lense for Tanzania safari

[tom_williams12]

<p>I have a Nikon D300. (Crop factor of 1.5). Would I be best served by a 70-300mm zoom lense or an 80-400mm lense on a Tanzanian safari. I'm not sure if the 70-300 will provide adequate reach. Any advice would be appreciated.( I do not want to take a long prime lense).<br>

Tom</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>I have been to Tanzania once, way back in year 2000. Back then I was using 35mm film and my long lenses were a 500mm/f4 and a 300mm/f2.8. If I were to go again now, with an APS-C format DSLR, the long lens I would bring is the 200-400mm/f4 AF-S VR.</p>

[vivid_earth_photographics]

You cannot have enough reach. Consider renting the Nikkor 200-400mm f/4. The d300 is good to ISO 400 and

adequate at ISO 800 but in low light shots at higher ISOs will not enlarge well. Since most wildlife is out at the beginning

and end of daylight hours, you need the fastest glass you can afford, too. 300mm glass will not get e job done pn a

safari.

[curt wiler]

<p>The Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 lens is ideal on the D300 because of its zoom range, including a good maximum length for mammals. Whatever you do, you want to avoid lens changes as much as possible because of the dust. For birds, however, it is marginal and you may want a TC to get at least 600mm. The TC-20e works well on this lens but may require manual focus. Bird shots do generally happen in good light, but as has been pointed out, the mammals usually come out very early or very late in the day, and I have found that fill flash with an extender is useful. A lens to fill the shorter range such as 70-200 also comes in handy for about 20% of the shots.</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>Also have a look at the Sigma offerings, 50-500 and other models. These won't break the bank to the same degree as the Nikkor 200-400.</p>

[wildworlds]

<p>As weight is a big factor when travelling to your safari destination especially if you are using light aircraft for part of the trip. I would be tempted to go for the 80-400. It means that you will have greater flexibility in your shots, without having the weight of extra lenses. Apart from shooting birds, you should be fine for most subjects with the 400. You will probably be surprised at how close a good guide will get you to your subject. Having a fast lens is a definite advantage, but I have never found a problem using the Canon 100-400. You should also take something fairly wide to shoot those great Serengeti landscapes. You need to get to the river crossings early, as the best spots get taken quickly.</p>

[acedigital]

<p>I would ask the safari trip planner - a friend just went on one, and they actually got quite close to many Lions, Elephants and other game. She bought a Pentax (her camera brand) 55-300 and did quite well with that. </p>

[iambaxter]

<p>I'm going to Kenya and Tanzania in two weeks. After talking to several people that have been on similar trips and looking at their photos and finding out what type of gear they took I have decided on what I will take. My wife will have a D90 and an 18-200 and a SB-600. I will have 2 D300s, 18-70, 60 macro, 80-400 and a SB-800. Along with tripod, monopods, filters, 3 spare batteries, lens/sensor cleaning kits, 2 battery chargers, electrical adaptors and lots of spare memory cards. The trip I'm taking does not include any flights on small aircraft so I will not have too much of a problem with weight. Most of the time we will be in vehicles, so using a long prime would be limiting. With dust being a big problem, having two bodies with two zoom lenses will limit having to change lenses. All three bodies use the same battery but I’m taking a second charger as back up. The lenses I have chosen cover an 18-400mm range and macro. I will leave the 12-24 and the 70-200 at home due to over lapping focal range and weight.<br>

If you are trying to choose on which long lens to get, think about the weight for carrying and flying. And if you are going to be in a vehicle with other people a zoom may be more versatile than a prime. If the cost of buying is too much, think about buying used, using the lens on your trip and then selling when you get back. You should be able to sell for about the same as what you paid. Renting I found was just too expensive.<br>

I should be able to offer more specific advice on most used focal lengths in about 5 weeks when we get home.</p>

[nick_baker]

<p>OP, it sounds like you already know the differences between these two lenses. Except for reach, 70-300VR has all the advantages: cheaper, better VR, AF-S, smaller. I have not been to Tanzania so I don't know, but if you will be shooting in daylight and not hiking with a lot of gear, I'd still lean towards the 80-400 because of the reach, because the AF is OK with D300, and because you don't want to crop too much from that camera (might be a different matter with D7000).</p>

[wildworlds]

<p>I think that the kit suggested by Len just about fits the bill and covers most opportunities. The only things I would add apart from some means of backing up the images from the cards, would be a bean bag. Most of the vehicles used in this area tend to be “pop tops” where the roof lifts allowing shooting with the camera resting on the roof. So a bean bag can provide a perfect support. I always recommend taking an empty bag, then buying some beans or rice locally to fill it. It puts a few more dollars into the local economy and leaving the beans or rice behind for one of the camp staff is usually appreciated. I hope Len will post and let us know how the trip went.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>As I mentioned earlier, back in year 2000, I went to Tanzania with both 500mm/f4 AF-S and a 300mm/f2.8 AF-S, so I think it is definitely possible to take just one 200-400mm/f4 today.</p>

<p>The reason I brought up the 200-400mm/f4 is that it is well known that Nikon's 80-400 VR has very slow AF, as it is not an AF-S lens, and it is unsharp on the 400mm end. As far as the 200-400 "breaking the bank" goes, it is not cheap to visit East Africa to begin with. If you are a casual photographer, of course any camera equipment could be fine, but if photography is important to you, I would bring a better long lens. If you don't need a 200-400mm/f4 in the long run, you can always buy one used and re-sell it after the trip. If you can "rent" a long lens that way, your net cost should be quite limited.</p>

[tom_williams12]

<p>Thanks everyone for your insights. I really appreciate the opportunity to benefit from your experiences.<br>

Len, I too look forward to your post when you return as your kit is similar to what I have in mind.<br>

re other comments, there is no question the 'gold standard' for me would be the 200-400 but I am concerned about both weight and cost. (There is no way I can afford it so would have to rent). I have considered third party lenses, particularly the Sigma 150-500 or, 50-500 but frankly I have shied away because of the high frequency of user complaints about quality and breakdowns especially in AF.<br>

So, I guess I'm left with the 80-400 and its dated AF or somehow renting AND carrying the 200-400. There is no question I would use the 80-400 more after my trip. Most of the lenses I'm able to afford are pretty slow-even the Sigmas. How much of a problem will that be on a Tanzanian safari?</p>

[joseph_smith3]

<p>I was in Tanzania in 2010. I took two Nikon D 300's. One had a 500mm f4.0 on it all the time, sometimes with a 1.4x tc. Things can be far away on the Seregeti! The other D 300 had a 70-200mm f2.8 on it most of the time. Sometimes it had a 16-85mm. Most of the photographers on the photo safari rented their lenses or bodies from <a href="http://www.lensrental.com">www.lensrental.com</a> or <a href="http://www.borrowlens.com">www.borrowlens.com</a>. For all of the photographers on the safari, long lenses included: Nikon 200-400mm f4.0; 500mm f4.0's; 600mm f4.0's; and Canon 100-400mm. No one had any Sigma zoom lenses or the Nikon 80-400mm. Most of my shots were taken with the 500mm--probably 60%. Then 30-35% with the 70-200mm. <br>

Take a laundry bag or similar protection for your lens/cameras from the dust.<br>

Learn how to shoot in bright sunlight as you will have it all day long! Joe Smith </p>

[derek_thornton1]

<p>Tom, the Nikon 200-400mm f/4 will cost you about $275.00 a week, not including shipping. That is not bad, and well worth it for a once in a lifetime trip. However, the Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 is a real nice lens too. I think it would work well for you. It has VR so that should help and you will no doubt use it in the future. I personally, would not feel well about renting a lens. The 200-400mm is an expensive lens, if something went wrong? If I were in your shoes, I would get the 80-400mm. But, I am not that well off and would not want to worry about a rental when I should be having fun. They may have real good insurance, in that case I may change my mind.<br>

Dont forget about your wideangle. I would imagine that sunset/sunrise in Tanzania is pretty awesome.<br>

Derek</p>

[iambaxter]

<p>Having just got back from two weeks in Kenya and Tanzania and traveling with people that had a variety of gear, I have a better understanding of the types of lenses and other equipment that I would recommend. Being in a vehicle that most of the time is restricted to driving on roads only, I suggest using a minimum number of lenses with a wide focal range. If you look at my earlier post you will see what I brought. We traveled with two different groups, one in each county. Most people had DSLRs and a few had point and shoots. Those with DSLRs the majority and crop sensors, only one person had a full frame- Canon 5D II. I was the only person with more than one body. The person with the 5D had two lenses (15-85 and a 70-200) and a couple of t/c’s (1.4 and a 2X). After the first day he had the 2X and the 70-200 on his camera most of the time, and would switch to the 15-85 when he wanted wider. I saw him use the 1.4 only once in 6 days. He commented that he wished he had more reach than the 2X and the 70-200, and several times he was scrambling to change lenses when wildlife moved in closer. One person had an 18-300 on a Nikon D50. She only had the one lens. Her only comments were not enough reach and she had to turn up the ISO for early morning and evenings. All most everyone else with DSLRs had more than one lens, most were using kit lenses (18-55 or something similar) and at least one telephoto zoom(70-200 or 70-300 or something similar). One person had a 300/f4 with a Canon 7D. He borrowed the 1.4 T/C from the guy with the 5D more than once to get the extra reach. Almost every one missed shoots when changeing lenses when wildlife moved closer.<br>

So after seeing what I used and what other people used and hearing their comments, I would recommend two bodied with two lenses that cover a wide focal range. The two lenses that I had worked great on two bodies, no time spent on changing lenses when wildlife move closer or farther away. Yes there were times I would have liked to have more reach, but with the dust in the air (will come back to this later) shooting anything more than 500-600 yards away came out soft. Extra reach comes in handy for that close up of wildlife less than a couple hundred yards out. I would not bring a macro lens; I only used mine 6 times. I would bring a super wide instead. But I do suggest a backup lens of some type. I did see a few frustrated people that had equipment failures. We brought two flash units (for use with three bodies) that we only used a couple of times, so I would suggest only bringing one. Extra batteries are a must, some places only have electric power for couple of hours in the morning and again in the evening. This limits the time you have to charge.<br>

Cleaning gear for lenses and sensors is a must. That dust is horrendous. I cleaned lenses at least twice a day. I tried using a tee shirt to cover our cameras when we were not shooting and inside a bag when driving, but the dust is very fine and gets everywhere.<br>

So I suggest that rather than spending the extra money on a 200-400 look at the 80-400 and a second body. The 80-400 focus is fast enough on a D300 body for 99% of the shoots you will use it for. And for the second lenses a kit lens 18-55 or an older 18-70 would work great.<br>

Last thing, we were not warned about what not to shoot by our guides, but when asked they did verify the info as correct. We got the info from someone who was volunteering/living there. DO NOT take pictures of police, military, security, prisoners or the national flag. If caught you will lose your camera gear on the spot and may be arrested.</p>

 

[iambaxter]

<p>Double post.</p>

[geoffm]

<p>Len, thanks for a great post. I'll store that information away.</p>

<p>Interesting about not photographing the flag. The others I can understand, but that? <Shrug></p>

[pontus_wallst_n]

<p><a href="../photo/16674067">http://www.photo.net/photo/16674067</a><br>

<a href="../photo/16674070">http://www.photo.net/photo/16674070</a></p>

<p>in 2004 i took these 2 images above with my Nikon F80 and a sigma 50-500mm (the old model used for film SLR's)<br>

I find it very usefull to have a zoom lens in Tanzania, especially on safaris, as some animals can moove fast, and so you dont want to loose valuable time by changing from a fixed 500 mm lens to a wide angle (and getting dust into your camera sensor). Of course you can have 2 cameras, one with a wide, lets say 14-24 or 17-50 for landscapes or groups of wilderbeast, and an 80-400 or 50-500 for closeups and telephoto. Of course, with digital nowadays it is much easier to crop and zoom into your own images afterwards on softwares..etc to get closer..but as i was used to film, i preferred to try and get as close as possible in the field, so when i had got my film processed and the prints made, i did not have to go back and ask them to zoom into the negative and do ennlargments and reprints..etc</p>

<p>of course a 50-500 sigma is heavy, but it is carrieable, unless you are climbing Mt Meru or similar ....but remember that you may be in a 4x4, so wheight may not be a problem. You can also rest your lens on the upper deck/roof of the 4x4 for stability when taking images. Do also bring the hoods for the lenses, to limit refraction from the strong sunrays..and polarising filters as well...<br>

but above all, bring 2 or 3 extra, fully charged batteries with you. They are essential. electricity is not good in TZ, and random powercuts are common. Even if you find a hotll which has a socket, and your charger is blinking and noting "charging" when you go to bed, you may well find your battery uncharged when you wake up because a powercut ocurred just 30 minutes after you had fallen asleep, or that the current was not strong enough to charge your battery. And there is nothing more frustrating than framing an amazing shot, having LOTS of space on your sd card and a great camera body and lens..and then get no response when you press the shutter, and an indication saying "low battery" or "out of battery!"<br>

and yes, i agree, beware of military installations. In Tanzania they are very strict with those things, and they take it very seriousely if anyone is seen taking images of military installations. (they even asked us to hide all our camera equipment under our seats, including binoculars, ) when we passed a military zone.<br>

I always find also that the local tanzanian guides are the best and most experienced at spotting wildlife, especially from a distance, wildlife you had no clue was even there!</p>

<p>And photography and animals aside...take some time to enjoy some "chagabites" (grilled marinated lamb chunks with fried banana and salt) at a local restaurant or café. It remains to this day one of the most amazing dishes i have ever eaten, and remember also that tanzanians are some of the nicest and kindest people on earth, with an excellent sense of humour, and are willing to help whenever they can :)<br>

Pontus</p>

[tom_williams12]

Wel, it's time to close the loop and report back as you folks were so helpful to me in planning for my trip. Just back from a fabulous 8 day

safari in Tanzania. I took my Nikon D300, the 18-200 lens, a Nikon 35mm and the used 80-400 mm I bought for the trip. The 80-400 was

on the camera 90% of the time. My wife had a Canon Powershot SX260 HS for short range shots.

The 80-400 worked like a charm. The 18-200 simply was too short for many of the shots. While the 80-400's auto focus is/was slower

than more modern lenses, it was more than adequate for animal photography. Low light was simply not an issue as the days were sunny.

The big issue as some mentioned was dust. It's everywhere it's a pain to take off the hood to get at the lens cap all the time, but with the

dust, there is no option. I found a good make shift arrangement was to use a sandwich bag which covered the hood opening quite well

allowing me to leave the lens cap off when short changes of vehicle position were called for. Take lens cleaning kit for sure.

The vehicle had bean bags aboard so there was no need to worry about support. We were constantly in the vehicle so tripods would have

been useless. One has to be able to shoot pretty quickly so considerable practice with the camera is in order prior to departure. I think

most of my shots were in the range of 25- 150 yards.

I am of 2 minds regarding polarizer filters. I can't say that mine made a big difference. The direction of the sun changes constantly due to

the vehicle turning and twisting on the rutted 'roads'.

I found it best to keep the camera on manual mode. To maximize the sweet spot on the 80-400 I mostly had the lens set at f9 and 1/400.

Given the bright light, the ISO did not climb very high.

I'd like to thank everyone here for all the advice including several pm's. as a relatively inexperienced photographer, I benefitted

immensely from your experience and insight. Thanks to all.

Now to get over the jet lag.

Tom

[jimmy_johns]

<p>I have not used Planet Africa Safaris so I can't comment on their specific tour. But <a href="http://www.wildthingsafaris.com">Tanzania Safari</a> is a great travel destination. Much of the country is a high altitude plateau (about a mile or so above sea level), with hills and old volcanic cones. So the landscape doesn't lend itself to dramatic waterfalls like, say, Victoria Falls down south. I think your time would be better spent on safari than hunting down waterfalls unless someone else knows different.<br /><br />You can make your own travel plans to Zanzibar but if it's not too expensive your agent might be able to get a much better room rate than you can. If you want to go independent for Zanzibar, the Lonely Planet guide will be very helpful.</p>

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