In fact he is the founder of Nikongear.com! He has a thread at dpreview about safari photo gear http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/53394497 and other articles about M43 at another site of his: http://www.photographers.travel/ Inspiring stuff!
I'd entirely expect a professional to choose the best tools for his or her trade, eschewing emotional attachment to a manufacturer for logical analysis of the options. As Art writes above, for travel m43 is a clear choice at this point for travel. The almost religious attachment some have for 35mm full frame equipment is a little amusing. It was not that long ago that 35mm was the amateur's choice, "true professionals" shot medium format with Hasselblad or Mamiya equipment.
I know Dallas pretty well, and he made a multi-faceted decision on switching to m43. The kinds of shooting he does fits within the m43 gear structure quite well.
The telephoto performance of m43 with the 43 glass was one of the reasons I went with the E-M5. The shots I have been getting with the E-M1 and the 150f2 are fantastic, and I can fit the whole kit in a Hadley Pro (it will fit in a Hadley small, but the ergonomics are a bit challenging).
I think for what he does, Dallas made a sensible decision switching to m43. He has some pretty interesting articles on his blog, but I was amazed to read that he rates the Oly 12-40 as good as and better wide open than the "legendary" Nikon 12-70/2.8!
Once the AF tracking on the mirrorless cameras get to the same level as a Canikon DSLR... I'd be hard pressed to keep any of my Nikon gear. Well... I'll never get rid of my Df...I just love that thing.
I wonder what he was taking with him for the gear to weigh 20kg? Yesterday I weighed my E-M1, RRS grip, 7-14mm, 14-35mm, 35-100mm, EC-14 and batteries/charger and they all came to 5kg, and the 4/3 lenses aren't exactly light.
1) Really long telephotos weigh 2kg each, 2) he's probably counting literally everything including the bag, and 3) he's probably exaggerating to drive home a point, which is still valid. There's a David Thorpe youtube video on why he switched to M43 and I think he claims his DSLR kit weight 12kg and that didn't even include any LARGE telephoto lenses. It adds up.
I found his detail blog post, the 20kg is the FULL kit, including 2 DSLR bodies and their lenses plus the EM5 and its lenses.
If I were going to Africa for a personal photo trip, I'd just take the kit that I mentioned. I think every lion, elephant, crocodile etc has been already photographed, in every pose possible, they probably all have a routine by now for tourists. I'd be looking for other things to photograph, thing that have likely been overlooked because of the fascination for wild animals.
I think this is a useful comment. The other thing that crossed my mind was that unless you had spent some time in this sort of location (ie the savannah) shooting animals you might only get mostly average shots. I have been shooting paddling for several years. I can guarantee that both my equipment choices are better and that my skill has increased over the last three years. My earlier images were OK, but nothing like my new ones. 2012 (typical effort by most amateurs): {} 2013 (better but lacking some punch and clarity): {} 2014 (I doubt I am going to do much better): {} The interesting thing is these are all 4/3 sensors that are all the same size.
I'm never the average tourist! I absolutely hate guided tours and prefer to find my own way, and I'm not greatly interested in monuments etc. And I wouldn't take my 90-250mm overseas. I fully agree that if you really want to get unique shots of wild animals, you need to visit an area frequently, learn about their habits, how they behave in different seasons, pick the right time of day etc.
Most of us simply want our own shots of wild animals. It is a special feeling in a safari park, spotting these big fellas, sharing their space for a little while, a bit of respect and awe, and getting a good photo.
I'm just saying what I would prefer to do, as those amazing shots you often see aren't taken on a guided wildlife tour on the back of a Landrover, with half a dozen other eager camera wielders. This takes more effort: http://www.collthings.co.uk/2010/05/creative-nature-photography-by-nick.html. I'm not saying that you can't get a shot like one of those on a guided tour, but it'll more than likely just be pure luck. And at the end of the page is a link to his website, check out the 'Behind the Photo' page and see what he uses.
Given that Nick Brandt has made numerous visits to the African continent over a period of at least ten years and in one instance describes following a lion for a full 18 days, I think that you're going to need a fair amount of spare time, money and contacts/local knowledge to attempt to emulate him. He has certainly taken some amazing images in his time there.
I know Nick Brandt's work and what he uses. Superb artist at work there. Then there's that guy who stood up to his neck in a muddy, malaria-infested pond for month after month to shoot lions almost face-to-face with, basically, a standard lens. But I think this thread is about general travel safari photography and the µ4/3 system.
