christopher_kosseff

Josh,

I just returned from a safari in Botswana and Zimbabwe. I have a D80 with an 18-200mm and the 80-400mm you are considering. Almost all of my pictures in Africa were taken with the large lens. It's slow to focus and is heavy - but you will definitely want at least that much reach. It would have been extraordinary to have a 400mm prime with a 1.4 teleconverter, but it worked pretty well with the lenses I had. The dust in the areas I was in was beyond what I had expected. Make sure to bring something from cleaning the sensor. Email me at kosseff@comcast.net if you have any follow-up questions.

Chris Kosseff

Kelly,

I just returned from my first safari in Botswana about 3 weeks ago - you are very lucky! It is an amazing

adventure - we were at the same places you are going to, except we camped at most of them. We were on the CC

Africa Botswana Explorer Safari. Best trip of my life. If you look at my pictures on Photo.net, they were all

taken on this trip. I would suggest you call me if you want detailed info on shooting and the trip but here are

some tips:

1. No need for tripod or other supports - the vehicles in Botswana have no window sills to rest on. I had a

monopod with me - generally useless. Limited chances to use a tripod, so probably not worth carrying.

2. The dust is beyond anything you are thinking - gets in everything. Bring whatever you use to clean your sensor.

3. Don't worry about the dugouts- mokoros, they're fine to bring your camera in without any water protection.

4. I could have kicked myself for not having an extra body. My D80 started developing a slight electrical

problem - fortunately, it held on the entire trip, so I really didn't miss any shots. But it could have been

disastrous.

5. I had an 18-200 mm and a 80-400mm. About 80% of the pics were with the big lens. I wouldn't go there with

less than a 400mm - it would have been great to have something even longer. Mostly, it wasn't long enough for

birds - which are beyond belief there. The predators were remarkably close (as you can see in my pictures) but a

long lens really allows some detail work.

6. I had purchased a Kata 101 bag for this trip - it did admirably. For the flights over there, they aren't

nearly as concerned about weight of luggage as I thought they would be. I'm a pilot and was meticulous about

keeping my baggage weight to a minimum but shouldn't have worked so hard at this.

7.I brought about 30 gbs of sd cards and a ultraportable laptop (Fujitsu). If you're staying in lodges, bring

converter plugs for charging. I ended up taking about 2,500 shots over the 2 weeks. Having the little laptop

was a kick because it has PS on it, so I could edit some of the pictures while on safari. We'd sit around a

campfire at night looking at the pictures and listening to lions, elephants, owls, etc all around us! It

couldn't have been any better!!!

As I said, no trip I've taken compares to this one. I can't wait to go back. If you'd like, email me at

kosseff@photo.net for any further info or to talk.

Best,

Chris