Help reassure me I'm ready for my safari?

[chris_wiggins1]

My wife and I are going on a 3 day safari in Tanzania, through the Ngororo crater, and then the Sarengeti.

We'll be staying in resorts, not camps. I've posted a list of all the photo gear I'm planning on bringing, but

this is my first time and really want to make sure I have what I need. Would love it if someone who's done

this before could give my list a once-over and make sure it seems pretty good?

 

http://beautifulbokeh.typepad.com/beautiful_bokeh/2008/02/two-safaris-in.html

 

-chris<div></div>

[scot]

One body?

[scot]

Never mind my last post; I just realized you're taking a D40 as well. And your wife's film gear.

 

Please post some shots when you get back. Have fun.

[SCL]

My Gawd, yes. You'll have a tough time outrunning the animals lugging all that gear. Seriously, have a great time.

[bruce_margolis]

Chris, I think you are ready for just about anything but a couple things you might want to consider.....

 

The first thing that comes to mind is additional memory. If you start rapid firing your D200, you can blow through what you have in no time. Also, in the event one of your cards goes bad, it is not like there will be a camera store nearby to get a replacement.

 

Another thing would be a power converter and you may need some kind of universal adapter.

 

The only other thing I see missing is lighting. I assume that is by choice.

 

Wow, great trip. Have a ball.

[mariosforsos]

Sooooo....you're lugging all that with you for a 3-day safari? Man, I don't even want to

think of what you'd take on a 4-week trek across China...a truck full of gear maybe?

 

Seriously, I think that, however complete your kit is, the average animal will hear you

panting as you approach from a mile away carrying 20 pounds of stuff in the african heat.

Without wanting to sound anything but encouraging, maybe you'd like to lighten the load a

bit...in 3 days you'll hardly have the time to shoot all the things you will come across, let

alone juggle 5 lenses across two bodies (without counting the filter switching). I'll be the

first to tell you you have EVERYTHING anyone could EVER hope to have one a 3- day trip,

I'll agree with the "more CF memory" point made above and insist you try hard to decide

what to leave behind.

 

But then again, that's just me. Every time I travel (which is usually for more than 3 days) I

struggle with the same problem - what to take and what to leave behind...

[chris_wiggins1]

Thanks guys, yeah, I have been suspicious it's too much. I might kill the 70-200 (which is

painful because I love it sooo much). And I just ordered some more cards, thanks guys.

 

In my defense though, even though the safari proper is only 3 days, we'll be in Tanzania

for another 2 weeks staying with my parents in Bunda and going on day-excursions from

there. :P

 

Seriously thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

 

-chris

[frank uhlig]

I felephants had cameras, you would be a prime subject of their shooting.

 

So much gear, so few days (just 3 ???) and so few elephants.

 

You are "overprepared" and "overloaded", clearly. Enjoy your headache when on location: Where did I put the ... and losing the chance to a good many good quick pics. But you will carry your burden like a man, right! Good luck then.

[ken munn]

Been there, done it. Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Lake something-or-other (Manyara?).

Almost all my shots were taken standing from the back of the safari van (with a pop-top

roof) using a 400mm lens (on film), camera on an aliminium monopod. The only other lens

I used was a 28-105, and I used that very infrequently, and at the wider end. No chance

to do macro - no giant bugs or lizards that I saw, except one that was big enough not to

need macro. All the time I found myself wishing for more length (but that's men for you!).

A 500mm would have been nice, a 600mm nicer. The lions (etc) will usually be close

enough that you don't need a long lens, but having one lets you do detail shots of them,

rather than "here's another lion". Leopards were hard to get close to and a long(er) lens

was essential. Cheethas were sort of middle-distance cats -long lens very helpful.

Elephants and giraffes were easy to get closer to, so too wildebeest, buffalo, zebra,

warthogs and the various gazelles, antelopes, etc - they don't seem to regard safari vans

as a threat. Birds (and there are some VERY spectacular ones) need mm by the hundred,

although we did once drive down a track about 20 metres behind a very cool ostrich.. In

Ngorongoro a hippo walked out of the lake and then lay down to snooze about 10 yards

away. I have a close up of his much-scarred head hanging on my office wall. Never got

close enough to a rhino to even be sure it was one, even through 10x binos. Baboons

come close, as do jackals and hyena.

 

If I were going again, I'd do nothing different except take a longer lens (than 400), a

general purpose standard zoom and loads of pens to give to the school children. Keep

protection filters on your lenses - it can be very dusty. And your wife should take a

selection of sports bras - the roads don't feature much two lane blacktop.

[garydem]

try the following 2 articles-

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/techniques/digital-safari.shtml;

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/Safari-Tips.shtml;

[stevepamp]

Everything Ken said. I did the 5 day version in Tanzania last year. 90% of my shots were with a 100-400mm racked out all the way to 400 on a 1.6 crop camera and I still found myself wishing for more length at times. If I were you I would take the longest lens you can get your hands on, a wide-short tele zoom for atmospheric and candid shots, and more memory than you think you'll ever need.

[nutleigh_sivrupp]

Way too much kit.

 

And not the right stuff, you're long on short, and short on long.

 

Short-term solution, get yourself a 1.7x TC.

 

You also need more memory, and dust protection (the dust is going to LOVE your wife's kit). Also consider the real risk of the locals relieving you of some of your kit, unless you plan on carrying it all with you every day!

[ken munn]

There aren't many locals in the safari areas, and I'm sure the Masai would be very insulted by

your suggestion.

[alex_lofquist]

You need at least two compatable film bodies. If one fails you don't want to be without anything. (I had the shutter fail on one of my cameras on my first trip to East Africa.) Bring a few Zip-Lock bags to protect your gear. It is not jungle, but dusty savannah grasslands. Forget the tripod and monopod. They aren't practical in a vehicle where you will be spending most of your time. A beanbag that can be filled locally will do just fine, though I just used my rolled-up jacket to hold my cameras. I think that a flash with a Better Beamer for fill-in could be worthwhile. Bring your 70-200 and the 300 f/2.8. A 1.4X TC is more useful than a 2X. The only filter you'll ever need is a polarizer. A 500D close-up lens on your 70-200 will give you some macro capability. There are occasions for it. (Flowers, chameleons, and dung beetles, for example.) I wouldn't bring any roll-film camera. (Perhaps you could teach your wife to use one of yours.)

I never found any real use for a wideangle lens unless it was at one of the local markets. Take light binoculars and sunglasses. Wear a broad-brimmed hat. Get a field guide to African wildlife. Enjoy yourself!

[chris_wiggins1]

thanks for all the tips guys. Great stuff and I'm taking a lot of it to heart.

 

One thing though, that I should have mentioned in the original post: Though the safari is

only 3 days, my visit to Tanzania is 15 days long. I will be based in bunda (where my parents

live) and taking day trips for landscape/local wildlife photography for the rest of the time,

hence the wide angle, tripod etc.

[ken munn]

"The only filter you'll ever need is a polarizer."

 

Disagree. Plain filters (or UV or skylight or whatever they're called this week) are essential if

you want to keep dust off the front elements. Using a polariser for that just slows down your

speeds or ups your ISO.

[neill_farmer2]

Ken's advice is good. I went to Kenya for 2 weeks. Took a XTi, 100-400 LIS, 70-200 2.8, 85mm, 50mm, 24-70mm. 16G memory and 3 spare batteries. Shot fine L jpgs. Came home with about 2G spare. Out of around 3000 images I ended up printing maybe 20 top shots, There's probably another 50 equally as good but of similar content.

Next time will take 2 bodies, maybe a longer prime, the 100-400, and a 17-85, and a bit more memory, shoot raws. While it's handy to cover most focal lengths for the time the lion is 3 feet from you at the side of the Landrover it will be the long lens that captures 95% of your shots. 3 days is pretty short, man, I've been to places where the first 3 days were pretty sparse, no lions and one cheetah. Hope you see more. May I suggest next time you go for longer, stay in the smaller camps, enjoy the Africaness?

If I was going for 3 days I think I'd take one camera, two lenses (17-85 and 100-400) 12G memory and a couple of batteries. That mono pod is just going to get in the way, things can happen quickly.

One good thing about going for 3 days, you'll spend the next few years figuring out when you can return for longer.

PS travel light, little planes over there.

[Ian Taylor]

Choices choices choices choices.

<p>

Damn, I missed the shot!

[neill_farmer2]

Sorry Chris, didn't realise you were staying longer. Still think you have too much kit, keep it simple. If you charge your batteries at the lodge office make sure you mark your battery. A lot of batteries look the same and it's too late to find you've been given someone elses half way through the morning. Travel light, My wife and I travel with a backpack each, each is under 12kg, my camera bag, a lowepro mini trekker, into which goes all travel docs as well and my wife has her carry on. Nothing worse than trying to keep track of 6 bags at transfers, been there, never want to go back.

[chris_wiggins1]

Thanks Neill, after hearing all this I'm convinced I'm being a little paranoid about being there

and wishing I had something. I'm definitely going to pair down...losing the macro lens for

sure, and probably the tripod. We definitely won't take anything that we can't fit into two

carry-on bags a piece we've decided.

 

Thanks for responding.

[ilkka]

Sounds like the animals have got more cautious. When I went to Tanzania for three weeks about 15 years ago, I carried a 35, 135 and 300 (on a film body, of course). A longer lens would have been occasionally useful, but I think I did fine with those. I would not want to carry more than that. Two cameras, of course, to have a backup. With modern zooms, I would take a short one and a long one, something like 24-70 and 100-400. If I really was serious, I would also take a fast fixed focal length lens, 180, 200, 300 or something like that. But maybe not for a 3 day trip. 1.4 extender is small and light as well so no problem taking that as well.

[chris_wiggins1]

Safari's over and we're back. You can see/read about the results of my work with my digital

kit as well as my wife's antique camera shots here:

 

http://beautifulbokeh.typepad.com/beautiful_bokeh/the_safari/index.html