Going on safari - what camera gear do I need (and other adv)

[Ari]

We've booked a safari in Africa - my OH has always wanted to do it so we're doing it!

In fact, I think it's three days actually on Safari, we're hiring a car and doing the Garden Route first which is a drive along the south coast I believe (she's organised it).

I've got a Nikon D600 with F2.8 14-24, 24-70, 70 - 300 lenses. I'm thinking they'll all have their uses, although it's a lot to cart about (heavy too).

I've also got a 70-300 4.5-5.6 which is much lighter and has a longer reach than the 70-200 F2.8, albeit it doesn't get such great shots.

I'm also wondering whether I ought to hire a longer lens, maybe a 200-400?

Basically I'm after advice from anyone that's done it as I have no idea what to expect or what I'll actually need.

Any thoughts gentlemen?

[wseed]

I've not been on an African safari but have done them elsewhere, India and Sri Lanka and wildlife drives in North America.

I found I needed a mix of lenses and the ability to swap quickly as we encountered different subjects and locations. One moment you might be photographing a bear that's come up to your car so you're using your 70-200 next you come across a herd of elephants and want a wide shot of that when in creeps a leopard where you want a 400mm+

I tried to get by with a similar bag as your first list (Canon equivalent) with the addition of the 2x converter which to be honest I'm pretty disappointed in I think an aggressive crop may result in better images. I think if I was doing a similar again I might be tempted by one of the longer zooms like the BigMa as although they don;t have the fast apertures modern cameras cope well enough to up the ISO to keep the shutter speeds.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you might need to keep your gear safe, I know plenty of people that have been mugged in SA for less than a nice camera bag.

[Ari]

That's a good point about security. I have a Thinktank roller flight bag thing that the kit lives and travels in, and then a messenger style shoulder bag, so I guess the trick would be to keep it in the former, but take the latter with reduced kit when we're out and about.

[DavidY]

Surely a second body should be a massive consideration here, for several reasons:-

1) You have a backup in case anything fails with your main body, don't want to be on a holiday of a lifetime with a bust camera on day 1!!!
2) You can have each camera loaded up with a different lens, thus reducing lens swapping.
3) Having a crop sensor in your second body would extend the reach of your lenses

[Ari]

Ah, yes, good point. I have a D7000 as a second body, so crop sensor.

Probably a good compromise to keep the 24-70 on the D600 and the 70-300 on the D7000.

[Willy Nilly]

You're going to need to take staff to carry all your gear. It's all very well wanting to take some good holiday snaps, just don't let it get in the way of the actual holiday.

[LooneyTunes]

If you're taking internal flights, check your weight limit.

I ended up with 2kg for clothes after I'd packed my cameras...

[RobDickinson]

Not been on safari but know a lot who have.

And you cannot have too much reach. I would recommend the longest lens on the crop body ( 200-400 if you can rent, or perhaps the tamron 150-600).

Go for the standard zoom on the FF. You can always switch around if needed

[crmcatee]

A friend just came back from Masai Marra - 90% of his pics were taken with a 600mm the rest were with a 125 - 300.

[mike9009]

We spent 8 days in Kenya on safari a few years back. At the time I had just invested in a SLR (400D). I found most the time I got away with a 70-300 lens (also had an 1-55 kit lens which I did not really use for any wild life stuff. You do get quite close to some animals - but generally there are hoards of other vehicles around (especially in the Masai Mara). I suspect something a little further reaching may have been of benefit for some shots - but I got what I needed from what I had......

If you get an animal close to your vehicle, you will generally be shooting downwards - which does not create the best of shots anyway......

The best parks are those off the beaten track (Sambura was good from memory) and IMO up close shots did not happen much for us (except for a Leopard we got really close to with only two other vehicles around...).

Also, don't ruin your holiday by looking through the lens all the time and being a slave to it. My missus made me leave the camera at the various lodges a couple of times which really did make me appreciate where we were....

[Elderly]

Lens choice could depend on your style of photography.

If you want to take 'encyclopaedia type' close-ups of animals
then yes, you are going to need L O N G lenses.
You then have to be able to steady these; a beanbag or a monopod would be a good idea depending on what kind of vehicle you will be in.

I've only done one safari but I much preferred to produce images of
the animals in an overall context, for which I didn't need really long lenses.

There is no substitute for a small completely open-sided vehicle (which you are not sharing with strangers who may have other priorities), a good guide, and lots of patience.
Oh - and choosing the right time of year; if you go too soon after the rainy season, the long grass will not have yet dried out and been broken down so making it hard to photograph the animals walking through it. Also if the water holes have not yet dried out, the animals will not bother to roam to more photographically interesting places looking for water.

I presume that S. African safaris are very civilized gold plated taps etc
but where I went, electric power was erratic and so I took many camera batteries and a second charger.