THE STORY OF A SIGMA LENS

The afternoon is still hot, when we set off for a game drive. "I wonder if I am going to be lucky like Marcel," muses Noel. Noel had brought some Sigma demonstration lenses with him. He makes me wrap the lenses in a towel, and then pass them through the car window at sightings. People are then able to try out the lenses with their camera bodies. I tell the Mullins this is how we met Anton de Villiers in the Kalahari. It was about 1994, when Noel, myself, our young son, and Jan Hamman were travelling in the Park. It was then known as the Kalahari Gemsbok Park. It had started to rain, and it was dismal and overcast. We had stopped at a lion sighting, when a bakkie ( light delivery vehicle ) pulled up next to us. "Oh shame," said Jan " " look at this poor guy trying to photograph the lion in the rain, with his short lens. Let's help him." I wrapped Noel's 500 F4 lens in a shirt that was in lying in the car, so that the elements would not get wet in the rain. Jan then passed the lens through the car window to Anton. Anton was very surprised that strangers would lend him a lens. Later, back at camp, we introduced ourselves. Anton and Noel and Jan became firm friends. They travelled together on many photographic trips in the Kalahari, the Drakensberg  and even to Etosha.

Yesterday afternoon, we were exhausted from driving from Nossob, and then having to set up camp in the heat. Noel decided not to go for a game drive, but work instead. He dusted off the Sigma lenses, and put them out on our camping table. He invited fellow-campers to try out the lenses. Marcel had travelled all the way from the Netherlands to visit the Park. His eyes lit up when Noel said that he could use the Sigma 300 -800 mm F5.6 lens.

It was much later that Marcel and his wife pulled up at our campsite. "Noel," he said with a dismal look on his face,"this lens is no good. It is very bad."
                                                                               "Why ?," asked Noel looking alarmed. Noel had taken many photos with that lens, and was extremely happy with the results.
                                                                                                           "Look here, look at these terrible photographs," said Marcel sounding very agitated. Hearing the commotion, we all clustered around Marcel's camera. "Terrible, terrible ! Look the photos are even pornographic," said the wide-eyed Marcel. We all looked, and then we laughed. Marcel had been joking with us. He had once-in-a-lifetime pics of mating lions. Well done, Marcel !

Photos: Marcel Smidt











I scanned the Auob riverbed with its fifty shades of grey sand, but I did not see any "pornography". We were just a touch envious of Marcel's pics, but we do know that he would not have got these shots if he wasn't using a Sigma lens !

Anton came to visit us at Mata Mata, with his wife, Elanie, and cute daughter, Antonelle. He was staying at Twee Rivieren, and was then going to camp at Nossob. "These roads are really awful, I wonder when they were last graded," complained Anton.
                                                    "Ja," agreed Noel, "look at my Land Rover's dashboard. It is going to fall off."
        "Noel, you can't repair your dashboard with insulation tape," said Anton, handing Noel a roll of duct tape. "Here, use this."

The roads were in a dreadful condition. The garage at Mata Mata did not have a puncture repair kit, and Dave had to use Geoff's repair kit to plug his tyre. The ablutions were only serviced once week, so they were often in a sad state. The tyre pressure gauge at Twee Rivieren did not work. The garages did not stock all the grades of engine oil. Standards are definitely slipping, SANParks !