Safari trip, which lenses??? please help

[neiljs]

Hi all, as the title says, I am off on Safari, not till 2015, but I thought I would ask for advice now so I have time to save if needed, so, to start I have a Canon 70D, Canon 550D, Tamron 18-270 lens, jessops 2x converter, Tamron 18-200 lens, Canon 18-55 kit lens, and a canon 18-135 lens, the question is, are these lenses adequate or should I invest in anything else? I only plan on going on safari once so I need to get it right first time, thanks in advance for any help/advice

 

[CaveDweller]

I'm no expert with this sort of thing but I can give you some advice on personal experience. The last time I went on a safari was about 20years ago when I was 7, but I still remember perfectly well that everything was far away and the point and shoot camera my dad gave me to use couldn't see a thing. I'd suggest taking what ever will give you the longest "reach".

That's a lot of kit to take on holiday, or are you just taking a few items?

 

[Nikon_Nick]

Couldnt you sell the 18-200 as you already hve this covered with the 18-270, and also sell the 18-55 as you have this covered with the 18-135. You could put that money towards something new, so less saving to do

 

[BBR]

I have been on a safari in SA. Not everything was far away but we were a small group in a Landrover driving through the bush and a couple of times we came upon rhino and water buffalo that were quite close (scarily close actually). I would say if you really want to make the most of it you should have your 18-270 lens on one camera and something like a tamron 200-500 or sigma 150 -500 lens on your other body. (Assuming you dont want to spend extra £'000s on the canon equivalent)
Alternatively you might just get the Sigma 50 - 500. BUT be aware that at the long end some of these lenses are at f6,3 wide open which may mean manual focusing . Worth checking.

Aother point, you want to avoid changing lenses to much as it can be very dusty out there.

 

[SThornton]

I went to Kenya on safari in November 2012 and took Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6 and Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 and that was just about perfect for it (a few times I did wish for something longer but I didn't feel short changed as 300mm on a crop was long enough). At times, 55mm wasn't short enough.

Some of my shots are on my flickr account.

 

[hollis_f]

There is a good reason why Canon's 100-400 is the most-recommended safari lens. Well, actually there are several good reasons.

It's not too large but it delivers excellent quality images at 400mm. And, if you're going to East Africa (Kenya or Tanzania) then you'll tend to be looking at animals on the plains and you'll want as much length as possible. If you're in Southern Africa (South Africa or Botswana) then the animals will probably be closer and you might find 300mm is long enough.

For your only safari ever (don't bank on it, Africa is addictive) then I really would recommend you get a 100-400 second-hand a couple of months before you go. That'll allow you time to get used to using it (some people have problems with the push-pull zoom, others - me included - find it much easier that the twisty-zoom). When you come back from safari you'll be able to sell it for roughly the same as you paid for it.

These were mainly shot with a 100-400 in Kenya and Tanzania.

 

[Nawty]

There will ALWAYS be something further away at some point so I would take the 18-270 and be happy. 300mm on Full Frame (that's the same as 200mm on yours) was enough for me 95% of the time in Tanzania.

Also, I would imagine the x2 converter is useless on your current lenses, they tend not to work on superzooms. If you were to get another lens I'd look at a 70-200 f/2.8 and use that with the teleconverter.

 

[hollis_f]

400mm

300mm

 

[a1ex2001]

Not done Africa, yet! But have been to India in search of tigers and Sri Lanka in search of leopards. Got the first trip I rented a 100-400mm and got great shots on my 30d for the second I purchased a 100-400mm second hand and got some excellent s***s on my 5d mkii I then sold the lens for 50 quid less than I paid so much cheaper than a three week rental!

If I ever go to Africa I will buy a 100-400mm again and also a crop body as you really can never have enough reach! Then I'd sell both afterwards.

 

[MartynK]

The 100 - 400mm L is probably the most versatile safari lens on a Canon body, and is reasonably affordable. Beyond that, it really depends on where you are going, the time of year, and if you will always be in vehicles etc. For South Africa, joining the Outdoor Photography forums (http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/forums/) will let you ask questions and get local answers. The owner is Hedrus Van Der Merwe, and he's a professional wildlife photographer. They also have a shop in Pretoria and sell/rent gear.

 

[hollis_f]

300mm on Full Frame (that's the same as 200mm on yours) was enough for me 95% of the time in Tanzania.

I doubt many people would agree that 200mm on a 70D was a good safari solution.