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artsupreme wrote:
I'm finally back from Safari and trying to acclimate to my time zone again. I met a lot of photographers in Africa this year and several of them made some costly mistakes with gear so I'm going to refresh this list from my post on the bottom of page 18 of this thread. I have a lot more safari time under my belt since I last posted so I'll refresh the list with a couple more notes.
Questions to ask yourself to determine your gear choice:
1. Are you going to National Parks or Private Conservancies? This is one of the most important questions for gear choice. Personally, I would stay away from National Parks when at all possible. My experience with passing through some of them were often quite humorous. You could call them "binocular safaris" because often the animals are so far away you can't see them without binoculars. And then, you have Disneyland ride type vans packed like sardines with iPhone "selfie" tourists aggressively jockeying for a position to see the tail of a sleeping lion in tall grass behind a thick bush. I saw this many times in NP's and it's a complete shit show, no thanks. And, I wasn't there during the peak season either when things get much worse. I just had to laugh and appreciate the conservancies even more. In the conservancies, if you want to push your luck and your guide is comfortable with your demeanor, you can get face to face with Lions and Elephants. I did several times and during some sightings there was only 5ft separating me from huge Lions staring me down. I was hanging out the side of the vehicle below eye level so I was in a very vulnerable position. They could have easily bit my head off with one quick bite, but I have faith. It's quite the rush. Note, you can't even get out of the vehicles in National Parks so keep that in mind. I would suggest saving your money and plan to visit conservancies 90% of the time if possible. If the NP's are your only option, then longer glass would be recommended. I did have some nice photo opportunities while passing through some NP's, but I would never plan a safari to visit the NP's. You have annoying crowds and zero flexibility in the NP's compared to very few vehicles and 100% flexibility in the conservancies. If you are headed to the conservancies, a 700-200 2.8 and 400 2.8 is a great setup. This latest trip I brought the Canon RF 100-300 2.8 and RF 400 2.8 and it's a perfect setup. Give me a flickable TC in the 400mm like Nikon has and it would be the icing on the cake. I did have both RF 1.4x and 2x TC's that I slapped on just for fun occasionally but they aren't necessary.
2. What are you shooting, birds or the big five? This is obvious, if you want to shoot birds then 600mm + would be ideal, even in a conservancy. Note, you can still get great bird shots with shorter glass in conservancies as you can drive right up to them. I got out and laid in the grass with some eagles as they were busy eating a baby warthog, so they didn't flinch. I'm not into birds, but I got several bird shots along the way with my 100-300 and 400.
3. What region are you visiting? Will you be visiting wide open plains of the Serengeti and Mara, or will you be headed to areas with more bush/vegetation that prevents you from getting close to the animals? If you aren't familiar with the terrain, do your research ahead of time to figure out if you need longer glass for areas that are less accessible when off-roading. In less bushy areas, you can easily drive right up to the wildlife and position your landcruiser to accommodate your focal length. I was often telling my guide to get back farther, even with the 300.
4. Do you crop often? I don't, but if this is your thing then you can obviously get away with shorter focal lengths
5. What is your aperture preference? If you like shooting large apertures, then bring a nice fast prime to compliment any slow zooms you may bring. I would rather bring a 135 f/2, 70-200 f/2.8, and even a 300 2.8 instead of the RF 100-500 zoom. There are animals at all focal lengths in the conservancies so primes work just fine. And you'll need the fast glass often for the low light stuff considering the action is very close in the conservancies. Which brings me to the next question I didn't include last time.
6. Are you planning on doing any night game drives? If yes, bring your fastest glass available. If a Canon user, I would attach an EF 135 f/2 to one body and a 70-200 f/2.8 to a second body, or better yet an RF 100-300 2.8 if you can get your hands on one. I met a couple guys who only brought their RF 100-500's and 500 f/4's. I said, "you think you are going to use those 100-500's tonight on the game drives?" Later they told me, " I see what you mean"....they were not happy but it's their first BBQ and they learned an expensive lesson. With that said, for any Canon users thinking the 100-500 or new 200-800 would be great for Safari, your shooting windows will be limited and heat shimmer will often come into play. Bring something fast, you'll need it.
7. What time of the year? If it's hot and dry then heat shimmer can be a big problem even at shorter focal lengths. If wet, not much of an issue with long focal lengths other than the occasional down pour. I love the dry season look whereas others like the green wet look. This is definitely something to think about when planning your trip. Heat shimmer can easily come into play as short as 300mm on semi-warm days. So if you go when it's warm, count on only using your long glass for distant subjects at first light before things heat up. If you are getting low and shooting from the ground, it only gets worse.
8. Do you want to shoot video along with stills? If yes, you'll likely need ND filters. It's not easy being a hybrid shooter if you want to shoot large apertures because ND's are required and I don't prefer to shoot stills through ND's in good lighting. If you want to shoot both stills and video, I would suggest setting up different bodies for each purpose.
8. Do you have a rocket blaster? If not buy one and bring it. It's pretty key to have one on you in the Landcruiser.
9. Are you thinking you'll use something in the 24-105 range for animals? It's very unlikely unless you like shooting down on animals. You might as well use your iPhone at close ranges as it will look very similar. Bring something else instead like a fast wide prime.
10. Are you a serious photographer who wants the absolute most from your photographic opportunities in Africa or are you okay with just enjoying the ride with a slow zoom kit and your iPhone? If you are the serious kind, then don't skimp and bring everything you want or you will regret it. The guys I met above who only brought their 100-500's because they were worried about carry-on weight were bummed not to have their faster glass they left at home. There were at least 6 photographers I met throughout my travels who skimped and they were all pretty bummed not to have better glass. Don't make this mistake. They all asked me how I got all my gear over there and I told them how to get creative. I lugged around 80+ lbs of gear during my whole trip, which consisted of 11 different flights and multiple camps/regions. Luckily my lady and I are into fitness and carrying the heavy load at least 4 times per day was welcomed as it was our only time for exercise. If you don't own or can't afford fast glass then hopefully you are able to rent it somewhere. Africa is not a cheap trip and it's a very long trek for some of us so bring the best gear possible if you are serious about photography.
11. Have you researched the type of vehicle you'll be shooting from at your camp? You can ask the camps to send you photos of their vehicles. The vehicles and setups inside make a huge difference in your photography. Obviously it would be ideal to get your own private vehicle, but that gets expensive so try to at least share one with someone else so you are not stuffed like sardines with iPhone shooters who want to be home before lunch or sunset.
Last thing I would suggest is to try to get in shape before your trip if you know you are the serious type who will be hustling to maximize your time in the bush and getting the best angles. Hanging over the side of the vehicle while holding and operating heavy gear is no joke when you are out there for 10+ hours a day in the vehicle. In October, Kenya got pretty hot on several days. Close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit on many days in different regions.
Good luck, preparation is key. ...Show more →
Just curious - Did you use a tour provider? If so, are you willing to share which one?
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