Africa Kit Question

Hi all,

Firstly a belated Happy New Year! I know this is (very) late and that I have been absent from this forum for a long time (some may think not long enough ) but my job has been well stupidly hectic if I am being polite and I haven't had much time for photography recently

Anyway on to my question: My wife and I are planning a trip to Africa later in the year and need recommendations for kit. Due to the method of travel (motorbikes) we can only take a small amount of camera equipment (apparently we need the rest of the space for clothes and cooking equipment etc) so the 500mm will have to stay at home. I will be taking 2 bodies (a Canon 30D and a 450D) and my 17-40mm and 70-200mm lenses but was looking for something slightly longer. I have a 400 f5.6 but am worried that this is a) too long (as in physically too long not focal length) and too high an aperture. Would it make sense to swap this for a 300mm f4 and carry my 1.4x converter?

Also does anyone have any recommedations for a small(-ish) lightweight but good tripod - My Gitzo is too big
Thanks

Adrian

Time for a beer and a chat - I've three different sized Gitzos and heads for travelling you can play with and of course all my Oly Kit if you want to have an extended play - As you know I went down the Oly route to bust the budget airline travel allowance problem - it's the same consideration for motor bike touring for you and still leave you crucial shoe allowance space for the better half ......

The 70-200mm and 300mm f/4 with tc's would work well or you could cut down on the weight even further by hiring/buying a 100-400mm which is a very useful Safari tool.

As for tripods, try the Feisol's, I have a larger CT-3372 but I hear the smaller four section CT-3442 is very good in terms of weight/folded size, the build quality is superb.

Thanks to you both, Simon will look at the Feisols and Mike - yep I owe you at least one beer I'd be interested in looking at all your kit - luckily the other half is riding her own bike which gives me a bit more space

Adrian

Hi Adrian, I spent 3 weeks last year on safari and although I used my 500 a great deal it was my 100-400 that was used equally as much, if not more. I can thoroughly recommend taking a100-400! I also took along a 70-200 f/4 but only used it on a couple of occasions and next time would probably leave it at home, that is unless I was planning on doing something like a pelagic trip or such like. With regard to the 17-40, one thing to maybe consider would be to instead take along something like the new Panasonic LX3. This obviously depends on how serious you take your landscape shooting but for me next time I'll be leaving the wide angle at home and save weight/space by taking the LX3 for general landscape and walk around stuff.

Tripod wise, take a look at Feisol.

Whatever equipment you decide on, I'm sure you'll have a great trip!

Best wishes.

Adrian,

It would be nice to know what countries you are visiting, and what your photographic aims are before offering advice. I have made 10 trips to Africa so far (beware of safaris; they are as addicitive as any drug to some people), and every one has been different and required different photographic gear.

In most of the traditional safari countries you will not be allowed in National Parks unless you are in a four wheeled vehicle, so I assume you will link up with some local driver on these occasions. Here a bean bag is far more practical than a tripod, although I would always recommend some sort of tripod if weight, and carrying it on a motor bike, allow. I like my Benbo trekker as a lightweight tripod, but the long legs when folded do not make it very practical.

Last time I went (to Zambia) I took an SLR with a Sigma 50-500 as my main lens and an 18-70 for the people and landscape shots. The big lens was frankly a pain, and next time I shall limit myself to a 70-300. This is ample for big mammals, but not really adequate for birds. A 100-400 may be a good bet, as it will get you within range of some of the medium-sized colourful birds, such as bee-eaters.

Dust is always a problem on safari, and I imagine will be worse on motorbikes, so don't forget the cleaning equipment!

Hope that helps.


David

David, Paul,

Many thanks for your replies. Hadn't thought about the 100-400 to be honest as I had heard that some of them weren't as sharp as they could be. The 70-200 lens will mainly be for people photography. The countries we are visiting is a long list - provisionally we have: Morocco, Mauretania, Mail, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroun, Congo, DRC, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, And maybe Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia.

One thing I forgot to say was I have to be careful about weight because the bikes can only take so much and I am errr well cuddley

Thanks for your advice

Adrian

Blimey Adrian that's some trip - idolizing that actor chap are we? (the one in Trainspotting)

I've too been to Africa lots and agree with Dave above. I personally would go for the 300mm F4 with a 1.4x. This is a really light lens. I do think the 100-400 can be a bit soft at the extreme zoom end.

Good luck with the adventure,

Dave

That's an impressive list of countries, you will see more in one trip than I have in ten. People photography looks as though it may be a major part of your picture taking. This may be wandering off subject a little, but please be careful to respect local people when taking pictures. In many African countries people either do not like having their photo taken, or expect a payment for doing so. The latter can be very aggressive at times.

I was once on safari in Tanzania with an English couple who were keen for photos of local people, whether those people wanted to be photographed or not. They would sneak shots at odd moments, creep up on people whilst they were working, and generally show little respect for local customs or beliefs. They offended local people, and they offended their fellow travellers as well.

I am sure that you would not cause offence deliberately, but always remember that you are in a different culture to the one you are used to. Just a little advice from a fellow traveller.


David

David

Just to add, there's been a lot said in the past about the sharpness of the 100-400mm especially at 400mm. I have never owned one but haven't ruled it out due its flexibility and the very good things I have heard about it, including how sharp the more recently made models are (perhaps softness was only an issue early on in production). The proof is in the pudding as they say and its worth checking out Keith Reeder's excellent website with shots exclusively taken with the 100-400mm (sometimes with 1.4tc attached). http://www.capture-the-moment.co.uk/tp/ (edit: just noticed his gallery is down for maintenance but well worth checking out when its fixed)

David (J) & David(S),

Many thanks - yep it will be a long trip (4-6 months) - Strangely have met the Charlie bloke in Wales (errr twice - I think he thinks we're stalking him ) but no we are doing it the hard way (i.e. no backup or big 4x4s following us) - and David S - thanks for the reminder about local customs and culture - we want to go to learn about the people not annoy them so that is a timely piece of advice.

Adrian

Hi Adrian, for what it's worth I would try and take the 70-200, 300 and a 1.4x. They are small/light enough and would give you the reach and save you getting too close to 'Leo' the lion

Steve

Thinking out of the box, perhaps one of the new Canon Powershots that cover 24-560mm with IS may be a better bet, no lens swapping to let the dust in.......

One thing I would definitely take is a pillow case to keep your camera as dust free as you can possibly manage out there. I would also highly recommend a large lens but as you are limited the 100-400 is OK but not pin sharp. If you have a 2x - take that too. If you're not taking a laptop for backup then a good option is a Vosonic storage device. Enjoy your trip, I'd move there in a heartbeat..

David S is spot on: once Africa is under your skin, so to speak, you won't want to come back home! I'd also agree a lot depends on where you are going and what you want to photograph. It sounds like you'll be travelling a lot, ie not spending large amounts of time sat in one place staking stuff out. From the itinerary birds and scenery are also on your potential subject list which complicates the lens choice

Not sure what aperture your 70-200 is, but my limited experience (4 trips, 6 countries) has told me as fast a lens as possible can help you grab some shots in low light that you might otherwise miss - I found f2.8 very helpful last time. 300mm with or without TC's should be fine for the mammals depending on your proximity (will you be biking through reserves / the bush, or using a local safari vehicle?).

The dust comments are spot on - it can be a real menace, especially if you're travelling on bikes where there is even less protection than open vehicles. The pillow case suggestion is definitely worthwhile. Would also go with the beanbag - fill it up locally from rice etc at the markets you'll undoubtedly be passing through - that way its even cheap enough to empty out between locations if necessary (or use as an emergency meal for you or someone else!).

Hope you have a fantastic time

I went to Africa with a 300f4 and converter - I really needed something longer, as birds were the main target. Are you sure you can't squeeze in the 500 somehow?

Ian,

Unfortunately there isn't any way I can take it - mainly because I expect to be falling over quite a lot (it isn't as easy as that actor geezer made it look ) so I am way too afraid of writing the lens off which I can't afford

Thanks

Adrian