evertdoorn wrote:
What I've done in the past is buy second hand gear for a trip, and then sell it later. The possible depreciation cost was much lower than rental costs. However not actually owning the gear does have it's advantages of course.
Btw, I hope it's ok if I do this here, but if anyone's interested; I'm organizing a 12 day photo trip to Kenya in february with another photo host and due to a cancellation we have two spots left. Takes us to Tsavo, Amboseli, Samburu and Ol Pejeta. Happy to send anyone more info / link to the webpage if you like (send me a PM)...Show more →
This is not a bad idea. When I first went on a Safari in 2007, I could barely afford anything. Bought a new 300 2.8 (Canon those days) and used a TC as needed. Sold it actually a couple of years later for pretty much what I had bought it for - the prices for new had gone up by then.
Lenses do not lose their value as much as bodies do, so buying used and selling them afterwards is going to be cheaper than renting. Camera bodies may take a bit of a hit, but again, in 2-3 months not so much unless a newer model is announced.
berimbolo wrote:
I have. Renting a second A1 for ~14 days is nearly $2000 CAD, which is what put me off.
Really? If so, you need to find a better rental company. Lensrentals.com shows the A1 for $625.00 for 14 days, which, if the web conversion I found is correct, is about 860 CAD.
vbnut wrote:
Really? If so, you need to find a better rental company. Lensrentals.com shows the A1 for $625.00 for 14 days, which, if the web conversion I found is correct, is about 860 CAD.
The rental market in the US is a lot different than it is in Canada.
berimbolo wrote:
The rental market in the US is a lot different than it is in Canada.
+1. LensRentals used to ship to Canada in the good old days and was a game changer at the time. They pulled out due to uncertainty at the border making shipping too difficult to guarantee. The local players have not even a fraction of the stock and are multiples more expensive.
It's actually worked out better for me to buy and resell as well.
VKM2F wrote:
+1. LensRentals used to ship to Canada in the good old days and was a game changer at the time. They pulled out due to uncertainty at the border making shipping too difficult to guarantee. The local players have not even a fraction of the stock and are multiples more expensive.
It's actually worked out better for me to buy and resell as well.
Wow, that sucks. Lensrentals will ship to any FedEx Office location. In fact, that's what I always do so I don't have to worry about being home to sign for the delivery. Would work to have them ship to the nearest FedEx Office location over the border (Niagara Falls? Buffalo) and you drive there to pick it up and to return it?
vbnut wrote:
Wow, that sucks. Lensrentals will ship to any FedEx Office location. In fact, that's what I always do so I don't have to worry about being home to sign for the delivery. Would work to have them ship to the nearest FedEx Office location over the border (Niagara Falls? Buffalo) and you drive there to pick it up and to return it?
I've heard mixed reviews on doing this. Some people had no issue, other people got hassled at the border (both ways).
Unrelated:
Does anyone know the SafariLink baggage size limitations? I want to make sure I can keep my kit with me.
berimbolo wrote:
I've heard mixed reviews on doing this. Some people had no issue, other people got hassled at the border (both ways).
Unrelated:
Does anyone know the SafariLink baggage size limitations? I want to make sure I can keep my kit with me.
SafariLink only care about weight, really. The expectation is that you have a soft sided duffel for your luggage in addition to your camera bag, so dimensions aren't an issue. 15kg per person is the limit, though I've seen many exceed those restrictions without any hassle. That said, you don't want to risk it. My camera bag alone is more than 15kg so I always book an excess weight allowance in advance. You can pay in advance for an extra 10, 20 or 30kg more which will cover you. Your luggage will go in a luggage hold under the plane and your camera bag will typically sit in the rear of the plane where you'll place it as you board.
VKM2F wrote:
SafariLink only care about weight, really. The expectation is that you have a soft sided duffel for your luggage in addition to your camera bag, so dimensions aren't an issue. 15kg per person is the limit, though I've seen many exceed those restrictions without any hassle. That said, you don't want to risk it. My camera bag alone is more than 15kg so I always book an excess weight allowance in advance. You can pay in advance for an extra 10, 20 or 30kg more which will cover you. Your luggage will go in a luggage hold under the plane and your camera bag will typically sit in the rear of the plane where you'll place it as you board.
I will make sure I get a duffle for clothing. I pre-paid for 20 extra KG which should cover everything. My camera bag is 12kg without any travel-related items I will hold in there, and Im putting a lens in a small duffle bag as well.
A couple of notes on my Safarilink experiences, flying through Nairobi Wilson... They did weigh our bags, though they weighed my families bags all together, plus I had purchased a freight seat also. Never had any issue, but they were checking, at least in theory. We flew them from Wilson to Zanzibar on a bigger Dash-8 plane, and I had to check one of my camera bags, but it was fine. They let me take my camera gear on the smaller Caravans we flew back and forth to camps. I was really impressed with all the flights I was on. My travel agent warned me ahead of time to think of them more as a bus system then what we are used to as an airline. They are pretty flexible, they will call camp the night before to let you know when they are picking you up, since their schedule varies with what stops they are making. They even moved us on one leg from Safarilink to Kenyan Air. Like four planes came into the airstrip in the Mara and our guide just had to ask each one until he found ours! But always efficient.
FWIW, I took my camera gear in one large backpack and one soft side roller bag. I just put them all in the back on the cabin. Although I think they would have been fine underneath. They lay out all the checked bags at the Wilson airport and you confirm yours are there before they load them.
Gosh, I miss the Wilson airport! What an experience our whole trip was and I really hope we can get back again someday!
Cduff406 wrote:
A couple of notes on my Safarilink experiences, flying through Nairobi Wilson... They did weigh our bags, though they weighed my families bags all together, plus I had purchased a freight seat also. Never had any issue, but they were checking, at least in theory. We flew them from Wilson to Zanzibar on a bigger Dash-8 plane, and I had to check one of my camera bags, but it was fine. They let me take my camera gear on the smaller Caravans we flew back and forth to camps. I was really impressed with all the flights I was on. My travel agent warned me ahead of time to think of them more as a bus system then what we are used to as an airline. They are pretty flexible, they will call camp the night before to let you know when they are picking you up, since their schedule varies with what stops they are making. They even moved us on one leg from Safarilink to Kenyan Air. Like four planes came into the airstrip in the Mara and our guide just had to ask each one until he found ours! But always efficient.
FWIW, I took my camera gear in one large backpack and one soft side roller bag. I just put them all in the back on the cabin. Although I think they would have been fine underneath. They lay out all the checked bags at the Wilson airport and you confirm yours are there before they load them.
Gosh, I miss the Wilson airport! What an experience our whole trip was and I really hope we can get back again someday!...Show more →
Thank you for the details. I may go ahead and book a freight seat just in case.
My wife and I just got back from our Safari one month ago. We went through Wilson and I did buy that freight seat. Each country has different luggage allowances with Kenya at 15 kgs per person the most restrictive. Adding a freight seat for extra luggage allowance for our two flights in Kenya was about $400 total for one seat - - that gave us 15kgs extra.
We also went to Tanzania but Tanzania restriction is 20kgs already - - so in effect this gave us 10 extra kgs for my wife and I if you calculate it out - so no freight seat needed in Tanzania.
It was worth the peace of mind. And when we got to Wilson, there is this really cool massive scale behind the counter. I looked at that thing and I was like "wow - they were serious about that?" (in "My Cousin Vinny" move voice) and I was smiling thinking to myself "not my problem" :--).
anotherhobby wrote:
My wife and I just got back from our Safari one month ago. We went through Wilson and I did buy that freight seat. Each country has different luggage allowances with Kenya at 15 kgs per person the most restrictive. Adding a freight seat for extra luggage allowance for our two flights in Kenya was about $400 total for one seat - - that gave us 15kgs extra.
We also went to Tanzania but Tanzania restriction is 20kgs already - - so in effect this gave us 10 extra kgs for my wife and I if you calculate it out - so no freight seat needed in Tanzania.
It was worth the peace of mind. And when we got to Wilson, there is this really cool massive scale behind the counter. I looked at that thing and I was like "wow - they were serious about that?" (in "My Cousin Vinny" move voice) and I was smiling thinking to myself "not my problem" :--).
However, just looking at these bush flights, they are rather expensive overall. Even without the extra weight, a short 30 minute hop and back is more expensive than a round trip NY to Miami/Orlando. But much better than bouncing along the roads all day.
I'm looking into shooting at a low angle, probably using a monopod (with handle on top?) to hold hte camera lower and use the remote app on my phone, if anyone has any suggestions I'd appreciate it!
Bobg657 wrote:
I'm looking into shooting at a low angle, probably using a monopod (with handle on top?) to hold hte camera lower and use the remote app on my phone, if anyone has any suggestions I'd appreciate it!
thanks,
Bob
Most of us indeed like a low perspective although I've now realized that in certain situations - esp if there is a group of animals, a higher viewpoint - standing up in the vehicle and shooting through the roof - is actually better. The other thing I realized on a recent trip to Botswana is that you can sometimes be too low! Then grass and other distractions obscure the animal in an unpleasant way.
Anyway, here is what I came up with a few years ago - have not used it in the field though. The plate is from RRS and the monopod is a simple one, reversed for use in this rig.
I am also attaching what I saw someone using out of a bus in Kenya a few years ago.
Finally, the rig a photo buddy of mine came up with recently. He too has not tried it much in the field.
Monopod with long simple plate and Sony AR4 mounted
With bigger lenses that have a 'foot', it is much easier to device different ways to attach the camera/body, but with smaller ones such as the 24-70 I would commonly use in such a situation, the inverted monopod with a long plate on which the whole thing mounts is probably the easiest.
Hard to imagine using a long lens dangling from a monopod, not sure I would be able to get a steady shot or get precise focus.
Primus wrote:
With bigger lenses that have a 'foot', it is much easier to device different ways to attach the camera/body, but with smaller ones such as the 24-70 I would commonly use in such a situation, the inverted monopod with a long plate on which the whole thing mounts is probably the easiest.
Hard to imagine using a long lens dangling from a monopod, not sure I would be able to get a steady shot or get precise focus.
Steve Mattheis 100% uses his 400mm F2.8 with this inverted monopod set up. Use a fast enough shutter speed, good eye tracking and blast a burst at the fastest frame rate possible. I am planning on using this approach on my next trip.
berimbolo wrote:
Steve Mattheis 100% uses his 400mm F2.8 with this inverted monopod set up. Use a fast enough shutter speed, good eye tracking and blast a burst at the fastest frame rate possible. I am planning on using this approach on my next trip.
I've never tried it and I find it difficult enough with my 400 2.8 to hold it steady in my hands, so I doubt if I will be able to use it that way, probably have the entire subject out of the frame!
It's worth trying and would be simple enough to experiment at home.
Most of the time if you are lucky enough to get the front seat in the vehicle and can open the door and sit on the edge, that is low enough, some cars will have a pad for you to lied down on in front of the first row. This is of course only if you have the entire row to yourself or even better, have the entire vehicle to yourself.
Primus wrote:
I've never tried it and I find it difficult enough with my 400 2.8 to hold it steady in my hands, so I doubt if I will be able to use it that way, probably have the entire subject out of the frame!
It's worth trying and would be simple enough to experiment at home.
Most of the time if you are lucky enough to get the front seat in the vehicle and can open the door and sit on the edge, that is low enough, some cars will have a pad for you to lied down on in front of the first row. This is of course only if you have the entire row to yourself or even better, have the entire vehicle to yourself. ...Show more →
I have the entire vehicle to myself and its designed to lay down with a little opening where I can stick the camera out, but its still not quite the same as being slightly below the subject. I will practice with the monopod before getting to Kenya.
