Africa safari-bring the tripod or leave it home?

I will be going to Africa next year (Botswana).

This is my first "safari".

I plan on bringing my 500mm f4.5 and my 100-400 IS lens, plus 1.4x

and 2x teleconverter.

I was planning on bringing my bean bag and monopod.

It is the tripod that I question (its a Gitzo with a Kirk head).

It is a lot of weight to carry a very long way.

If we will be shooting from vehicles not sure if there is a need or

not?

Just got Joe McDonald's Photographing on Safari video, and noticed

the McDonald's packed the tripoid. Maybe the two of them share the

tripod?

Seen a few old posts here (1999 ish), but would love some advice from

anyone with recent experience. I expect weight to be more of an

issue, now post 9/11. My photo backpack will be 30 pounds the bid

lenss plus, 2 bodies, a wide/normal zoom, filters, batteries, etc.

So my checked duffel is the questions. Any advice on traveling with

gear or weight coincerns would be helpful too.

Plan to fly from US to South Africa direct then on to Botswana. The

747 over should not be a problem with weight, but I am not sure what

to expect if Africa.

Thanks for the help.

I've never been to Africa so take this with a grain of salt. Some of the nicest Africa pictures I've seen are shots at sunset with a tree or animal in sillohuete (sp?). I can't see how you can take one of those shots with the DOF needed without a tripod. I guess you could make due with resting the camera on the beanbag but I don't know if you could compose your shot with such a limitation.

I have been to East Africa twice but not Bostswana. At least in East Africa, most of the photogrpahy is done w/ beanbags from Land Rovers. I would bring a tripod for occasional use but put it in checked luggage. Just in case it is lost, you can still do most of your shooting without a tripod.

 

In Southern Africa, they tend to use those open Land Rovers, and some people do use tripods from inside the vehicle. That may be an option if you are the only passenger inside. If there are several photographers, I would imagine that the tripods will get into one another's way.

My experience stems from a trip to Kenya and Tanzania. In the parks I visited leaving the vehicle was forbidden, so a tripod, even a monopod was virtually useless. Things may be different in Botswana though.

 

Just my 2�c,

You do NOT need a tripod on a safari. All of your wildlife shooting will be done from vehicles (do you really want to be setting up your tripod 20 feet from a lion?) and tripods are basically useless in vehicles.

 

What you want is a beanbag kind of support. I have one made by Kinesis and am quite happy with it. Bring it empty, then buy ten pounds or so of rice in any local store and fill it up. Works wonderfully.

 

Two notes: (1) it helps is the beanbag is a bit high -- again, look at the Kinesis one; and (2) Tell the driver to shut off the engine when you are shooting...

The beanbag is perfect for shooting from jeeps. I hadn't tried using a tripod, but my feeling is that a beanbag can be both more convenient and more stable than a monopod (assuming the car is not shaking, but then nothing - apart IS or VR, that is - could help).

 

However, you could always find some use for a tripod: sometimes you are allowed to get off the car (e.g. along a river to see/take pictures of hippos) and you might stay in a camp close to something worth photographing (e.g. one of the camp where I stayed was on the banks of a river with a large and varied population of animals - hippos, crocodiles, birds, monkeys...)

 

Concerning internal flights in Africa, I can only comment on my experience in Kenia (one month ago): we were flying from NP to NP (Tsavo, Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Kimana) on a small Twin Otter (20 people). We usually put everything in the fore and aft luggage compartments, and noone ever checked the weight of the luggage (if that's the problem). I usually waited for everyone to put their bags in the luggage compartment before doing the same with my photo backpack.

Hi Chris,

 

maybe my answer will help you a bit as I have been to Botswana a few times. And to most of the other safari countries in Africa as well.

 

If you will be able to use a tripod depends very much on the kind of vehicle you'll be using and with how many people you'll have to share it. If you are sharing the vehicle then a tripod will be useless there. There simply won't be any room and the other passengers will be moving and "shaking" the vehicle.

 

If you are alone in the vehicle (organized private safari) then you may have place to put up a tripod. Most companies use open Land Rovers, which can seat up to 10 or even 12 people.

 

For photography from the vehicle, a beanbag would be nest. Most of these vehicle have some kind of metal bars (like a rollbar) on which you could rest the beanbag.

 

If you also spend some time in camp or in a lodge, you may use the tripod for (bird) photography over there. With a busy schedule however you may not have much time for this.

 

As others have mentioned of course you are not allowed to leave the vehicle inside the parks. So setting up a tripod there is not possible.

 

Personally I always take my heavy Gitzo tripod (G1505) with me on these trips. It is a pain since it takes up so much of the maximum allowed weigth. Of course I always put my tripod in the checked luggage, in a big hard Samsonite case. I have used it quite a bit in Botswana, both around camp and inside the parks. We used it to photograph from the roof of our car and even put it up next to the car. of course this last thing is normally NOT allowed!!!

 

Bringing all your gear in the plane can be difficult. Don't know which airline you fly. US airlines are so easy on handluggage, others can be very strict. Often handlugage has to be weighed. I presume the flight from Jo'burg to Maun (?) will be with a small airliner. You won't have too much problems there. Only if you also fly into the area (eg into the Okavango delta) you may use a very small aircraft, in which hardcases are not allowed. These also have very strict weigth allowances, much less than normal airliners.

 

For some more info, have look at my website.

Have a great trip!

Hans

www.wildpicture.com

The best piece of equipment for your needs is a Y-POD. It can be used from a vehicle. Take a look at my pictures and let me know what you think.

regards, James.<div></div>

I travelled to Kenya twice without a tripod. However, there were a few places that I could have used one. I was working there at Kenya Railways and had a fair amount of time on my hands. I would go to places that the average tourist would not, such as the markets, museums, and parks that could have used the stability gained by a tripod. The McDonalds use a tripod in that they need the very sharpest photos for their sales. If you don't intend to publish, a tripod is probably redundant. I admit that I would consider carrying a light (CF) one should I return to Africa.

 

No matter what, I expect that you will have the greatest time there.

 

Best wishes, Alex

Although I have not been to Botswana I have been to Kenya with the McDonalds twice. I took my tripod the first time but not the second. We used at least 2 bean bags on top of the land rovers. Joe and Mary Ann use their tripods around the camps and for sunrise shoots when away from animals and they use carbon fibre gitzo. I did use a monopod around camps for small birds.

 

There is a plate available that is good for flight-shot panning. Don't remember the name. It sits on top of the bean bag.

 

Eleanor kee Wellman

One thing you might notice about your 4wd safari vehicle is that it does not have any doors (many dont) apparently the lions have not worked out that they could just reach in and pull out a squealing tasty snack?? sitting with a monopod between your knees is fairly ok, but dont nescessarily expect to be able to rest your camera on anything handy. be prepared for anything!! take a tripod if only for the obligatory gratuitous sunset shot?? - also lightning / atmospherics depending on the time of year.

 

Much of the action on safari happens at night - lions etc are very active at night - do you have / can you borrow a camcorder with IR nightshot?? take it along and ask for a night excursion - it will blow you away to be sitting in an open car at night and seeing a pride of lions getting ready for a hunt 10 feet away... on my next trip i intend to purchase a strong IR illuminator for Vid + IR film work - fingers crossed for some success..

 

some airlines are much more facist than others about weight restrictions, and things have severely tightened up - phone the airline and ask as most have a guideline about how much the rules can be stretched. If my carry on luggage is very heavy, i tend to have a friend hold it for me out of sight while i check in.....

 

Buy good insurance!

Chris,

most of the advice you need has been given. Maybe you could check with the safaricompany you're going with what type of vehicles they use, how many people they seat in general. And tell them what your plans are.

I did this on a recent trip to a gamepark in South Africa and one of the rangers in the park happens to be a photographer. I took my tripod along and each gamedrive I asked him where we would go, how may people were coming; so depending on the drive I would take my tripod or not. Often the afternoon gamedrive ends at a waterhole to watch the sunset; great shooting opportunities. Also, the morning gamedrive usually ends at around 9-11 and the afternoon gamedrive starts around 15.00 or later, so in between there is quiet some time. So you could also check your itinerary and ask where you would be staying in between gamedrives. On our last trip whe stayed in between drives at the lodge, which had a big hide looking over a waterhole; in front af the restaurant was another waterhole. There was game all the time during the day.

In Botswana you probably will be going to Moremi, Chobe or some of the other known parks; in some of them there are baboons roaming around etc. If you ask the right questions you'll have a better idea of whether to bring your tripod or not. Lucky you going to Botswana!

Depending on the vehicle used, there are other alternatives. Consider a window mount, used in conjunction with a beanbag.

 

If the vehicle is open and has tubular safety bars, then Manfrotto make a clamp that will fit these bars nicely. This clamp would only be useful for the 100-400 though.

 

If you are in an open vehicle, make sure you grab the front seat, as the front of the vehicle makes a good beanbag support.

 

It is important to find out the type of vehicle you will be using.

 

Hope this helps

 

Michael Wain

The clamp I was talking about was the Manfrotto 035 super clamp. As I said before this would be useful for the 100-400.

 

Regards

 

M Wain

I was on safari in South Africa 3 weeks ago and took a tripod (Bogen 3221 -- not light, but I'm glad I took it 'cause I used it a lot), a monopod and a beanbag and while I used all three, I used the tripod for 90% of the time, mainly because I found it sturdier than the monopod and there was nothing to rest the beanbag on.

 

In the jeeps we were driving in (Land Rover Defenders, which seem to be standard for the private reserves in SA), I found one row of seats that straddled the back wheel to be ideal; I put two of the tripod legs on this flat hump over the wheel inside the vehicle and the third leg on the footplate outside the vehicle. Of course, this only worked for subjects on that side of the vehicle; the rest of the time I used the tripod as a monopod, either on the seat with all the legs collapsed or with legs extended to the floor. Maneouvrability wasn't good, but it worked.

 

The drivers always shut the engines off to help the wildlife adjust to the vehicle's presence anyway, so your biggest issue then will be trying to keep other people in the jeep still! Take some fast film and pick the best part of the vehicle for your needs.

If you are heading into the Okavango Delta be prepared for a shock. Moving around the Delta from camp to camp is achieved by small (and I mean tiny) bush planes. You baggage weight allowance will be incredibly small, for a good reason � the hold space is almost nil. I struggled to fit my camera bag in through the small opening. So think carefully about what equipment you really need. Don�t� think you can pay for additional baggage either (unless you want to charter an additional plane just for your camera outfit), the space just doesn�t exist.

 

As already mentioned the trucks often have no doors, some also have plenty of floor space, enough to use a tripod within the vehicle. I�ve also been on a couple of boats that also allowed me to use a tripod satisfactorily. So I�d recommend taking one if you can.

 

The best advice you have been given is to contact your safari company and quiz them to death. Check out the places where you are going, you will probably find them on the web and can contact the camps directly for detailed answers to your questions. These people want to give you the best experience they can and will be glad to help.

Chris, I would not leave the tripod behind. I have been in Africa on my own, not on a Safari photography tour, however, I recently talked to a Safari tour leader who takes photographers to Kenya and who says that there are indeed opportunities to get off the vehicle and use a tripod. I personally use a tripod all the time, unless that I am forced to use a window mount. I would suggest that you talk to your tour leader and ask him/her specifically what are his/her recommendations about this subject.

 

Ligia