seaninsa wrote:
If anyone is traveling to Kenya, make sure you do not get your EVisa more than 90 days from arrival. The stupid Kenyan website does not block you from getting it to early and I guess no one is reviewing the online applications. My sister and I got ours more than 90 days from arrival. For some reason I had no issue but my sister got stopped at JWIA and had to reapply there in the airport!! Make sure you do not do it more than 90 days from departure.
usually you'll get back in 24 hours, or 48 at the max so I always do this the week prior to departure. Also, I noticed the last time you have to log in and check for yourself for approval - no email confirmation is sent
Hello Hive mind.
Going back to Africa Again and looking for recommendations.
September/Oct 2023
Sabi Sand and Timbavati (maybe Manyeleti
All inclusive Lodges with 2 game drives a day with max 4 people/vehicle and no kids.
Photocentric.
Maybe 4 days Sabi, 4 days Timbavati, and then 4 days back at Jaci's Tree Lodge (love that place)
I've been to Chobe, Okavango Delta, Dinaka Kalahari, Maasi Mara, Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Madikwe
Love to hear some recommendations from you experienced traveler/photographers.
Thanks
Alan Kefauver wrote:
Hello Hive mind.
Going back to Africa Again and looking for recommendations.
September/Oct 2023
Sabi Sand and Timbavati (maybe Manyeleti
All inclusive Lodges with 2 game drives a day with max 4 people/vehicle and no kids.
Photocentric.
Maybe 4 days Sabi, 4 days Timbavati, and then 4 days back at Jaci's Tree Lodge (love that place)
I've been to Chobe, Okavango Delta, Dinaka Kalahari, Maasi Mara, Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Madikwe
Love to hear some recommendations from you experienced traveler/photographers.
Thanks
It sounds like Africa is addicting...you are fortunate to have covered a lot of ground over there.
Alan Kefauver wrote:
Lots of pics for anyone who is interested:
Flickr.com/apkef/albums
Alan,
It looks like you are at 500mm often with your 100-500. Are you cropping a lot? What would you guess to be the ideal focal range? If there was such a zoom, would it be 500-800 to avoid cropping?
It looks like you are at 500mm often with your 100-500. Are you cropping a lot? What would you guess to be the ideal focal range? If there was such a zoom, would it be 500-800 to avoid cropping?
Yep at 500mm a lot and I do crop a good bit. Given a choice I'll take a 600mm f/1.4..
I took the 100-500, the 70-200 f/2.8, the 24-70 f/2.8 and the 15-35 f/2.8. Never used the 15-35, once or twice on the 24-105, and used the 70-200 in the early mornings and late evening. I used the 1.4ex on the 500mm maybe 10% of the time. Had two bodies and the 100-500 never left one body (except to add the 1.4x) and the 70-200 pretty much stayed on the other.
For my next trip I'm Jonesing for a 400mm f/2.8 which takes 1.4ex really well. Takes the 2x ok too. One of my fellow photogs had one and I tried it. (Bad move) A RF version of the 200-400 w drop in 1.4 would be a great lens there also.
The 100-500 on the R5 was a superb lens to have and better than the EF 100-400 on a 7D2 I had on previous visits.
BTW. Looks like I am going to the Mara in Sept for the Great Migration (8 days), followed by 4 days at Timbavati (for Leopards) and a return to Jaci's Tree Lodge in Madikwe (4 days). Shaping up to be a nice little jaunt.
ps: Why avoid cropping? With 45mps and todays NR and sharpen software (as well as Gigapixel.) Even cropping 100% on a photo shot at 700mm (500+1.4) prints well at 13x19 (my max) and for Internet it's fine. I never hesitate to crop.
pps: I crop in Gigapixel rather than LR so I can see the crop upsized before I do further processing.
interesting thought about that 400 2.8.. So I reckon you liked it? I've been contemplating this as a replacement for my 500mm, and then use the extenders. Wish Canon had something like the Nikon version with 1.4 extender.
On the other hand I also want to wait and see what a possible lightweight RF 500 could look like, or a 200-... f/4 zoom.
Alan Kefauver wrote:
Yep at 500mm a lot and I do crop a good bit. Given a choice I'll take a 600mm f/1.4..
I took the 100-500, the 70-200 f/2.8, the 24-70 f/2.8 and the 15-35 f/2.8. Never used the 15-35, once or twice on the 24-105, and used the 70-200 in the early mornings and late evening. I used the 1.4ex on the 500mm maybe 10% of the time. Had two bodies and the 100-500 never left one body (except to add the 1.4x) and the 70-200 pretty much stayed on the other.
For my next trip I'm Jonesing for a 400mm f/2.8 which takes 1.4ex really well. Takes the 2x ok too. One of my fellow photogs had one and I tried it. (Bad move) A RF version of the 200-400 w drop in 1.4 would be a great lens there also.
The 100-500 on the R5 was a superb lens to have and better than the EF 100-400 on a 7D2 I had on previous visits.
BTW. Looks like I am going to the Mara in Sept for the Great Migration (8 days), followed by 4 days at Timbavati (for Leopards) and a return to Jaci's Tree Lodge in Madikwe (4 days). Shaping up to be a nice little jaunt.
ps: Why avoid cropping? With 45mps and todays NR and sharpen software (as well as Gigapixel.) Even cropping 100% on a photo shot at 700mm (500+1.4) prints well at 13x19 (my max) and for Internet it's fine. I never hesitate to crop.
pps: I crop in Gigapixel rather than LR so I can see the crop upsized before I do further processing....Show more →
I'll be taking a lot of lenses but I have a feeling I'll be using my RF 400 more than anything. I do not like to crop so if I need to slap the 2x on the RF 400 then I'll do that.
hardly any depth of field on a 400 F2.8 (and less on a 600 F4) when fairly close to largish subjects. I've found given the light, and the versatility the Sony 200-600 (really about 560mm) is the best option. I have the 400 F2.8 - but too big to lug around on long trips. Africa also has light! and at F6.3 I get the depth of field I need...
rdcny wrote:
hardly any depth of field on a 400 F2.8 (and less on a 600 F4) when fairly close to largish subjects. I've found given the light, and the versatility the Sony 200-600 (really about 560mm) is the best option. I have the 400 F2.8 - but too big to lug around on long trips. Africa also has light! and at F6.3 I get the depth of field I need...
I like shooting wide open to limit DOF if possible but I realize if subject is too close it might not be enough. But back on page 8 Primus's photo of the Cheetahs I think is probably my favorite image of this whole thread taken wide open with the 400 2.8. So I have decided to take my RF 400 instead of the 600. The 400 is great with both extenders so I'm thinking that's the best lens for me. I'll also have zooms if I need them.
Just got back from Safari in SA and thought I'd chime in to this thread with my experience. Answering OP's original questions:
1. We had an amazing time at Kirkman's Kamp (andbeyond) in Sabi Sand. An unreal amount of leopards, lots of lions - cheetahs are rare. We saw all big 5 in the first two drives. They do a max of 6 people per vehicle (3 rows of 3 seats) and I rarely if ever had an issue with heads/other people in photos. I think we were there at about the perfect time - the vegetation wasn't too thick, water is limited so the animals gather by the river quite often. That said, the bush in SA is a lot thicker than Kenya so you will be hunting a little more for animals because you can't see them from a quarter mile away.
2. I had a Z7 with a 24-70 and a Z7II with a 100-400. I barely used the 24-70 except for snapshots of my wife/landscape, and the 100-400 was sufficient especially with the cropping ability of 45MP. I would have felt limited if I didn't have 100mm on the short end. I brought a 1.4TC but never felt the need to use it. The time of day in which having a faster lens would have made a big difference was limited, so f5.6 max on the long end was fine (especially with my ISO set to max at 20,000). At night, anything you'll stop to shoot will be lit by a spotlight.
3. No
4. I took about 400 photos per game drive, charged in between, and never had to change batteries (lowest I got was about 45%). If you're doing a lot of chimping and blasting away on the shutter, you might need to. I had two spares with me.
5. I brought generally the same clothes I hike in - sun-protective shirts/hoodies (OR, Patagonia, Columbia, etc). The weather varied from 100+ to low-70s, with some wind. Nice to have a light jacket for morning drives.
- 2x sun hoodies
- 2x button-down/collared sun shirts
- 2x capilene t-shirts (patagonia)
- 1x hiking shorts
- 2x vuori meta pants
- big sun hat
- patagonia nano air (rarely used)
6. Malarone
7. Great experience with andBeyond.
8. $750pp per night, we did 5 nights. Food was excellent, accommodations were great too. It was nothing suuuper luxury, that would cost at least double, but we were very happy.
.