Camera lens recommendation for Great Migration
We're going on the Great Migration tour this October. Is a 400 mm lens long enough for this trip? I also have a 400-800 mm lens but makes my gear heavier than I prefer. This is not a photo safari but I want to shoot as much as I can. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.
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Are you shooting with a full frame camera or an APS-C camera? I use an APS-C camera and think 400mm is plenty. I used a 100mm-400mm lens. If you're using a full frame camera, you may want a longer lens, at times. You have to weigh that against extra weight and the problems with changing lenses in the field.
Thanks for your comment. I use an om-1 camera body. My lens is 400mm equivalent to full frame. My longer lens is 200-800 equivalent. It longer lens weighs just under 3 lbs. I have 2 bodies and don't plan on changing lens. Do you find changing from one setup to another on a safari vehicle too troublesome?
Woody, you will get a hundred different answers. Some will swear by just an iPhone, others by a superzoom, or others by a long telephoto lens. I typically shoot with Olympus and find my most used set up is a iPhone and an OM1 with a 40 to 150 pro f4 lens which great for most situations. However for birds I find that I need to be at 600 mm FF equivalent or greater but I am less agile with the 100-400 Olympus lens which is great but heavy and at anything greater than 600 mm I have trouble hand holding for a shot.. Plus there are situations where an animal is close and I don't have time or don't want to change a lens in the field that. Use the lens that you are most comfortable using and shooting hand held that has a good telephoto reach of 300 to 500 and still can get shots when the animal is close to the vehicle.
Thanks Ben, I have the 40-150 2.8 and am planning on taking that and my 12-100 f4. The 40-150 is good in low light but I don't think it has the reach I might need. The 100-400 has better reach but not recommended in low light. My thinking is I would use the 40-150 in the early am and evenings and the 100-400 when the light is good. The 12-100 would be used when the animals are close. I would use the 1.4 extender on the 40-150. Is my thinking reasonable or am I kidding myself. I'm concerned about handling the gear while out on a safari drive. I don't want to change lenses but also don't want to be fumbling from one setup to another. What are your thoughts? Thanks so much.
Animals can move fast. My suggestions is to have a big camera when you have time and an iPhone for quick shots. Everyone has their own ideas about what cameras to use on these trips. These days, we only take one big camera with us that has a tamron lens, best used for leopards in trees and maybe birds. Otherwise, animals are so near, our iPhones are sufficient. Here is an example
Just one more opinion. I think 300 mm is about the most that can be easily handled in a safari vehicle. You definitely do not want to be changing lenses in the dusty environment. I would actually recommend that you bring a good pair of binoculars and recored the experience with your brain. You can see the pictures in National Geographic.
@Woody , here are my photo records from the Kenya & Tanzania trip in Sept 2024. I know its not the trip you plan but broadly similar.
Phone # shots Lens #shots iphone 1146 24-70mm 205 Nikon d850 237 70-200mm 103 Nikon Z9 1026 180-600mm 955 ( >75% @ 600MM)) Total 2409 iphone 1146 Total 2409( Sorry the formatting doesn't work too well. File attached if you need it)
My wife used her iphone for all the environmental and "holiday" type images and I caught the wild life. My biggest surprise was the amount of time I was at 600mm and could have used more on some of them. I used two bodies as you can see. The 180-600 was mostly on the Z9 and the 24-70 on the D850. I tried if at all possible to not switch lenses when out on a drive and I got through the trip only one time having to clean a spot off a sensor.
Thank you all for your comments. Based on your responses and what I know of my photography preferences I am probably going to leave my 100-400 at home and take my 40-150 f2.8 (80-300 equivalent) with the 1.4 and 2.0 extenders. I will also take my 12-100 or 12-40. I know I will miss numerous shots requiring a longer lens but believe my experience will be more satisfying with a simpler setup. I will use my very small GR 3x f2.8 around lodges and camp sites. Again, thanks for your inout. Your comments were quite helpful.
Woody, sounds like a great plan. The 40 -150 gives you a great lower light lens with awesome image quality and will let you take wildlife, landscapes and is a great lens for portraits at between 85 and 135 mm FFE at F2.8. I have use the OM 12-45 F4 work travel the last 3 years and love the quality and form factor. Nothing against the 12-100 which I am planning to take to England next year paired with the 20 f1.4. The new OM 50-200 is being announced tomorrow but for me its a too expensive. I have been debating getting the GR 4 but plan to wait for the X version. Have a great trip.
I think you will be wasting your time trying to swap lenses and extenders. Between the danger of getting dust in the camera, tight quarters in safari vehicles, bumpy, rutted, and dusty or muddy, unimproved dirt roads (trails), and the drivers moving, often with little notice, and forever jockeying for the best viewing position, you really don't want to be doing anything other than doing your best to point, frame, and shoot. My suggestion- take your iPhone if you want and one DSLR camera with a wide range lens. I use a Canon with 16-300 mm third party lens for ALL my photos- safari and otherwise.
We did Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda (Walk with gorillas) in July. I used my iPhone 16 pro max and my Canon DSLR with a 70-300 mm lens, and that worked out great. Don't plan on any lens changes. Far too dusty to make it worthwhile.