase was so full, I had trouble getting everything in!
I would have no trouble recommending any of the LS rangers, but as I mentioned before, Trevor is the best. If you happen to get Alan, you will also be in for a great experience!
Since I have come back, there have been some great changes at Lion Sands as far as traversing rights. There is now an agreement with Kirkmans that will expand Lion Sands vehicles to traverse an additional 2500 hundred hectares. This will be great for game viewing and the slight additional of Kirkman vehicles on Lion Sands property will not have a major impact on "traffic". Lion Sands does have a strict policy of only 2 vehicles per sighting, so you will never feel that there are too many vehicles interfering with the lives of the game.
As with Londolozi, I definitely plan to return to Lion Sands, my 2nd home ! Photos can be seen at http://www.pbase.com/mytmoss/londolozi_2010
Videos of this trip as well as others can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...y=mytmoss&aq=f. I am not a very good videographer. My photos are much better, but these provide snippets as to what I saw.
Mike
Oct 24th, 2010, 08:59 AM
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Many thanks Cateyes ! I do have a Smugmug account and I only post there the best of my best. http://mytmoss.smugmug.com/
The site I posted previously has all my pictures, but they are not all of greatest quality but they do help show my safari experience.
Mike
The site I posted previously has all my pictures, but they are not all of greatest quality but they do help show my safari experience.
Mike
Oct 24th, 2010, 09:29 AM
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Mike, the photos are fabulous...I need to check into Smugmug as I was quite disappointed with FLickr; would it be difficult to upload from a Mac to Smugmug? I could not even get Picassa going - which is what I used to use...before Mac
Anyway, enough of me
Very good trip report also for those venturing into S/Africa. My first love affair with Africa was of course in the Sabi Sands and the gameviewing was excellent. Your pics prove it is still provides a wealth of game to see - and in a gorgeous setting.
It is difficult to comprehend how Djuma could be so insensitive to a guest. Never went; but don't think I will after your experience. Thanks for sharing. I am now going back and revisit the pics once again!
MoneyB
Anyway, enough of me
Very good trip report also for those venturing into S/Africa. My first love affair with Africa was of course in the Sabi Sands and the gameviewing was excellent. Your pics prove it is still provides a wealth of game to see - and in a gorgeous setting.
It is difficult to comprehend how Djuma could be so insensitive to a guest. Never went; but don't think I will after your experience. Thanks for sharing. I am now going back and revisit the pics once again!
MoneyB
Oct 24th, 2010, 10:46 AM
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MoneyB - I have a Mac and have no trouble uploading to Smugmug. It's a great website for showing your photos in a flattering way. As Mike says, there is a yearly fee - but there is no advertising to distract your viewers.
Oct 24th, 2010, 11:10 AM
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Mike - sounds like you had a mostly great experience. Excellent report. Pics, of course, are beautiful.
I hear Londolozi has an electric Range Rover. Not sure if they take guests out in it yet. I would love to go out into the bush in a quiet vehicle. Totally out of my price range, but maybe someday. Your experience on the photo vehicle sounds right up your alley!
http://www.londolozi.com/conservatio...lozi_original/
Funny, we'll put up with quite a few inconveniences on safari, but it does ultimately come down to the service. That was quite bad form on Djuma's part.
I hear Londolozi has an electric Range Rover. Not sure if they take guests out in it yet. I would love to go out into the bush in a quiet vehicle. Totally out of my price range, but maybe someday. Your experience on the photo vehicle sounds right up your alley!
http://www.londolozi.com/conservatio...lozi_original/
Funny, we'll put up with quite a few inconveniences on safari, but it does ultimately come down to the service. That was quite bad form on Djuma's part.
Oct 24th, 2010, 11:16 AM
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Excellent report and awesome pictures!
I appreciate your report on all the lodges and I am happy to get your confirm regarding Londo! It's my fav in SS.
Djuma sounds extremely disappointing. The described lack of management capabilities surely has an impact on to the overall experience. Sounds to me Djuma isn't much superior to Elephant Plains regarding capacity/car.
Agree - Ivory is more a honeymoon destination regarding privacy.
THX again for sharing!
I appreciate your report on all the lodges and I am happy to get your confirm regarding Londo!
It's my fav in SS.Djuma sounds extremely disappointing. The described lack of management capabilities surely has an impact on to the overall experience. Sounds to me Djuma isn't much superior to Elephant Plains regarding capacity/car.
Agree - Ivory is more a honeymoon destination regarding privacy.
THX again for sharing!
Oct 24th, 2010, 11:25 AM
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Christabir, they indeed DID have an electric vehicle, but alas it short circuited and became a crispy critter in the subsequent fire. However I think they are not giving up on the idea. I had a brief discussion with someone at Lion Sands and they were also thinking about it, but they had not gotten as far as Londolozi in implementation.
As to my experience at Djuma, other than the being forgotten for dinner, the other annoyances were pretty minor. However when they are all added together, the significance is greater. I know they are trying hard to be a top level lodge. When they do it right, its great, however when they get something wrong, they do not seem to know how to address the problems well.
Mike
As to my experience at Djuma, other than the being forgotten for dinner, the other annoyances were pretty minor. However when they are all added together, the significance is greater. I know they are trying hard to be a top level lodge. When they do it right, its great, however when they get something wrong, they do not seem to know how to address the problems well.
Mike
Oct 24th, 2010, 01:36 PM
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Wow fabulous photos Mike!! I can't wait to get back to South Africa...I have to say, I've been pretty depressed because my planned trip for next August is getting more and more expensive as the dollar falls, and I was starting to wonder if I'm nuts to go back but then I see photos like this...how can I stay away!?
Oct 24th, 2010, 02:29 PM
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Gorgeous photos! I took a look at one of the Granite suites when I was at Tree Camp a year ago and they did look great but I was very happy at Tree Camp and with Mike, our guide. Londolozi is a special place.
Oct 24th, 2010, 08:21 PM
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Many thanks Mike for you safari report. I know you have been on several safaris so you have an excellent background/experience for evaluating camps and guides. Lot of good photos too, as always.
Too bad about Djuma, crossed off of my list of future visits.
And Londolozi, another great report on it, everyone praises it, someday maybe I can work it into my budget. Great that you could stay at a sighting as long as you wanted (if other guests agree).
Sounds like a good arrangement for Lion Sands and Kirkmans to share some traversing.
I like Smugmug, does cost about $40? Per year. It gives you a lot of control for presenting your photos. Including of course a black or dark background that I feel is important when viewing on a monitor.
Thanks for report on Bateleur Air, keep that in mind. How was the weather? When I was in camps there in Sep 2009 we had several windy days and a few days of very overcast skies. This has happened to me often enough that I’m thinking of trying the July or May time frame in the Kruger area. Anyway, thanks again.
regards - tom
Too bad about Djuma, crossed off of my list of future visits.
And Londolozi, another great report on it, everyone praises it, someday maybe I can work it into my budget. Great that you could stay at a sighting as long as you wanted (if other guests agree).
Sounds like a good arrangement for Lion Sands and Kirkmans to share some traversing.
I like Smugmug, does cost about $40? Per year. It gives you a lot of control for presenting your photos. Including of course a black or dark background that I feel is important when viewing on a monitor.
Thanks for report on Bateleur Air, keep that in mind. How was the weather? When I was in camps there in Sep 2009 we had several windy days and a few days of very overcast skies. This has happened to me often enough that I’m thinking of trying the July or May time frame in the Kruger area. Anyway, thanks again.
regards - tom
Oct 24th, 2010, 08:46 PM
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Hey Tom !
Smugmug runs from $40 or so to $150 depending on the features you want.
You can also look at Pbase, its cheaper and you can choose black backgrounds but there have been times in the past the site has been flaky. At the moment it seems pretty stable.
As for the weather, it was pretty much great except for the first days when I arrived and a few days at Lion Sands. It never rained, but at times it was pretty gray and got misty.
Mike
Smugmug runs from $40 or so to $150 depending on the features you want.
You can also look at Pbase, its cheaper and you can choose black backgrounds but there have been times in the past the site has been flaky. At the moment it seems pretty stable.
As for the weather, it was pretty much great except for the first days when I arrived and a few days at Lion Sands. It never rained, but at times it was pretty gray and got misty.
Mike
Nov 9th, 2010, 06:43 AM
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Mike - Thanks for the comprehensive report and pictures. Any preference between Granite and Ivory lodge? Anything that one does better than the other (e.g. food, service, accommodations)?
Thanks,
Mike
Thanks,
Mike
Nov 13th, 2010, 06:53 PM
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Leopard and hyena together? That really is a rarity!
Lovely photos and it appears you appreciate waterbuck. The leg in the tree is artistically disturbing.
I found 2 Londolozi albums and no Lion Sands album.
Lovely photos and it appears you appreciate waterbuck. The leg in the tree is artistically disturbing.
I found 2 Londolozi albums and no Lion Sands album.
Nov 14th, 2010, 09:44 AM
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Superb pictures- I see you are shooting with three bodies. I am a relatively beginner DSLR photographer and used a basic Canon T2i with a 100-400 L lens in Kenya and Tanzania this summer with quite good results. I see you had an extensive photographic set-up with 3 bodies- a full frame, 1.3X and 1.6X APS- C sensor cameras. Also, that you loaded the prime lens on the APS-C camera (7D) and the 100-400 on the 1.3X Mark IV. How do you like the Mark IV vs the full frame camera? Did the low light capabilities of the Mark IV help with the relatively slow 100-400? Also, how would you compare the Mark IV with the full frame Canon? Again great pictures! Thanks for sharing.
Nov 14th, 2010, 04:23 PM
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Here is the Lion Sands album, I must have screwed up (again)
http://www.pbase.com/mytmoss/lion_sands_2010
Akri, I liked the Mark IV until I had a sensor failure. At that point it wanted to shoot everything at a 1/4000 even with the lens cap on! I had it fixed by Canon as soon as I got home. Up to that point, I felt the Mark IV was doing great, but I was not able to use it the last 4-5 days of my trip.
As for the 100-400, I used it more than I have before in lower light situations and it seemed to perform pretty well. I did also have a 70-200 2.8 with me but I usually shot long and I did not use it too often, although it may be the best lens of the 3 I took. The 400DO with the 1.4 extender worked out amazing well again, I like that combination. The 100-400 is a great workhorse lens and I love using it.
Mike
http://www.pbase.com/mytmoss/lion_sands_2010
Akri, I liked the Mark IV until I had a sensor failure. At that point it wanted to shoot everything at a 1/4000 even with the lens cap on! I had it fixed by Canon as soon as I got home. Up to that point, I felt the Mark IV was doing great, but I was not able to use it the last 4-5 days of my trip.
As for the 100-400, I used it more than I have before in lower light situations and it seemed to perform pretty well. I did also have a 70-200 2.8 with me but I usually shot long and I did not use it too often, although it may be the best lens of the 3 I took. The 400DO with the 1.4 extender worked out amazing well again, I like that combination. The 100-400 is a great workhorse lens and I love using it.
Mike
