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 p.58 #13 · African safari talk...recommendations? | |
artsupreme wrote:
Some of this depends on your shooting preferences based on primes vs zooms. I'm a prime shooter, so I get the desire to bring the 135, but I don't think you really need it. I have all these same lenses to choose from and the 135 is one of my favorite lenses of all time but I did not bring it. I think you will be more than fine with the A1/300 w/TC's + A1/70-200 for 90% of your shooting. I would definitely not bother bringing the 24-70 unless that's your favorite go to lens or something. I've lugged mine over there twice now and did not use it once! It's been complete dead weight for me. I thought, maybe I'll use it to take some portraits in camp or something, but nope, I ended up using my lightweight 35mm prime for that.
So if it was up to me, I would drop the 135, drop the 24-70, AND take an f/4 version of a wide angle zoom unless you know you'll definitely want/need the f/2.8. Because you will probably use this lens 5% of the time and you'll likely be stopping down for landscapes.
If you dropped the 135, 24-70, and took a lighter weight version of a wide angle (16-35 f4 G?), then that would lighten the load and leave room for another body and Tamron 150-500. I would not worry too much about a crippled frame rate unless you plan to shoot mostly BIF but I doubt you are. It's not like you'll see cheetah kills every day so frame rate is not a huge concern as most animals are grazing or walking slowly. And I see that as your backup setup, not your primary setup.
Good luck!!
EDIT: It looks like that Tamron 17-28 is not as heavy as I expected so you are probably good to go. I was thinking it would be much heavier....Show more →
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artsupreme wrote:
I'm not familiar with the frame rates you will get with the Sigma 500, so what would it actually be? I'm sure it will be fast enough to cover most of the movement. The animals are moving, but not always super fast. Most of the time they are standing around and you are just waiting/hoping for them to either lift their heads or look your way. If you spot a cheetah and cubs on a mound you'll learn it's almost a given that they'll never all look at directly your camera (they are always scanning). Lazy lions lay around and often close their eyes at the moment their head is facing your camera when they turn their heads. You will also find the animals often overlap to ruin your perfect shot.  . On my last safari during one of the few good sunrises we had, I was shooting silhouettes of animals by a tree. I probably shot a few hundred hoping for no overlap, and I think I only got a couple with them lined up nicely with no overlap. But it only takes one shot, and I think I even got lucky with some birds flying in the frame on that one. Leopards can jump tree trunks quickly but as long as you have a decent frame rate on that 500 you'll be fine unless you are all about BIF.
Regarding lens changes in the vehicle, I don't see this as an issue, at all. I was there during the severe drought in 2022 during the dry season and I didn't have any issues changing lenses in the vehicle in the dusty/dry conditions. There are a few places where there's a very fine "moon dust" and you obviously wouldn't change a lens there, but everywhere else is all good. Your guide can stop in a nice location for the swap. Especially if you are strategic about it and can have someone help you with a "1,2,3 ready" swap.
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1bwana1 wrote:
My take is that less is better. Just like in an image with less distraction is better. I honestly would add the 200-600 and drop the 300 (as much as I love it), the 135, and the 17-28.
Enjoy the adventure, be there in the moment. Get great pictures, but don't make the trip only about images and being bogged down with gear.
I know that everyone provided input for me quite a while ago and that I am just now responding to it. I have been spending a lot of time considering all of these possibilities as well as the great advice.
So, after hearing from all of your experience, I am not worried about the frame rate. At this point, I have not ordered any third party lenses so it is not an issue anyway.
I did decide to drop the 135mm and may well drop the 24-70 as well. My Tamron 17-28 is small and light, so that can be used if a wide angle is needed.
I have added a third body - picked up an A9III (man - the AF is impressive!). I still plan to take the 300 with both teleconverters, and may take the 200-600 as well. Not a lightweight lens, but I am paranoid about breaking my 300 and then not having a long telephoto. This comes from experience in which I dropped my camera and 500mm on the first day at Yellowstone some years ago. In that case, the lens was ok, but the lens mount on the cameras was shot - it was certainly a wake-up call for bringing backup gear.
Love the advice about being in the moment! And I certainly plan to do that. The experience will mean as much as the photos. My husband just purchased two beautiful books for me, "Remembering Lions" and "Remembering Leopards." Just looking at the images brings such strong emotion.
Not related to photography, but do the camps usually have kettles in the rooms/tents? I am not one to wake up and get out the door in a matter of minutes. So, I hope to make some coffee and spend some quiet time before heading out each morning.
I am incredibly grateful to those of you who have responded to my messages here and provided your thoughts and advice. While I am often slow to respond, I really do appreciate it.
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