Tanzania with minimal gear

[JonB8305]

I may be naive but it seems like you can have a one lens solution in the 28-300L lens. It seems to be a perfect fit. Wide and long. Although heavy at 3.7 pounds.

I considered it, but it's definitely too heavy for me. Even the 100-400 is probably too heavy (at 3 lbs.)

I want something I can hand-hold all day without killing myself.

just lift bro

 

[randym77]

just lift bro

I'm not a bro. :-Þ

Men have 3 times the upper body strength of women. What is a reasonable weight to hand hold for you might not be for me...no matter how much lifting I do over the next month.

 

[Vivid Color]

24-105 is practically useless for wildlife

I have a completely different perspective having done the northern Tanzania safari circuit as the OP is going to do. I found the 24-105 to be the perfect lens for times when the animals were close to our land rover, which was pretty often.

 

[randym77]

24-105 is practically useless for wildlife

I have a completely different perspective having done the northern Tanzania safari circuit as the OP is going to do. I found the 24-105 to be the perfect lens for times when the animals were close to our land rover, which was pretty often.

Thanks. You've talked me into it. I'm going to go with the 70-300 and the 24-105. I'll miss the super wide angle and the fast glass, but sacrifices must be made.

 

[Vivid Color]

You are most welcome and let us know how your trip goes.

 

[JonB8305]

What travel agency did you guys use for your Tanzania Trips, looking to honeymoon there in January.

 

[Vivid Color]

I used Abercrombie and Kent. I've heard good things about Micato, but they are more expensive.

 

[JonB8305]

I used Abercrombie and Kent. I've heard good things about Micato, but they are more expensive.

I've read reviews on both and A&K gets the nod, but they are both very expensive.

 

[Canon1]

The 5DMKIII does have more MP but has less density the chip is 1.6X bigger therefore pixels are more spread out. APC crams 18MP on a sensor that is 1.6X smaller therefore the 18MP APC chip has the largest pixel density of any Canon sensor meaning more pixels on target and a sharper image.

Not that this correction helps the op decide... But the sensor on a 5d3 is actually 2.56x bigger than the sensor on a 7d.

 

[JumboShrimp]

When I was fortunate enough to be on safari, I was amazed and humbled by the variety of wildlife. There were small animals/birds far away (or the next second right in your face); and then there were the really big guys far away but the next second charging your vehicle. Be prepared for near/far and small/large, and any combination of these. If there were an ideal lens, it would probably be a 28-300 variety. Don't forget about cultural encounters, small insects, flowers, sunsets, flora of all kinds, and the enormous sky all around you. Enjoy.

 

[dickgrafixstop]

I'd take a completely different tack since you emphasize "minimal" gear. Suggest a Rebel T5i with the 70-200f4.0is,
(good image quality, light and rugged). Add a 40mm pancake and if you feel you need "back-up" add a Rebel T5.
This whole package is not much more than the 70-300 by itself and you won't feel terrible if it's "missing" during the trip. Don't forget an ND filter, a polarizer, and extra batteries. Have a great trip.

 

[Vivid Color]

I used Abercrombie and Kent. I've heard good things about Micato, but they are more expensive.

I've read reviews on both and A&K gets the nod, but they are both very expensive.

All safaris with reputable tour companies in Africa are expensive. There may be less expensive ways of going, but, my recommendation is to only go with a reputable tour provider. This is basically the tour I went on:

http://www.abercrombiekent.com/travel/?tid=6012

And, don't forget to add in travel insurance with really great medical evacuation. You can buy policies through the tour company, but I recommend buying the policy on your own. It may be that you'll buy a policy from the same insurance company as offered by the tour company (this was the case when I bought a policy from Travel Guard), but you will be able to buy exactly the type of coverage you want. You generally can't taylor, or taylor very much, the policies you buy through the tour company. The price I paid for my coverage was about the same as if I would have bought it through A&K, but it provided a lot better coverage.

I found this website (see below) to be very helpful in figuring out what the right insurance plan was for me. Plans vary by the state you live in so it's a lot more complicated than one might think.

http://www.insuremytrip.com

 

[randym77]

I am back from my trip. (BTW, it was with Overseas Adventure Travel. A good balance of cost and quality, IMO.)

In the end, I took two bodies, a 5D Mark II and a 5D Mark III. They share batteries/chargers, which was convenient. I brought a half-dozen batteries, but 3 would probably have been enough, even with no electricity on some of our stops.

I brought the 70-300mm, the Kenco extender, and the 24-70 f/4. (At the last minute, I decided to bring that one over the 24-105. It's smaller, newer, has better macro capabilities.) I was pretty happy with that combination, but if I had to do it over again, I might take the 16-36mm f/2.8 instead. I missed going really wide. Not really for landscape vistas, but for interiors and for stuff like the kopjes.

300mm plus Kenco extender was generally long enough. I didn't miss my 600mm f/4. I did miss the speed of my faster lenses. But considering weight and all, the 70-300mm was perfect.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. It was really helpful. Especially the tip about the filters. I did not need my rocket blower. I never used the circular polarizer. But those B+W filters were gold. Dust stuck to everything except those filters.

 

[candyman]

I am back from my trip. (BTW, it was with Overseas Adventure Travel. A good balance of cost and quality, IMO.)

In the end, I took two bodies, a 5D Mark II and a 5D Mark III. They share batteries/chargers, which was convenient. I brought a half-dozen batteries, but 3 would probably have been enough, even with no electricity on some of our stops.

I brought the 70-300mm, the Kenco extender, and the 24-70 f/4. (At the last minute, I decided to bring that one over the 24-105. It's smaller, newer, has better macro capabilities.) I was pretty happy with that combination, but if I had to do it over again, I might take the 16-36mm f/2.8 instead. I missed going really wide. Not really for landscape vistas, but for interiors and for stuff like the kopjes.

300mm plus Kenco extender was generally long enough. I didn't miss my 600mm f/4. I did miss the speed of my faster lenses. But considering weight and all, the 70-300mm was perfect.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. It was really helpful. Especially the tip about the filters. I did not need my rocket blower. I never used the circular polarizer. But those B+W filters were gold. Dust stuck to everything except those filters.

The 70-300L is truly a great travel lens.
I like your pictures. Especially the secretary. Most have been relatively close considering the OOF. Well done!

 

[randym77]

Thanks! Yes, we got pretty close. A lot closer than I expected.

The photos I posted were resized for bandwidth reasons, but mostly not cropped. (In some cases, they are slightly cropped for aesthetic reasons. Straightening horizons, stuff like that.) I wanted people to get an idea of how well suited the lens was for this trip.

I found that all you had to do was be patient. If an animal was too far away, don't panic. You'll get another chance, and you'll get a chance to get closer.

 

[Synkka]

Glad to see the trip went well and the choice of gear