Gear for African Safari - Kruger & Kgalagadi

[Bluesfan]

Hi

(also posted this in Lenses, hope that is not against the rules)

I'm off to Kruger & Kgalagadi in 3 months time with a friend. Driving ourselves around for about 12 days in each park. This will be my first safari but hopefully not my last.
I have previous experience of two trips to Antarctica/South Georgia and one trip to Spitsbergen. All three trips done on the same ship and shooting with Canon gear.
Antarctica I had 5D2 and 7D.
The last trip, Spitsbergen, I mainly shot with 5D3, 300mm f/2.8 mk2 with 2x and 1.4 x mk3 extenders, and a 5D2 with 70-200 f/2.8 mk2 and some wider lenses. The 300mm was bought as a lightweight option for this trip.

I then sold the 5D2 and bought a second 5D3 to give me a pair of 5D3's for events including a family wedding. I've also bought a 16/35 f/4.

So, for the Safari my current gear would give me a main setup of:
5D3 + 300mm f/2.8 mk2 with 2x ext mk3
5D3 + 70-200mm f/2.8 mk2
16-35mm f/4
1.4x ext mk3 for either long lens though I will minimize changing lenses in the field.

I interested in comments from those that have done similar trips/used similar gear as to your experiences.
Where could I improve this kit if I could invest in just one piece?
Would love to get 1DX with 200-400 but that is a bit beyond current budget.
Sell the 300mm and get a 200-400 for the versatility?
Or get a 1DX - would frame rate and better auto focus make a difference?
Other ideas?

thanks in advance.

Craig

 

[te1973]

Hi,

did many Safaris, personally I used 500mm f/4 with 7D 90% of the time.

Adding a 300mm f/4 with a second 7D and a 70-200 f/2.8 with a third 7D is perfect.
No need to change lenses. Alternative: 500mm + 100-400.

Maybe add a 24-70 or 16-35 for landscape and a macro.

Regards, Tom

 

[aardvark]

I have been fortunate enough to have gone to both parks on a number of occasions - they are quite different.

Depends to an extent on what you are looking for, and also what vehicle you are in and who is driving.

Looking at what you propose to take, you cant argue with it as you have a lot of flexibility in terms of range but also portability (which can be important in an enclosed vehicle)

You may be limited slightly on range (but you have the 300mm and x2), if you are comfortable with the quality and AF performance of that combination (I have no experience of that lens so cant comment) then you are probably good.

12 days in both parks is great - I guess your flying else its a very long days (14 hour) drive between the two.

Kruger is an easier park to spot lots of things

Kgalagadi - more difficult, but when you do get something it can be great (last time I was there we had a Lion sitting within 10 M of our tented accommodation and also cheetah kill). You'll tend to need longer lenses for Kgalagadi, but of course it depends.

If neither you nor your companions have been before, maybe worth taking a look at this guide. Though most of the stuff you can figure out easily from the park map.

http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/photographers-guide-to-the-kgalagadi.html

Would suggest you ensure you take something to stabilise lens on car (either bean bag or some form of window mount)

Also in Kgalagadi, depending which camp you are staying in, power can be an issue, only some have power to re-charge, I take a small car inverter, but we tend to stay at camps that have no power outlets.

Good luck!

 

[Visarend]

Hi Craig
Agree with Aardvark, your current set up should be fine for Kruger. While in the Kgalagadi you might need a bit more. But then we make do with what we have, visited the Kgalagadi with only a 7D and a 100-400 mm. If you spend time at the waterholes the animals will come to you! With 6fps you might miss some of the action, but a higher rate will only be needed on a few occasions.

Wish you a great time in the two great parks.

 

[JoFT]

I made a good experience on our safari with the 100-400 and the 1.4 extender on the 5D3. The 100-400 gave me a great flexibility on shorter distances and for far away animals...

But I had to realize that there is one disadvantage: you have to sop down the lenses to f11. "Wide" open is f8, and with f8 the lens is pretty soft... I went to ISO 800 to get a proper shutter speed @ f11

I had the 7D with me, too, but this was not an advantage against the 5DMkIII because of the worse properties of the 7D´s for higher ISO´s

If you want to see some of my wildlife samples I took in Africa:

<link removed by mod>

 

[scottkinfw]

Hey Craig, congrats on a great trip. I'm headed to South Africa in late October.

I would suggest that you add a flash to the mix with a better beamer. This will come in handy even during the day in harsh light. You may find animals sitting under trees for example. Also, if possible, try to go on night drive safaris- way cool.

Your gear sounds pretty inclusive (I have been to Serengeti/Tanzania X2, so can't comment on your locations yet). You may seriously want to consider hiring a guide as some of the critters (even large ones like giraffes) can hide in plain sight.

Finally, before you start packing the large whites, check weight restrictions. Get a safari vest with lots of pockets to off-load heavy objects until you clear check in. The vest is not counted as a carry on and there is no weight restriction.

Sek