Canon lenses for safari?

I'm so glad I found this forum! Please send advice.

For my 50th next year we're planning my dream trip to Tanzania-private for 2 weeks thru 4 parks. I just bought my 1st SLR ever-an XTi and am bound and determined to come home with some stunning photographs-I have 1 year to learn.

After a ton of reading, I'm leaning towards the 70-200f/4 L IS (possibly w/a 1.4 extender) and the 400 5.6 L

Will this cover me? Any other suggestions?
I don't want to get there and wish I'd had something else.
I also know nothing about filters (except that I need UV)

On a side note, I've been a birdwatcher for years, so would like to start capturing them also, but realize I can't go out and buy 5 different lenses. I'm trying to keep it down to 2 or 3 (if that's possible) and the lenses needed for the trip are paramount.

Thanks so much for your help,

Lisa

Hi
I bring a 17-40 f/4 L, 70-200 f/4 L IS and 300 f/4 L IS together with 1,4 extender when I go to Africa. I also use the 20 D which give me an additional X1.6. To my experience it covers most situations. For bird shooting you probarly need some bigger lenses. Bring with you polarizers for at least landscape. Remember also to bring bean bags(maybe empty ones which you can fill up with nice Tanzanian cofee beens) . Dust is normally a problem in Africa so take care when changing lenses. Bring with you sensor cleaning equipment(I use brushes and are happy with that). Also bring plenty of memory or external harddisk. I you are planning to walk in the rainforest a monopod is handy because light conditions are bad. Otherwise forget tripods. Travel ligthly as possible... Apart from that I also have at least two torchligths with me on safari, and always have them within reach during nigthtime
Have a nice trip
Trym

Hmm. Zooms are a good way to go since they are fast and flexible. The other advantage is you don't have to change lenses as much, and that's going to be important as the place is VERY dusty. (Also get a Rocket Bulb and sensor cleaning kit.) The 70-200mm IS with 1.4x would would work. Another option would be the 100-400mm IS. That will be much better for birds, but it is a larger sized lens. You need a wide angle zoom too, something like an 18-70mm IS if they make one. The village scenes and people are going to be even better than the animals, possibly. Take a bunch of ball point pens, the kind that are $5 a bag full. It's customary to give a small gift to people you photo, according to the missionary's I know working there. Get a camera bag that seals up well to keep out dust. I would also suggest a polarizer filter. I rarely use a UV filter--they don't do anything and for me they often cause problems (flare.) However, considering the dust you'll be in, they might not be such a bad idea. Myself, I'd use the lens cap instead and keep the Rocket Bulb handy to blow dust off the lens.


Kent in SD

Lisa,

About 9 years ago I made two trips to South Africa and used an 80-200mm f/2.8 with a 2x teleconverter. My recommendation for a trip of a lifetime would be the 500mm f/4 or f/4.5, whichever has IS. The 500mm is preferable to either the 400mm f/2.8 or 600mm f/4.0 as both of the latter weigh about 50% more. However, your thoughts about the 400mm f/5.6 may be okay, but you may have problems with the autofocus when using a 1.4 teleconverter. For that reason, I feel the 500mm f/4.5 would be better.

You will still need the 70-200mm, preferably the f/2.8 as the extra stop is well worth the expense. Both the 70-200mm and 500mm can be used with a 1.4x teleconverter which should cover just about everything. I had an acquaintance who besides being the resident photographer at Rocky Mountain Nation Park also went to Africa with a 400mm and wished he had a 600mm.

Besides the long lens like the 500mm and the mid-range lens like the 70-200mm, you will need a good wide angle for landscapes. I do not really know the Canon line, but think a prime lens on the order of 18 to 24mm maximum would be better than a zoom as its optical quality should be superior to any comparably priced zoom. While the 17-40mm is superb, you can get a prime with equal or better optical quality for less than 1/3rd of the cost.

We found that resting the lens on a bean bag was quicker than trying to use a mono-pod or a Wimberley head on a tripod. While over there, I could not find a bean bag, so we bought a 2 kg bag of rice which worked just as well After we got back to Jo'burg, my wife ate the rice.

Finally, if you have not used filters, then you might want to skip them. The only recommendation, though, would be for a really good circular polarizers on the 70-200mm and the wide angle lenses, particularly the latter. Don't get the cheap filters as they may have a color caste.

Remember, this is a once in a lifetime trip. Hopefully, you can rent a big glass lens. Or, if you can buy a good one used, then you can sell it after your return. If you do get a long lens, be sure and practice with it before going to Africa. Also, you will want to shoot almost all of your wildlife shots wide open to isolate the subject. In general, the long lenses and the better 70-200mm lenses have been designed to perform their best when wide open.

Good luck and have fun.

I'll just add one point - depending on the type of vehicle you're in, a bean bag may not be completely worth while. One vehicle I was in in South Africa has rails at about elbow level when seated, and resting a camera there and getting an eye on the eye peice would not have been easy. If you know what the vehicles are like, it can help you plan.

Lisa, that's a very good setup - to get significantly better than that, you are looking at several thousands of dollars more. Try to use 2 bodies, however, as swapping lenses in the field is an exercise in frustration.

Vandit, currently in S Africa and heading to Kruger tomorrow for 2 weeks

While I never got into Tanzania (I tried), I spent a lot aof time on safaris while working at Kenya Railways. I had plenty of time on my hands because, as some of you know, nothing really ever gets done in "third world" countries. On my first African trip, I had a RF Leica and lenses up to 200mm. Returning 5 years later, and recovering from some eye problems, I brought a Nikon F4 and several lenses: 60mm macro, 70-210 zoom, and a 400mm. I had ordered a 24-50 but it hadn't arrived before I left. I also brought one of my Leicas as a backup. Definitely was a good idea! The most useful lens was my 70-210 which was always on the camera. For a leopard in a tree and some bird photos, the 400 was mandatory. A tripod was so much extra baggage. I usually just used my rolled-up jacket to cradle my camera in the vehicle. Bring a polarizing filter to capture images of Mt Kili. Have a back-up camera body. Use hoods on all your lenses. A haze or skylight filter will give some protection to your lenses from all the dust in the air. A macro lens is often worthwhile. I used one to photograph chameleons, Safari Ants, and some flowers. A wide angle lens is useful in market places and when having "Sundowners". Take extra batteries. A small lightweight binocular also comes in handy. Bring prescription sunglasses, a microfiber cloth, lens cleaning solution, a note pad, and mini tool kit to occcasionally tighten all the screws that come loose after bouncing over those East African "roads". Watch over your equipment, but don't become paranoiac about it. If you are shooting film, BRING LOTS OF IT! (And then some more!) .

Lisa,

We just got back from a three week photo safari to Kenya, going to 4 different national parks/reserves. We used a 20D and a 1D Mark III, and found that we most often used the 500 mm f/4 IS L and the 100-400 mm IS L. However, we sometimes used a 24-105 zoom as well. Sometimes the animals were so close that the zooms gave us the composition we wanted, so I definitely would go with those and only add the 500 mm if your budget can stand it! We used bean bags a lot (filled once we got over there), and really worked to keep the dust off the equipment. We found it easier inside the vehicle to just drape extra clothing (fleece from early morning game drives) over the camera gear to keep dust off, since taking gear in and out of cases was sometimes too slow. Also we had some large plastic bags but found quickly that the sounds of rustling plastic would sometimes startle animals, so we abandoned that!

We put up some galleries of our photos on www.pbase.com/chasrob and included the EXIF data so you can get some idea of what lens/camera combos worked for which images.

Good luck and I hope your trip turns out as memorable as ours was!

Charlie

Charlie, that's advice I'm going to file away. I keep dust off my gear when traveling gravel roads the same way, and have always been a fan of the 100-400 for its instant flexibility. Maybe, someday, if I win the Powerball I'll be able to afford a trip to Africa. Thanks for the insight.

Thanks so much for everyone's advice! However, now I'm in a dilemma. Would rather spend $ on lenses vs. a 2nd camera body (and if I got a 2nd body, what would be a decent 2nd be)
and I had been toying w/the idea of the 100-400. If I don't have a 2nd body, would that be better?
I've read the reviews and the quality is lost a bit at 400, but that would negate the need for changing lenses. And if I got that, what should I get in place of the 70-200 L.

Thanks again,
Lisa

Lisa, the quality is lost a bit at 400mm with which lens? The 100-400?

Hi Steve,

Yes, a lot of great reviews on the 100-400, but quite a few comments about loss of sharpness when the zoom is at the max. 400 mm. I wonder if the difference is really that noticeable........

Lisa

We certainly have no complaints at 400mm with the 100-400 lens. We have published several images taken with that setup. I can imagine there will always be a slight difference between a zoom and prime lens at the equivalent focal length, but for us the versatility of the 100-400 more than offsets any slight differences in sharpness at 400mm, particularly when shooting wildlife.

Charlie

I think Charlie covered the subject well. At least for our trip. I used the 600, 100-400, 70-200, 24-105, 17-40 and even the 15mm"s. Oh and the 180mm on a 6x17. (yes it was all carry on) The 100-400 was the work horse. One of the clients had a 400 DO as the longest lens and he was very happy with the result but he did use a 1.4 converter at times.
I have posted a quick safari guide on my site that might interest you.
http://www.jessleephotos.com/safari.htm . It doesn't cover lens selection and travel info yet but it has some useful info..

Thanks so much for sending the site to your Kenya pics. Charlie. Outstanding!!!

It definitely gives me an idea of what to expect.

Thanks,
Lisa