Tanzania with minimal gear
- Thread starter randym77
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Bare Minimum:
100-400
Blower brush
Batteries and Memory Cards
Bean Bag(you can fill it up with rice or beans once you get there)
Optional if volume permits:
1 portrait lens
1 fast ultra wide should you want to try night sky/milkyway
Extra charger so you can charge 2 batteries at the same time
More memory cards
Model
Studio strobes
Softboxes and umbrellas
100-400
Blower brush
Batteries and Memory Cards
Bean Bag(you can fill it up with rice or beans once you get there)
Optional if volume permits:
1 portrait lens
1 fast ultra wide should you want to try night sky/milkyway
Extra charger so you can charge 2 batteries at the same time
More memory cards
Model
Studio strobes
Softboxes and umbrellas
Upvote
0
Having done the safari this time last year (Botswana/Zambia), my advice is to remember to enjoy the moment, not just the photography. You can go to a Zoo to photograph animals up close, but it's being with them in the wild that makes it so special. Breath it in. Post some pics when you get back.randym77 said:
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Dust is an issue only when you change lens, not about weather sealing.
You say you do not even know what type of photography you will do. Hmmmm. That would be the first step for you to figure. But I already know what you will photograph:
1. Wildlife
2. Wildlife
3. Wildlife
4. Some tribes
5. Some sunsets.
6. Family photos.
You need:
a) Crop body for its reach. There will be no off road driving where you going and you need all the reach.
b) 100-400mm lens.
c) 24-70mm. (Tribes)
d) A pocket point and shoot for the real fun photos.
e) 35mm f2 IS lens for sunsets. (IS elements need for tripod)
You can do without the 35mm if you point and shoot has decent IQ and IS.
Enjoy the trip and be prepared to get addicted.
I will be in Tanzania too most of August. My list is:
1DX
5d3
200-400
70-200
16-35
35 Zeiss 1.4 for post sunset shots.
Light tripod, head.
1.4x
Fuji XE2 for evening dinner/campfire photos.
Contemplating on:
Flash
24-70
The airline allows 15kg including handbag. Having serious fights with my girlfriend already.
You say you do not even know what type of photography you will do. Hmmmm. That would be the first step for you to figure. But I already know what you will photograph:
1. Wildlife
2. Wildlife
3. Wildlife
4. Some tribes
5. Some sunsets.
6. Family photos.
You need:
a) Crop body for its reach. There will be no off road driving where you going and you need all the reach.
b) 100-400mm lens.
c) 24-70mm. (Tribes)
d) A pocket point and shoot for the real fun photos.
e) 35mm f2 IS lens for sunsets. (IS elements need for tripod)
You can do without the 35mm if you point and shoot has decent IQ and IS.
Enjoy the trip and be prepared to get addicted.
I will be in Tanzania too most of August. My list is:
1DX
5d3
200-400
70-200
16-35
35 Zeiss 1.4 for post sunset shots.
Light tripod, head.
1.4x
Fuji XE2 for evening dinner/campfire photos.
Contemplating on:
Flash
24-70
The airline allows 15kg including handbag. Having serious fights with my girlfriend already.
Upvote
0
Everyone raised such great points.
I'll add my 2 cents.
Get a safari vest and load it up- they don't count that weight, plus, very handy in the bush.
I used Africa Dream Safaris X2- very good.
I went to all of the above places plus a few more. The animals while in Range Rovers will be quite close, and you will likely go off road to get the shots. Other times you will need the reach. For me, the 70-200 was most used, and the f4 is is my preference over the 2.8 is II due to weight/size and the fact that there will be hiking and restrictions.
I would agree with the 24-70 2.8 II for quality and fast lens.
5DIII is excellent for focus and low light and weight/size compromise vs. 1DX.
I would not go without two bodies however, but I am paranoid. Aside from possible camera failure, two bodies lets me be ready for close and far situations at all times.
I like my good old 400 5.6L- great images, light and small, inexpensive compared to the big white brother, plus it is paid for. I only used it a few times for distant large animal shots and some birds.
With the 5DIII you can use multiple inexpensive sd cards as a backup/storage solution.
Don't forget to enjoy your time.
sek
I'll add my 2 cents.
Get a safari vest and load it up- they don't count that weight, plus, very handy in the bush.
I used Africa Dream Safaris X2- very good.
I went to all of the above places plus a few more. The animals while in Range Rovers will be quite close, and you will likely go off road to get the shots. Other times you will need the reach. For me, the 70-200 was most used, and the f4 is is my preference over the 2.8 is II due to weight/size and the fact that there will be hiking and restrictions.
I would agree with the 24-70 2.8 II for quality and fast lens.
5DIII is excellent for focus and low light and weight/size compromise vs. 1DX.
I would not go without two bodies however, but I am paranoid. Aside from possible camera failure, two bodies lets me be ready for close and far situations at all times.
I like my good old 400 5.6L- great images, light and small, inexpensive compared to the big white brother, plus it is paid for. I only used it a few times for distant large animal shots and some birds.
With the 5DIII you can use multiple inexpensive sd cards as a backup/storage solution.
Don't forget to enjoy your time.
sek
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I have done a similar trip last year, the same locations. You can check my flickr all my Africa shots were with a 7d and 70-300L, almost all my shots were at 300mm
Here are a few tips from my trip. You will be shooting in pop up hood landrovers so a bean bag is useful to lean the camera on. A lightweight tripod is well worth it for the beautiful sunrise/sunsets. In those parks you are not allowed to drive off the tracks but you will still get close to wildlife. Some of the best photo chances are at the lowest light so prepare to bump the ISO. Luggage requirements on small aircraft for carry on are often smaller than international requirements, pretty much it has to fit under the seat. Regarding batteries I bought a grip purely for the ability to take AA's as you can get them at any major rest stops or hotels. You should be allowed to charge while the land rovers are running, the travel agency should be able to confirm (British plugs I think). On a really small plane you might get weighed as well as your luggage. Lenscoat hoodie !. I was shooting in the rain so I used my lenscoat rain cover quite a bit.
That's about all I can think of for now
Here are a few tips from my trip. You will be shooting in pop up hood landrovers so a bean bag is useful to lean the camera on. A lightweight tripod is well worth it for the beautiful sunrise/sunsets. In those parks you are not allowed to drive off the tracks but you will still get close to wildlife. Some of the best photo chances are at the lowest light so prepare to bump the ISO. Luggage requirements on small aircraft for carry on are often smaller than international requirements, pretty much it has to fit under the seat. Regarding batteries I bought a grip purely for the ability to take AA's as you can get them at any major rest stops or hotels. You should be allowed to charge while the land rovers are running, the travel agency should be able to confirm (British plugs I think). On a really small plane you might get weighed as well as your luggage. Lenscoat hoodie !. I was shooting in the rain so I used my lenscoat rain cover quite a bit.
That's about all I can think of for now
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All very good points. I'm in the same position, will be on Safari in Kenya/Tanzania for 8 days and havent figured out yet what to bring.
At the moment I'm strongly considering bringing my 5D3 as my (only) DSLR and:
- Buy the Tamron 150-600 as main lens for the whole trip
- Bring the 24-70 II for the landscapes and environmental shots (but considering the dust, that would stick on the 5D the whole day, hmmm)
- Get a RAW capable point & shoot (e.g. the G1X II?) in case wildlife gets very close and for the shots in the villages, environmental shots, etc.
Would like to prevent bringing a second DSLR body as we are already hassling with the weight limit of 15kg.
Although an other option would be renting a crop body and use my 70-300L and keep the 24-70II on the 5D3 but wouldn't that spoil the quality of the more distant wildlife?
Would love to hear your thoughs on that.
At the moment I'm strongly considering bringing my 5D3 as my (only) DSLR and:
- Buy the Tamron 150-600 as main lens for the whole trip
- Bring the 24-70 II for the landscapes and environmental shots (but considering the dust, that would stick on the 5D the whole day, hmmm)
- Get a RAW capable point & shoot (e.g. the G1X II?) in case wildlife gets very close and for the shots in the villages, environmental shots, etc.
Would like to prevent bringing a second DSLR body as we are already hassling with the weight limit of 15kg.
Although an other option would be renting a crop body and use my 70-300L and keep the 24-70II on the 5D3 but wouldn't that spoil the quality of the more distant wildlife?
Would love to hear your thoughs on that.
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Abmurksi said:
You seem to be on the right track. Unless you are into bird photography, 600mm is mostly good enough on full frame.
Crop frame would give you perfect IQ till about 400 ISO. I would recommend the full frame option.
When you will change lenses from tele to that wide it would mostly be in your hotel room or a not so dusty environment. Wildlife and tribes will be far apart and give you enough dust free options to change lenses.
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Thanks for kind words, I think I have improved my photography since then so I can't wait to go back and try harder.
We never had any wildlife approach our vehicle, but 100mm would get you portraits if they did. Some drivers will go very close to the wildlife. The closest we got was the lion cubs and by keeping our distance we got to see the beautiful natural behaviour. A driver came in front of us at one point and the lions all turned around, fortunately the drivers passengers got bored so they left and we got to watch again.
500-600mm should get you some lovely shots, when I go again I will be taking FF and 300 2.8 plus extenders, in a budget I love my 70-300L it was a great choice, on FF I think the high ISO makes up for the loss of reach. If you get a good quality 100-400 I think that's a good option too, but my 70-300 has seemed sharper than any 100-400 I have seen.
Sanj would have better knowledge of wildlife photography than myself, but I have always thought that you can still get wonderful shots with longer focal lengths at short distances. I love seeing close up portraits of elephants eyes they have so much character. Anyway don't always let a focal length dictate how you have to frame a shot.
We never had any wildlife approach our vehicle, but 100mm would get you portraits if they did. Some drivers will go very close to the wildlife. The closest we got was the lion cubs and by keeping our distance we got to see the beautiful natural behaviour. A driver came in front of us at one point and the lions all turned around, fortunately the drivers passengers got bored so they left and we got to watch again.
500-600mm should get you some lovely shots, when I go again I will be taking FF and 300 2.8 plus extenders, in a budget I love my 70-300L it was a great choice, on FF I think the high ISO makes up for the loss of reach. If you get a good quality 100-400 I think that's a good option too, but my 70-300 has seemed sharper than any 100-400 I have seen.
Sanj would have better knowledge of wildlife photography than myself, but I have always thought that you can still get wonderful shots with longer focal lengths at short distances. I love seeing close up portraits of elephants eyes they have so much character. Anyway don't always let a focal length dictate how you have to frame a shot.
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sanj said:
Thank you Sanj for your insight regarding changing lenses between Wildlife and Tribes.
That was exactly my thoughts, as with a budget telephoto lens with f5.6 or higher ISO 400 wont be enough in early morning/evening twilight settings.
Will probably go with a 5D3 and 150-600/24-70 2.8 II & a nice compact camera as a emergency backup and hope our driver is conscious enough not to drive too close and disturb the animals.
@Synkka: Many thanks for your valuable input. 300 2.8 with externders would be brilliant but unfortunately way above my budget
. I was also considering the 100-400 with extenders as it would still (slowly) auto focus with the 5D3 but I think I opt for the Tamron as I heard many very good stories about that lens. Cost wise it is not big difference anyway and the extra 200mm might increase the chance for some of these "character shots" I also love to get..
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tomscott
Photographer & Graphic Designer
I am also heading to Africa but in September.
Similar dilemma in what to take:
Options:
Canon 70-200mm F2.8 II with 2x tele conv
Canon 70-300mm as is but could take Kenko tele conv
Canon 100-400mm as is but could take tele conv
Canon 400mm 5.6
Tamron 150-600mm
The 70-200mm delivers great IQ at 400mm with 2x conv effectively making 400 5.6, very similar to the 100-400mm at 400mm (as it struggles at 400mm) but obviously slower AF. Rules that out.
70-300mm small, good range but 300 I don't think is long enough, you could add keno extenders but heard mixed results.
100-400mm great all rounder, IS, but don't like the pump design its a dust trap and its pretty old, 400 is pretty poor performer which I'm guessing is where most will be shot.
400mm F5.6 L Prime, best performer very sharp. From reviews much sharper than any of the above, smallish, light and fast AF. 400mm cropped to 600mm outperforms the 150-600mm at 600mm but neck and neck at 400mm. Downside, no IS, not as flexible as its a prime would need to take a 70-200mm to fill.
Tamron - best range beats anything by 200mm, has IS, very flexible but large and heavy. 600mm is more like 565mm in tests, but from 500-600mm suffers from fairly bad CA and is quite soft. But it outperforms the 100-400mm from 100-400mm 400 is sharper across the frame than the 100-400mm at 400mm but the 100-400mm is sharper in the centre.
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=929&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=3&API=0&LensComp=113&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=7&APIComp=0
So basically the tammy is better than any zoom canon has to offer at this length and as its £200 cheaper you get an extra 200mm you can use for free. As there is nothing to compare it to at this length in a zoom or price range its a compromise worth taking. The Tammy also holds its own vs the 400mm F5.6 at 400mm its only slightly shaper at F5.6
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=929&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=3&API=0&LensComp=278&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0
So in my mind its the Tammy vs the 400mm F5.6 not sure yet but leaning toward the Tammy.
At £950 the tammy is a bargain. Cheaper than all of the Canon offerings and holds its own to all of them.
The only concerns I have copy variation, haven't heard a lot about this yet, also build quality and weather sealing. Africa is a very harsh environment, I have been to the sahara and ruined my 17-85mm EF-s lens the zoom barrel was so full of grit and the lens full of dust and it never left the camera but obviously wasn't designed for such harsh environments.
Similar problems could be had with the 100-400mm with its dust pump, but the 400mm L, 70-200mm L and the 70-300mm L may fair better??
Im leaning on this as my kit to take.
40D Coupled with either 17-55mm 2.8 or 24-105mm F4
(my only crop camera, like the IQ and if I don't feel 600mm is enough on the 5DMKIII you get near enough 1000mm on APC with the tammy)
35mm F2 IS prime for low light and a nice length for landscape.
5DMKIII with Tamron 150-600mm
Similar dilemma in what to take:
Options:
Canon 70-200mm F2.8 II with 2x tele conv
Canon 70-300mm as is but could take Kenko tele conv
Canon 100-400mm as is but could take tele conv
Canon 400mm 5.6
Tamron 150-600mm
The 70-200mm delivers great IQ at 400mm with 2x conv effectively making 400 5.6, very similar to the 100-400mm at 400mm (as it struggles at 400mm) but obviously slower AF. Rules that out.
70-300mm small, good range but 300 I don't think is long enough, you could add keno extenders but heard mixed results.
100-400mm great all rounder, IS, but don't like the pump design its a dust trap and its pretty old, 400 is pretty poor performer which I'm guessing is where most will be shot.
400mm F5.6 L Prime, best performer very sharp. From reviews much sharper than any of the above, smallish, light and fast AF. 400mm cropped to 600mm outperforms the 150-600mm at 600mm but neck and neck at 400mm. Downside, no IS, not as flexible as its a prime would need to take a 70-200mm to fill.
Tamron - best range beats anything by 200mm, has IS, very flexible but large and heavy. 600mm is more like 565mm in tests, but from 500-600mm suffers from fairly bad CA and is quite soft. But it outperforms the 100-400mm from 100-400mm 400 is sharper across the frame than the 100-400mm at 400mm but the 100-400mm is sharper in the centre.
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=929&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=3&API=0&LensComp=113&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=7&APIComp=0
So basically the tammy is better than any zoom canon has to offer at this length and as its £200 cheaper you get an extra 200mm you can use for free. As there is nothing to compare it to at this length in a zoom or price range its a compromise worth taking. The Tammy also holds its own vs the 400mm F5.6 at 400mm its only slightly shaper at F5.6
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=929&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=3&API=0&LensComp=278&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0
So in my mind its the Tammy vs the 400mm F5.6 not sure yet but leaning toward the Tammy.
At £950 the tammy is a bargain. Cheaper than all of the Canon offerings and holds its own to all of them.
The only concerns I have copy variation, haven't heard a lot about this yet, also build quality and weather sealing. Africa is a very harsh environment, I have been to the sahara and ruined my 17-85mm EF-s lens the zoom barrel was so full of grit and the lens full of dust and it never left the camera but obviously wasn't designed for such harsh environments.
Similar problems could be had with the 100-400mm with its dust pump, but the 400mm L, 70-200mm L and the 70-300mm L may fair better??
Im leaning on this as my kit to take.
40D Coupled with either 17-55mm 2.8 or 24-105mm F4
(my only crop camera, like the IQ and if I don't feel 600mm is enough on the 5DMKIII you get near enough 1000mm on APC with the tammy)
35mm F2 IS prime for low light and a nice length for landscape.
5DMKIII with Tamron 150-600mm
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randym77 said:
I've done two trips to Tanzania, in 2006 and 2008 (time flies!); some pics at: http://www.photo-hh.com/Photos-I/Pages/Southern_Tanzania.html
FWIW, the parks I went to were further South and even more off the beaten path, although not in ground tents: Mikumi NP is a pretty popular daytrip out of Dar es Salaam, whereas it was Cessna flights to Ruaha NP and Katavi NP (which is waaay out there).
For gear,
2006:
Canon 20D w/70-200L 2.8 & 1.4x
Canon 35mm film w/19-35mm WA
CF Cards, 'Hyperdrive' digital wallets, batteries, cleaning supplies, etc
Pocket P&S
2008:
Canon 20D w/70-200L 2.8 & 1.4x
Canon 20D w/19-35mm WA
Spare Lens: 28-135mm IS
CF Cards, 'Hyperdrive' digital wallets, batteries, cleaning supplies, etc
Pocket P&S
(Empty) beanbag ... added a couple of ziplock bags in it to fill locally with sand/dirt so as to not carry the weight, or to ask a kitchen for rice/dry beans/etc. The one that Thinktank makes is suitable for this.
If I were to do it again (and I do want to go back to Katavi again), the things I'd change (other than updates):
A. I'd drop the 3rd lens: I barely used it, just to be able to say I used it. I think that 2 bodies + 2 lenses is adequate: each body has a dedicated lens (avoid swaps risking dust/dirt) whereas if a body were to fail (IMO more likely than a lens failure), I could then swap lenses.
B. Memory cards have gotten cheap, so I'd skip carrying the hyperdrive digital wallets and just have a ton of CF cards. I found that I averaged around 300 shots per day, so that's what I plan, although I'd also include transit days so as to build in a contingency reserve.
C. Power management: I carried two bodies which use the same battery, which allowed pooling of spares; the rest of the stuff was IIRC all on AA's and I carried an AA charger. FYI - - carrying a short extension cord(s) to be able to charge your stuff from only one outlet (w/adaptor) is a good thing. What I'd change here is that I realized that the one area where I didn't have redundency was in a spare camera battery charger.
D. I don't really remember doing much with filters, but I'm sure that I must have had polarizers for both lenses with me.
On luggage planning:
1) the advice to research if camps have laundry service is an excellent tip. Use it proactively.
2) having a non-photographer wife helps ... our 'deployed' luggage was three duffels of roughly 25lbs each: one for photo gear and one each for clothing/toiletries/etc
3) check with your tour company on if they can store any luggage for you in your gateway city (in my case, Dar): we did this on our 2nd trip and left behind a 22" rollaboard which contained the clothing that we travelled internationally with (including clean cotton underware for homeward).
Finally, for anyone looking at Tanzania including Katavi, we used Foxes of Africa: http://www.tanzaniasafaris.info/ and the family's 'Safari Air Link' for bush plane flights between camps ... very easy hand-offs all the way around, and (important for photogs) the safari jeeps were pretty much always loaded lightly - just one couple per row.
-hh
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Thanks, lots of very useful tips.
The tour company says that every seat is a window seat in their vehicles, so that shouldn't be an issue.
However, we will be walking several miles a day over easy to moderate terrain, and so I'd like to keep my gear light.
I am going to try and bring two bodies (5d Mark II and 5D Mark III), so I have a backup. They take the same batteries, and I guess I could bring both chargers, too - they're pretty small. I plan to take only two lenses.
Still undecided about which lenses. Probably the 16-35 f/2.8, and a telephoto lens.
I'd like to have the range of the 100-400mm, but it's an older lens, and at 3 lbs. might be too heavy for me to hand-hold all day. Like TomScott, I also worry about its reputation as a dust magnet.
The 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS is newer and lighter (2.3 lbs). I've heard it also has better image quality.
Or I could go with the 70-200 f/2.8 and the 1.4x and/or 2x extender. That would actually be heavier than the 100-400mm, but I'd have the advantage of being able to remove the extender for low-light situations.
Also considering going super-light, with the 24-105 and the 200mm f/2.8 (and extenders). I'm quite fond of the 200mm f/2.8, because it's so light compared to the 70-200 f/2.8. It's also compatible with the extenders, and if it's true that 400mm is the most useful focal length, I won't miss the zoom range too much.
The tour company says that every seat is a window seat in their vehicles, so that shouldn't be an issue.
However, we will be walking several miles a day over easy to moderate terrain, and so I'd like to keep my gear light.
I am going to try and bring two bodies (5d Mark II and 5D Mark III), so I have a backup. They take the same batteries, and I guess I could bring both chargers, too - they're pretty small. I plan to take only two lenses.
Still undecided about which lenses. Probably the 16-35 f/2.8, and a telephoto lens.
I'd like to have the range of the 100-400mm, but it's an older lens, and at 3 lbs. might be too heavy for me to hand-hold all day. Like TomScott, I also worry about its reputation as a dust magnet.
The 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS is newer and lighter (2.3 lbs). I've heard it also has better image quality.
Or I could go with the 70-200 f/2.8 and the 1.4x and/or 2x extender. That would actually be heavier than the 100-400mm, but I'd have the advantage of being able to remove the extender for low-light situations.
Also considering going super-light, with the 24-105 and the 200mm f/2.8 (and extenders). I'm quite fond of the 200mm f/2.8, because it's so light compared to the 70-200 f/2.8. It's also compatible with the extenders, and if it's true that 400mm is the most useful focal length, I won't miss the zoom range too much.
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tomscott
Photographer & Graphic Designer
The other option is because your on FF you can crop?
400mm is still a good length. The tammy is still the best all rounder when it comes to all in one, the 70-300mm is a decent choice but I still think 400 is a minimum.
Problem with the 70-200mm is that removing the conv anywhere in the field will most probably create dust and do you want to lug that around for low light a fast prime makes more sense. 35mm F2s a good choice and is a nice length for landscapes.
The 100-400mm with a filter is still a good option especially if you already own it. I would take that.
But if you don't Tammy.
if the 16-35mm your missing 35-100 or 150. Instead I would take the 24-105 and a fast prime for low light, 24 will be wide enough for landscapes.
400mm is still a good length. The tammy is still the best all rounder when it comes to all in one, the 70-300mm is a decent choice but I still think 400 is a minimum.
Problem with the 70-200mm is that removing the conv anywhere in the field will most probably create dust and do you want to lug that around for low light a fast prime makes more sense. 35mm F2s a good choice and is a nice length for landscapes.
The 100-400mm with a filter is still a good option especially if you already own it. I would take that.
But if you don't Tammy.
if the 16-35mm your missing 35-100 or 150. Instead I would take the 24-105 and a fast prime for low light, 24 will be wide enough for landscapes.
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tomscott
Photographer & Graphic Designer
Have you read the CR review of the 70-300mm on safari?
http://www.canonrumors.com/reviews/ef-70-300-f4-5-6l-is-review/
http://www.canonrumors.com/reviews/ef-70-300-f4-5-6l-is-review/
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tomscott said:
For me, the Tamron is way too big. It's over four lbs.
I assume I'll know what the lighting situation will be before I leave my tent, and will be able to set up accordingly. I love fast primes, and have a 35mm f/2, but I don't think I'll bring it. Just not versatile enough. I like to go much wider than that for landscapes.
I might take the 24-105 instead of the 16-35. But I don't think I'm going to take a fast prime (unless it's a telephoto). Others have said they brought one but didn't need it. And that's kind of been my experience as well, on other trips. Brought it, hardly used it.
Thanks for the link to the review of the 70-300mm. It weighs about half as much as the Tamron, which makes it much more practical for me. Definitely considering that one. Maybe with the Kenco extender.
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tomscott said:
This review is what prompted me to buy the 70-300 L lens. And it performed in an outstanding manner on my trip to Tanzania. And I went to the same place that the OP is going to, although I was in a land rover the entire time.
I had it mounted on my Canon T1i so it was effectively a 480 mm lens. I've blown photos from it up to 16 x 20 and they are pin sharp. As for the suggestion of a 400 mm lens, that may be true for some locations, but where I went, if the reach from my lens wasn't enough, an extra 100 mm wasn't going to do it. And that only happened two times on the trip, once with a cheetah, and once with a leopard up in a tree at a far distance. At that point, I think only an SX-50 or some ridiculously heavy and expensive supertele might've worked.
By the way, this advice only applies to the L version of the 70-300 lens. Also, I bought it because the 100-400 was too heavy for me.
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