Hello, Ray...I don't know much about lenses, but did go to a local camera store for a course called, "so you're going on a safari". From the handout, this is what it said about lenses...your camera should shoot at least 5x a second to capture animals in motion. A good starting point for wildlife photography is a lens with 300mm in focal length. Bird photography will require a camera that has 500mm lens. So...if you are a birdman, I guess you would want the longer lens. If not, you're ok.
If you have other questions, I will check my handout...
Joanie
Look back in the K&T forum archives- there are some extensive discussions by people who know a lot more about cameras than I do.
One thing to remember is that it may be hard to hold a camera with a 300mm or longer lens steady enough. Some say 500mm is impractical for that reason. At a minimum, a mini-pod or anchor bag is necessary, but that may not help when people change position and the "Toyota" rocks. You do not leave the vehicle and there is no room inside to set up a full size tripod.
I will be taking 3 cameras- two Canon DSLRs and a little GoPro (for panaramas, any animals that come REALLY close, and for the balloon ride). My "go to" DSLR will have a 17-85mm zoom lens and the other a 70-300mm zoom. That way I don't have to change lenses in the dusty environment during game drives.
Many people swear by the smaller digitals with optical + digital zoom.
Also, you don't want picture taking to detract from your enjoyment of the surrounding wonders.
Whatever you decide, make sure you know how to use your camera. Practice before you go. Don't forget extra memory cards and a battery charger/extra batteries. I use a high capacity memory card that will hold the entire trip, but I download each day's photos to my computer every night.
I don't know anything about the technicalities of the camera I used on the last safari,but it was my husband's older camera that I much preferred to his. Because so many of the photo candidates do not stand still for long, the technique I followed for myself having never really had any camera lessons was to take an immediate shot before the animal potentially disappeared, then went in for a more composed long shot and then homed in for a close up. This may be what people do anyway, I've never discussed if this is the usual technique. Thank goodness for digital photos or the developing of all those shots would cost a fortune.
The style of the safari vehicles may vary, some have hatches in the top that are taken out and stowed, three per vehicle if I remember correctly, some have lift up roofs with corner bars and they also shelter you from the sun a bit. I prefer the former, there is more room for you all if the vehicle is carrying full capacity and the side bars do not get in the way for shots. Most times you will be standing on the seats and balancing yourself and camera most precariously and you may likely get some bruises, especially if you do not sit back down when the vehicle gets moving again. Bare all these things in mind when you chose your camera, clothing, hat and foot ware.
What the drivers of the safari vehicles are very good at, is maneuvering them. So that everyone will be able to get a good photo angle, even to the extent that they ensure you do not get a great shot to discover a line though the photo that turns out to be the vehicle's aerial. They also turn off the engine so you do not get camera shake. Please be patient and courteous with these great guys who work their butts off to give you amazing long remembered experience. And then after a few days when you start to get less excited by yet another wildebeest or zebra siting, as many people do, please continue to be grateful for all their efforts because I've noticed so often how ungrateful some people can be once they have checked off something on their personal bucket list. This is the time to put down your camera and truly enjoy the big picture of what really is Africa and the great people there who help you fulfill your safari dreams. Personally, the animals form a small part of the Africa experience, it is so much more than that, well it is to me anyway.
I have not been on one of Tauck's safaris, but I have gone to taking only one lens when traveling. I have a Canon 60D DSLR and for the last several trips I have used a Tamron 16-300mm lens. It's range makes it ideal for almost any application, so carrying (and having to change) additional lenses is unnecessary. Tamron makes them with Canon, Nikon, and I believe Sony mounts. Also considerably less expensive than their camera branded equivalents.
One other tip . . . I bought a single-shoulder camera strap. I think it's one of the best accessories for the traveling photographer (hobbyist or pro).
Ray, when are you doing your K/T safari? Perhaps if it is several months away, people who are on the next few trips can give you more of a first hand answer.
Ray, we did this trip last September and I used a 400mm and there were times when I wished I had just a little more reach. If you have a 500mm, bring it. I used a bean bag which I layed on the top edge of the safari vehicle and it worked great to steady the camera. You're going to have some once in a lifetime photo opportunities so lug the big lens!
This question, as AlanS said, has had some long discussions in previous posts, but it is well worth revisiting. The equipment you take is based on what you are going to do with the pictures, in my view. If you just want shots to share with people and put in a photo book or album, 300mm glass is probably plenty. When you edit them you can crop them to get a closer shot.
If you want to enlarge them to frame or display them for some reason, the 500mm might be the way to go. On other trips I, like AlanS, have taken two cameras for easy changing, based on the subject matter. When I took this trip last year, I took several pieces of glass but only one camera...Nikon 7100. I was worried about dust when changing out the glass, but I am pretty quick and figured if a speck or two got in the shot I could edit it out. The most important thing is to get the shot!!! I made sure that I cleaned the glass every night and used the airbrush on the inside of the camera as well. I'm not skilled enough to do much to the mirrors on the inside so I just used the air bulb to blow any dust I saw off the mechanism. You can get the camera professionally cleaned at your local camera shop when you return. Do not use canned air. It is too powerful and even though it says it doesn't, it contains moisture which can really muck things up for you. Just remember, a little dust can be edited out but there are no cameral shops on the trip that can repair anything.
I used my back pack as a bean bag (my bean bags are very heavy and take up quite a bit of space and I had enough worries with everything else I was hauling around). It worked well. I debated between taking a Nikon 400mm and using a 2X converter (800mm total), but that lens is VERY BIG and HEAVY so I opted for a Tamron 150-500mm glass that gave me some distance options when shooting. It is also big and heavy, but not as much as the Nikon. I also used a monopod at times if we were out of the car for some reason. My pictures turned out very nicely. I used the "wet spaghetti" approach since it can be difficult to hold the camera steady with that size glass on it....if you throw enough wet spaghetti against the wall some of it will stick. So, just keep shooting, something will turn out. You have to love digital photography.
The Toyotas we were in had popup roofs which provided plenty of space for photo bugs. Everyone on our trip was aware that we all wanted great pictures and shared spots so that the results were great. You will be standing on the seats (no shoes, so make sure you wear something that slips on and off easily). The drivers have done this enough that anytime they stop they shut the engine down so that the car is not vibrating when you use it to steady your camera.
Hope this helps. Enjoy the trip. It is a great one.
ndvb- I'm glad you explained about the "wet spaghetti" : ) It had me puzzled until I read further. I do the same, but on the down side, then I need to decide which ones to delete when we get home (or do I?) .
A question for you. Some travelers have had a wonderful game drive experience when a group of lions come right up to and sat down in the shade against the Toyota. Were you briefed about such an event and were there any restrictions on what the people inside could do? Did they lower the roof? Were you required to keep hands and arms well within the vehicle, etc.?
The reason I ask is that I just made some modifications to my folding walking pole so that I can mount my GoPro to either end. My hope is that we will encounter a similar situation and that I will be able lower the GoPro down to get some close up stills or videos. (I also want to use this rig for a big "selfie" during the balloon ride.)
By the way, if I had to use film in my camera, it would cost more to develop it than it did to go on the trip. Digital photography is fantastic. I'd have to throw most of the pictures away at a significant loss.
Yes, lions might come right up to your Toyota, or one of the others. This happened several times, just not to my car. We had a couple of Cheetahs do the same thing. There was nothing done to batten down the hatches, as a sailor might say. I had my GoPro on a monopod, of sorts, and planned on doing what you are doing. Unfortunately, the lions that rested next to the vehicles used the other Toyotas. The question I was asked was what if the lion swats the GoPro out of your hand or, as eats it (that seemed rather silly). I just said that if I can't retrieve it I just lose a GoPro. No risk, no reward. They aren't that expensive. Heck, they might try and eat it and then spit it out and I can get it back....what a great video that would be. Retrieving it if he/she did eat would be a bit more difficult and take a few days and a lot of luck....but again, maybe a great video....especially for my veterinarian friends.
You are told to be careful and not put any body parts out of the window, but it is your responsibility if you do. In fact, there is a picture floating around of one woman in our tour group actually hanging out of the window at her waist, down toward the ground, to get the shot you are talking about. Once she saw it, she was questioning her decision to make such a move.
The selfie comment cracked me up. I don't do selfies, under any circumstance. But I see them being done all the time. I was at a restaurant in Florida a couple of weeks ago and there was a table of 80+ year old women taking selfies....I just shook my head and laughed.
When we drove from place to place, even through towns, I had my GoPro on the monopod or on a clamp attached to the side of the Toyota. The driver would let me know when a car or motorcycle was coming up behind us so that I could bring it back in the car and not have it ripped out of my hand by the passing person.
You are so excited about the trip that I am sure you will find all sorts of creative ways to use your equipment. I set my GoPro outside on the patio of a hotel one night and just let run to see if I could get night vision pictures of any animals coming by....it was a crap shoot....I got some noises, but no pictures. You'll have fun with it, I am sure. I wouldn't worry about "smelling the roses" as has been suggested here. You'll do plenty of that with and without your camera. There seems to be some folks worry that taking pictures diminishes the value of the things you will see on the trip...I don't believe and it didn't diminish my enjoyment. Do what makes you happy.
I am yet to throw away any pictures....even the bad ones (and there are many)....I never know when one of those bad pictures might have some "artistic value" being blurred or dark, or light, or who knows what. I've actually had that happen a couple of times when a friend who is a professional photography looks at them and says that the picture is great. I just wrinkle my brow say, "OK."
I have a Folstaf lightweight walking stick that extends with a quick snap and folds up to less than 12" so can be easily stowed just about anywhere. The handle has a 1/4-20 tripod stud so I can use it as a monopod, but I also plan to mount the GoPro on the other end as well. I have a short ball and socket flex connector so I can change the angle of dangle, but I had to do some minor engineering on the pole so the sections don't rotate when the flex and camera are attached. I also bought a hot shoe adapter so I can mount the GoPro to the top of my Canon- that is where I'll probably leave it most of the time.
Okay, so I am just going to jump in here, among all of you photo pros. I admit to bringing a super zoom point and shoot and not being up on advanced photography. (BYW, I have many fabulous photos..) However, you will find a variety of photographers on your tour: people using I-phones, I-pads, compact cameras and very sophisticated equipment. Perhaps, my experience was different, but when we were in vehicles with the "camera pros", most of us tried to defer to them, for a while. Then it was our turn to get some photos and time to switch positions. We felt that everyone deserved a turn at the great position. I guess my point is that there was a lot of moving around in the vehicles when there was a great photo op. The folks on our tour were very mindful of everyone having the opportunity to get a great shot, no matter what equipment they had. So, sometimes there is not the opportunity to set up a shot and wait for something to happen. There might be others in the same vehicle who would like to capture a photo from a prime spot.
I am having trouble with the baggage allowance. Heading to South Africa Wednesday. Getting to Cape Town is no problem but flight to Kruger only allows I carryon @15lbs. I have a camera and 3 lenses and that is 15 lbs which means I can't carry anything else. I have read in this string of people taking multiple dslr's etc. How do you do this. Are you allowed to exceed the weight limit and just pay the extra fee? Thanks very much?
There are different ways to get around weight limits. I don't know the specifics of the on-tour flight to Kruger beyond what it says in the "Before You Go". It doesn't discuss handbags. On most airlines, there is a distinction between "carry-on luggage" and a "hand bag" (or purse). Most airlines allow both. As a last resort wear a Safari vest- the pockets will hold a lot of stuff- if you can, "wear" the heaviest item(s). I've only been weighed once and that was for a flight over Kauai in a very small, two passenger helo.
As AlanS says, you are usually allowed a "carry on" and a "personal item." I would put this post on the South African page and see if someone can get back to you quickly and let you know how luggage was handled. On the K and T trip nothing was really weighed. I went to Antarctica a few months ago and on some flights the checked luggage was weighed, but the carry on wasn't and on other flights it was the opposite. I can't speak to any South African flights.
Usually, carry on luggage and personal items aren't weighed unless it looks as though you are having trouble picking it up. But, again, I don't know about your tour. Sorry, can't help.
Jan, I am not sure how cultured we are, but we are "a......lot" of something.
I am having trouble with the baggage allowance. Heading to South Africa Wednesday. Getting to Cape Town is no problem but flight to Kruger only allows I carryon @15lbs. I have a camera and 3 lenses and that is 15 lbs which means I can't carry anything else. I have read in this string of people taking multiple dslr's etc. How do you do this. Are you allowed to exceed the weight limit and just pay the extra fee? Thanks very much?
Hello Brian, I presume you are on the Tauck Elegant Adventure? I did this tour several years ago, it's pretty much the same, though I can't remember specifics when it comes to bags. Others might be able to confirm that Tauck provided a duffel that you packed, leaving your big suitcase behind and that was transported to Johannesburg for later on the tour. I think the duffel weight could be something like 20 lbs Like others say, I think you are confusing the one personal item -- like a handbag or camera bag with the carry - on item, which would be the duffel. We were able to pack ample clothing into the small bag for the days on safari, absolutely no problem. The only reason I have the lack of specifics is because I have done the K and T tour and the Tanzania and Zanzibar tour, so as far as bags go I get confused, but I can assure you that you are definitely allowed more than you think, or I would remember THAT for sure! I remember that for our tour they did weigh bags but it was done as a Group weigh, so the overweights cancelled out the underweight but whether that always occurs, I have no idea, our guide was a well known tour Director on this route so may have had great 'Clout' that maybe everyone does not have.
It's so near your tour, the very first thing I would do would be to call Tauck NOW for clarification and they WILL help. Now if I were you, I would have been spending today packing everything, double checking my list, dotting the i's and crossing the t's. This is a fantastic trip!
Returned from this trip in early March this year. Used a Nikon D7100 with 18-300mm lens the entire trip. You will always want a longer lens, but I found this was an ideal choice for me. No lens changes and holds two SD cards so used one for stills and one for videos. Weighs a bit but probably less than a 500mm and no changing lenses in the dust. The only drawback: the combination costs just under $2000. Very pleased with the results I got. For more "zoom" effects, I used Photoshop to crop and had excellent results. Many point-and-shoot cameras claim incredible wide angle to high telephoto ratios but are doing the cropping electronically in the camera to seem like more zoom. Check the specs. Took many shots in "sports action" mode when moving and about one in ten were acceptable. There are no "smooth" roads in the parks. Bring LOTS of memory chips or a backup storage method. One person in our group had a chip go bad and lost two days of shots. I gave him a thumb drive with my shots those days. It was a fantastic experience and make sure you see it away from the viewfinder too.
After reading everyone's posts, on second thought, maybe I'llI decided to forgo taking the second DSLR and just ordered a Tamron 16-300mm lens. It was more than I wanted to spend, but much less than what it would cost for a similar Canon lens. It should make things simpler - one less camera, charger (the Canons take different batteries and chargers!), etc.- and it should be a whole lot lighter carrying one instead of two DSLRs!
I took 3 batteries and used 4 memory chips......took over 2K pix. A 300 lens is good, although there are always shots you wish you could zoom in closer to get. Not a problem as those shots always reappear later in the day as closer shots. Baggage weight works out in smaller groups more easily as there is always room for a few more pounds. Fuller groups get a little harder to carry extra weight, but I'm sure it will work out for you as others will be under weight. Carry on is not an issue, and is put in back with cargo when flying.
Comments
If you have other questions, I will check my handout...
Joanie
One thing to remember is that it may be hard to hold a camera with a 300mm or longer lens steady enough. Some say 500mm is impractical for that reason. At a minimum, a mini-pod or anchor bag is necessary, but that may not help when people change position and the "Toyota" rocks. You do not leave the vehicle and there is no room inside to set up a full size tripod.
I will be taking 3 cameras- two Canon DSLRs and a little GoPro (for panaramas, any animals that come REALLY close, and for the balloon ride). My "go to" DSLR will have a 17-85mm zoom lens and the other a 70-300mm zoom. That way I don't have to change lenses in the dusty environment during game drives.
Many people swear by the smaller digitals with optical + digital zoom.
Also, you don't want picture taking to detract from your enjoyment of the surrounding wonders.
Whatever you decide, make sure you know how to use your camera. Practice before you go. Don't forget extra memory cards and a battery charger/extra batteries. I use a high capacity memory card that will hold the entire trip, but I download each day's photos to my computer every night.
The style of the safari vehicles may vary, some have hatches in the top that are taken out and stowed, three per vehicle if I remember correctly, some have lift up roofs with corner bars and they also shelter you from the sun a bit. I prefer the former, there is more room for you all if the vehicle is carrying full capacity and the side bars do not get in the way for shots. Most times you will be standing on the seats and balancing yourself and camera most precariously and you may likely get some bruises, especially if you do not sit back down when the vehicle gets moving again. Bare all these things in mind when you chose your camera, clothing, hat and foot ware.
What the drivers of the safari vehicles are very good at, is maneuvering them. So that everyone will be able to get a good photo angle, even to the extent that they ensure you do not get a great shot to discover a line though the photo that turns out to be the vehicle's aerial. They also turn off the engine so you do not get camera shake. Please be patient and courteous with these great guys who work their butts off to give you amazing long remembered experience. And then after a few days when you start to get less excited by yet another wildebeest or zebra siting, as many people do, please continue to be grateful for all their efforts because I've noticed so often how ungrateful some people can be once they have checked off something on their personal bucket list. This is the time to put down your camera and truly enjoy the big picture of what really is Africa and the great people there who help you fulfill your safari dreams. Personally, the animals form a small part of the Africa experience, it is so much more than that, well it is to me anyway.
One other tip . . . I bought a single-shoulder camera strap. I think it's one of the best accessories for the traveling photographer (hobbyist or pro).
If you want to enlarge them to frame or display them for some reason, the 500mm might be the way to go. On other trips I, like AlanS, have taken two cameras for easy changing, based on the subject matter. When I took this trip last year, I took several pieces of glass but only one camera...Nikon 7100. I was worried about dust when changing out the glass, but I am pretty quick and figured if a speck or two got in the shot I could edit it out. The most important thing is to get the shot!!! I made sure that I cleaned the glass every night and used the airbrush on the inside of the camera as well. I'm not skilled enough to do much to the mirrors on the inside so I just used the air bulb to blow any dust I saw off the mechanism. You can get the camera professionally cleaned at your local camera shop when you return. Do not use canned air. It is too powerful and even though it says it doesn't, it contains moisture which can really muck things up for you. Just remember, a little dust can be edited out but there are no cameral shops on the trip that can repair anything.
I used my back pack as a bean bag (my bean bags are very heavy and take up quite a bit of space and I had enough worries with everything else I was hauling around). It worked well. I debated between taking a Nikon 400mm and using a 2X converter (800mm total), but that lens is VERY BIG and HEAVY so I opted for a Tamron 150-500mm glass that gave me some distance options when shooting. It is also big and heavy, but not as much as the Nikon. I also used a monopod at times if we were out of the car for some reason. My pictures turned out very nicely. I used the "wet spaghetti" approach since it can be difficult to hold the camera steady with that size glass on it....if you throw enough wet spaghetti against the wall some of it will stick. So, just keep shooting, something will turn out. You have to love digital photography.
The Toyotas we were in had popup roofs which provided plenty of space for photo bugs. Everyone on our trip was aware that we all wanted great pictures and shared spots so that the results were great. You will be standing on the seats (no shoes, so make sure you wear something that slips on and off easily). The drivers have done this enough that anytime they stop they shut the engine down so that the car is not vibrating when you use it to steady your camera.
Hope this helps. Enjoy the trip. It is a great one.
A question for you. Some travelers have had a wonderful game drive experience when a group of lions come right up to and sat down in the shade against the Toyota. Were you briefed about such an event and were there any restrictions on what the people inside could do? Did they lower the roof? Were you required to keep hands and arms well within the vehicle, etc.?
The reason I ask is that I just made some modifications to my folding walking pole so that I can mount my GoPro to either end. My hope is that we will encounter a similar situation and that I will be able lower the GoPro down to get some close up stills or videos. (I also want to use this rig for a big "selfie" during the balloon ride.)
By the way, if I had to use film in my camera, it would cost more to develop it than it did to go on the trip. Digital photography is fantastic. I'd have to throw most of the pictures away at a significant loss.
Yes, lions might come right up to your Toyota, or one of the others. This happened several times, just not to my car. We had a couple of Cheetahs do the same thing. There was nothing done to batten down the hatches, as a sailor might say. I had my GoPro on a monopod, of sorts, and planned on doing what you are doing. Unfortunately, the lions that rested next to the vehicles used the other Toyotas. The question I was asked was what if the lion swats the GoPro out of your hand or, as eats it (that seemed rather silly). I just said that if I can't retrieve it I just lose a GoPro. No risk, no reward. They aren't that expensive. Heck, they might try and eat it and then spit it out and I can get it back....what a great video that would be. Retrieving it if he/she did eat would be a bit more difficult and take a few days and a lot of luck....but again, maybe a great video....especially for my veterinarian friends.
You are told to be careful and not put any body parts out of the window, but it is your responsibility if you do. In fact, there is a picture floating around of one woman in our tour group actually hanging out of the window at her waist, down toward the ground, to get the shot you are talking about. Once she saw it, she was questioning her decision to make such a move.
The selfie comment cracked me up. I don't do selfies, under any circumstance. But I see them being done all the time. I was at a restaurant in Florida a couple of weeks ago and there was a table of 80+ year old women taking selfies....I just shook my head and laughed.
When we drove from place to place, even through towns, I had my GoPro on the monopod or on a clamp attached to the side of the Toyota. The driver would let me know when a car or motorcycle was coming up behind us so that I could bring it back in the car and not have it ripped out of my hand by the passing person.
You are so excited about the trip that I am sure you will find all sorts of creative ways to use your equipment. I set my GoPro outside on the patio of a hotel one night and just let run to see if I could get night vision pictures of any animals coming by....it was a crap shoot....I got some noises, but no pictures. You'll have fun with it, I am sure. I wouldn't worry about "smelling the roses" as has been suggested here. You'll do plenty of that with and without your camera. There seems to be some folks worry that taking pictures diminishes the value of the things you will see on the trip...I don't believe and it didn't diminish my enjoyment. Do what makes you happy.
I am yet to throw away any pictures....even the bad ones (and there are many)....I never know when one of those bad pictures might have some "artistic value" being blurred or dark, or light, or who knows what. I've actually had that happen a couple of times when a friend who is a professional photography looks at them and says that the picture is great. I just wrinkle my brow say, "OK."
I have a Folstaf lightweight walking stick that extends with a quick snap and folds up to less than 12" so can be easily stowed just about anywhere. The handle has a 1/4-20 tripod stud so I can use it as a monopod, but I also plan to mount the GoPro on the other end as well. I have a short ball and socket flex connector so I can change the angle of dangle, but I had to do some minor engineering on the pole so the sections don't rotate when the flex and camera are attached. I also bought a hot shoe adapter so I can mount the GoPro to the top of my Canon- that is where I'll probably leave it most of the time.
PS. I'm loving this conversation! I'm learning such a lot.
Usually, carry on luggage and personal items aren't weighed unless it looks as though you are having trouble picking it up. But, again, I don't know about your tour. Sorry, can't help.
Jan, I am not sure how cultured we are, but we are "a......lot" of something.
Hello Brian, I presume you are on the Tauck Elegant Adventure? I did this tour several years ago, it's pretty much the same, though I can't remember specifics when it comes to bags. Others might be able to confirm that Tauck provided a duffel that you packed, leaving your big suitcase behind and that was transported to Johannesburg for later on the tour. I think the duffel weight could be something like 20 lbs Like others say, I think you are confusing the one personal item -- like a handbag or camera bag with the carry - on item, which would be the duffel. We were able to pack ample clothing into the small bag for the days on safari, absolutely no problem. The only reason I have the lack of specifics is because I have done the K and T tour and the Tanzania and Zanzibar tour, so as far as bags go I get confused, but I can assure you that you are definitely allowed more than you think, or I would remember THAT for sure! I remember that for our tour they did weigh bags but it was done as a Group weigh, so the overweights cancelled out the underweight but whether that always occurs, I have no idea, our guide was a well known tour Director on this route so may have had great 'Clout' that maybe everyone does not have.
It's so near your tour, the very first thing I would do would be to call Tauck NOW for clarification and they WILL help. Now if I were you, I would have been spending today packing everything, double checking my list, dotting the i's and crossing the t's. This is a fantastic trip!