Telephoto lens for a single trip

[an_julis]

I am going to Africa in a month for 3 weeks and I would like to get a good telephoto lens to photograph wildlife. What

would you recommend? The camera is D80. Currently I have 18-200 VR lense.

 

Also, is it possible to rent such a lense, instead of buying? I really only need it for this one trip.

[ShunCheung]

Unless your budget is US$5000 or more, your best choice is likely the 300mm/f4 AF-S or perhaps the 80-400mm AF-D VR. I personally don't like the 80-400 because of its slow AF, but that topic has already been debated quite a few times.

 

You can always buy it used and then sell it after the trip. If you are good at bargaining and don't damage the lens, you may be able to "rent" it for free this way. Now there is also Borrow Lenses.com. Their rates look quite reasonable but I have never used their service myself:

http://www.borrowlenses.com/category/nikon_telephoto

 

On a DX sensor DSLR such as the D80, 300mm should be quite good for a lot of African wildlife. If I make that trip again I'll probably bring the 200-400mm/f4 or 500mm/f4. If you bring the 300mm/f4 AF-S, you might want to add a TC-14E for birds.

[alex_lofquist]

I spent considerable time in Kenya and found that my most useful lens was a 70-210 on 35mm film (full frame). After that, I used my 400mm f/5.6 the most: Birds, a leopard in tree, closeups of animal faces, A macro lens is fine for small animals and flora. (Dung beetles, chameleons, butterflies.) If you want to photograph native markets, bring a 35mm or wider. But for wildlife you can never have too much focal length!

[bruce_margolis]

Buying a lens for a one time use might not be a great idea unless you enjoy buying and selling gear. Here are some other rental locations........

 

http://www.thelensdepot.com/

 

http://www.lensprotogo.com/

 

http://www.rentglass.com/

 

http://www.lensrentals.com/

 

http://www.cameralensrentals.com/shop/

[aaron l]

If you live in a big city, you can rent lenses. For animals and birds, you can never seem to have enough reach.

[carl_becker2]

Buying used and selling could very well cost less. Unless you really want to keep it. I purchased a used 400mm f5.6 for $550 and sold it one year later for $500. Three or four weeks rental may cost a fair amount more.

[dcraton]

If you do get the 300/f4 (which I have and use often) AFD, I also might suggest the Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 2X TC. Sometimes you just aren't close enough, notably when shooting the less obvious smaller birds and other wildlife. Tripod for sure.

 

You can get a used 300/f4 AFD in great shape for not a whole lot of money.

 

That's the budget way to do it.

 

Have a great trip.

[ShunCheung]

I am not sure about your exact setting, but in most cases, wildlife photography in Africa is from inside open-top vehicles, although there are some walking safaris. Instead of tripods, most likely you'll be shooting on beanbags or perhaps a window mount.

 

I have an article for the Nature Forum here based on my 1997 trip to Kenya. The information is a bit dated now, but hopefully it is still useful. Since then, we have gone onto a separate trip to Tanzania in 2000 with a similar setting:

http://www.photo.net/nature/kenya.html

 

I included an image there showing how people photograph elephants from a vehicle.

[dcraton]

Shun, true. Some photo safaris are shot from a vehicle. Others allow time out for long shots while stopped. Others are flown out to camps for walkabouts. Another part of our family does nothing but African Photo Photo Safaris every 6 weeks in a variety of settings.

 

An, yes you might want to rent. And pack a small tripod or monopod.

[rarmstrong]

As Shun says, there has been some recent discussion and debate about the 80-400mm Nikkor VR zoom. I bought this lens this past summer and I'm happy with the results. It has limitations which you can read about in the followng thread and links in that thread...

 

http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00QjA6

 

For me, the decision was relatively easy because it was about $4000 less than the flagship 200-400mm Nikkor f4 VR. The 80-400 zoom produces sharp images in good light and can be handheld. Here is an example of handholding this lens in good light last week in San Francisco...<div></div>

[ShunCheung]

Richard, I still feel that the 300mm/f4 AF-S, perhaps in conjunction with the TC-14E, is a better choice than the 80-400mm AF-D VR. Prices are about the same for the two options (300/f4 AF-S + TC-14E vs. 80-400).

The 200-400mm/f4 is of course in a totally different price range.

 

However, at least I wouldn't use any TC stronger than a 1.4x on a 300mm/f4 lens. A 2x TC would make it a 600mm/f8 that will be very difficult to focus and vibration will be a major issue with such magnification and slow maximum aperture.

[rarmstrong]

Shun, I agree with you and I think it's a matter of choice between a fixed telephoto and a zoom. As many have noted, the prime telephotos can often deliver sharper images. But, when you add the TC-14E teleconverter it will slow you down a bit. I've seen some excellent quality images with the 300mm+TC-14E, so I don't think that image quality suffers appreciatively. The rub, as you are well aware, is autofocus. I wish that Nikon had the 80-400mm in an AF-S version...I don't think I'm alone.

[Two23]

If it were me, I'd take either a Nikon 80-400mm VR or the new Sigma 120-400mm OS. The VR really works. The lens is sharp. Only drawback is slower AF. I have been using the Nikon 80-400mm VR and like its compactness too. While the 300mm f4 might be sharper, I'm thinking the 80-400mm VR may actually produce sharper images when no tripod is available or practical. The other thing I really like about zooms is they zoom, and you don't miss fast breaking shots.

 

 

Kent in SD

[Jerry_]

...in you take a tripod, and want the "reach," you could look at the 500mm f8 Ais Reflex-Nikkor lens. On a D80, you have something like 750mm to get close to most animals. And it will close-focus some, too.

[ntv666]

Here are some of the images taken with AFS-300mm with TC14EII attached .Camera Nikon D300<div></div>

[ntv666]

one more shot<div></div>

[ntv666]

The third one<div></div>

[rarmstrong]

Nice shots,Thangavalu! I especially like the third one.

[graeme_hodges]

Ask the man (pro) who knows..and just came back from Botswana doing the very same.

One lens 90% of the time:

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/locations/okavango.shtml

 

Graeme.

[chris_benten]

Having just returned from Kenya & Tanzania, the vast majority of photo shooting was out of a jeep from the road. Only the Maasai Mauri allowed off-road excursions. Therefore get the most zoom you can. I had a 18-250 for my Sony A350 and wanted more. The 80-400 sounds like a good choice. The only issue with the 300 w/ a 1.4x or 2.0x is that you are locked into a single range. A zoom is definitely handy. I think a better choice would be a 70-200 F2.8 with a 2.0x magnifier. Sigma makes a 150-500 which might be interesting.

[dcraton]

This thread proves once again, there are many roads to get the job done. Since An has a zoom, I think that is why several of us recommended a tele with a TC since many other safari trips to that area allow for time out of the vehicle for long shots. Sunsets with animals grazing can be stunning. . .if you have the lens/TC to reach it.

 

However, if you are in vehicle, I would consider renting a nice superzoom as Chris mentioned.

 

Your trip should determine your lens choice. My last trip was 50/50 in and out of vehicle. I packed a zoom, a long tele, TC, and very light Manfrotto monopod in a pack. Oh, and some granola bars. Was so fun.

 

Most of all, have a great trip and enjoy!