jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

In equatorial east Africa we were limited to 30 pounds total. The planes were very small and it was all you could do to fit into the seat--there was no such thing as "under your seat." They did not actually weight our stuff but you should never count on that. I have not visited southern Africa but I assume it's similar to the Serengeti--if so then you want as much reach as you can get so the advice about renting a zoom that goes to either 400 or 600 is sound. While we got good shots with a little less zoom the people who had the 600mm zooms got some very special shots that made it worthwhile to carry the longer lens. You just have to rethink what is necessary and cut it to the minimum that will do the job for you. When I go again I'll probably take a 50mm (+/-) and a zoom up to 600 (with my d7100) and not worry about the rest. Do take a towel for a dust cover and you can use it rather than a sandbag (weight) to steady the camera on the top of the safari vehicle. Don't worry--you will have a great trip and get photos you will love.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

This is pretty much my plan as well. I'm renting a 100-400 for the trip and planning on taking that and my 24-105 with two bodies, a 7DII and 5DII so no lens changes. I recently weighed the GoPro case with those items in it and it's 19 lbs. That being the case I'll hang one of the bodies and lenses around my neck to board the plane, after which they will, of course, end up back in the bag. Did the same in Hawaii a while back and it worked fine. As mentioned above, there is no need for duplication with overlapping focal lengths.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

"Sell it all and go with a Micro 4/3 system. You'll cut weight and bulk by 2/3."

I did that and my kit of camera and two lenses comes in at about 6 pounds. My suggestion for the RX10iii weighs in at about half that!

Ken Rockwell says, "The Sony RX-10 Mk III is so good, so competent and so much fun to use that it's addicting. Once I picked it up, I couldn't stop shooting with it for months; there isn't anything it doesn't seem to do well, all without ever having to change a lens."

http://www.kenrockwell.com/sony/rx10-iii.htm

Girl with A Canon Loc: Myrtle Beach,SC

I was in South Africa a few years back. I took two cameras with me my Rebel as it was lighter then my 7D and a zoom lens that went to 300mm. But before I left I ended up ordering at that time new Canon Powershot SX50. Well it ended up that it was the only camera I used. So many others with my had long lens to 400-500mm but it was just me that gotnthe shots of birds far off and the water buffalo coming to the river. And best of all my camera was not ruined at Victoria Falls from the mists. If I was you I would leave all the other stuff home and get the newest SX that is out. You can shot Raw and it has a hotshot, and a remote access door. But after you take some of your photos of many of the same animals put the camera down and enjoy the ride and the sights you see. I came home but I must tell you that my heart and soul is still there to this day. If I could talk my husband into living there I would be gone in a heart beat.

klouis

Hi

I have not been to SA, but have been to Africa (Kenya) a number of times and covered Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Samburu, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara. Each time I visited Africa, I got smarter & kept on reducing my equipment.

For starters........ NO you cannot change lenses on a game drive. It is not advisable due to the dust.

On my last trip I used a Nikon D500 with a Tamron 150-600 and a Nikon D750 with a 24-85mm

There is no need to carry the 70-200 or any other lens. However I did carry my 70-300mm as back up in case I damaged a lens.

I checked in my 70-300 & external flash after wrapping them in some clothes for my flights. I'm sure my back pack wasn't over 20lb as I had my bag on my back at all times during travel.


Please note that my experience is based on my African trips & possibly someone who has been to Kruger can give you better advice.

Do have a wonderful trip.

Best regards,
Keyur

coastwalker

Read up on what other photographers use on their trips to Africa. I agree with what some others have said here - you are duplicating some of your focal lengths.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I would definitely include the Sony RX10III with whatever I was taking - which would be another Sony - like A77II with the Sigma 100-300 f4 and use the in camera 1.1-2X Clear Image Zoom to get me to 600mm f4. Weight for these two set-ups? About 7 1/2 lbs......Have fun !

MtnMan Loc: ID

One thing to keep in mind is that most of the Safari camps have free or inexpensive one day turnaround laundary. You only need one change of clothes.

200mm is not enough to get great Safari pics. No reason for two unhelpful lenses.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

You're taking too many redundant lenses. Benno Ibold, world traveler and fantastic photographer has used a Sigma 50-500mm as his main lens for years along with with smaller lenses and equipment. He also fits two cameras into his backpack and is able to stay under weight. He also shoots Canon crop cameras, giving him that narrower fov. BTW....the photos he gets with that Bigma are not only great but they're tack sharp.

Jack 13088 Loc: Central NY

The experience may vary by tour operator and venue. I have been on two Africa trips one in 2002(film) and one in 2010(digital) with the same operator with different venues in the bush. They were three and two weeks on continent respectively. I count six small plane segments that had posted weight restrictions but only one leaving Johannesburg was equipped to weigh the bag. All others just transferred luggage from the vehicle to the plane without ceremony. But, of course, there are no guarantees.
On the second trip our family took all our cameras: a D70s with an 18-200 on it most of the time and a D300s with a borrowed 70-200 f/2.8 with a borrowed (different lender) 1.7 tele extender on it exclusively. Seriously you are not going to change lenses in the bush! Even if there were lots of helping hands to keep things secure and clean the process takes too long to be practical. Since the lenses on the D300s were borrowed they remained on the camera for the duration only breaking down for travel. Likewise the only time the 18-200 was not on the camera was when I put a fisheye to take photos from the plane window or the interior of our "tents". No other lenses in our kit were ever used. So we used 18-200 or 120-340 on a cropped sensor. So you could claim 27 to 510 full frame equivalent. If you want to justify a heaver more expensive rig you could use a 500. I never longed for a longer lens but I must add I didn't shoot many birds in flight. I would cut my weight by taking less stuff. But I would suggest putting your lens caps on a tether as they tend to jump overboard. BTW The clients are not allowed out of the vehicle except in special circumstances which are safe. The drivers backed up and retrieved our lens caps, fortunately, no more than once per driver.
Here is small sample of the 4700 or so shots taken. This is a slide show of 15 photos cropped mostly to fit 8x10 or 8x12 precut mats for a wall hanging. The first four and the frog (which was on a reed held in my left hand while shooting with my right) were taken with the 18-200 at the lower end of its range. The cats and the hippos were taken at 340 and the others at less than full reach. https://www.dropbox.com/s/tt9krdp9xa0q7c8/Fiveteen.mp4?dl=0. I would like to tell you the focus distance. It is included in the Exif data but the units are unknown and both cameras have been replaced by a D7100 and D500.
A safari is an amazing experience so relax and enjoy. Sure it is costly but the memories will last forever while the BMW will rust out in 10 years or so.

Jack 13088 Loc: Central NY

Random thought. Don't forget extra batteries, charger, and plug adapters. I notice that newer cameras consume batteries at a faster rate. More power electronics equals higher power consumption. Wall outlets that look like ours are non existent. Not to mention not plentiful. Fortunately, the chargers are multi voltage and frequency. I have a (20 year old) set of adapters that go from US and Europe to a number of alternatives. I seem to remember that South Africa was mostly the enormous British plug/socket. Some of the camps used to turn off the generators in the evening. Back in the day (I hate that expression) you needed to take all the film you need because there was no reliable supply. Now it is batteries! At least you can change ISO on the fly.

Girl with A Canon Loc: Myrtle Beach,SC

I bought the universal adapters before I went to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. I carried the extra weight over there and back and never had to use them. I traveled with OAT and each of there camps are equipped to handle our stuff. It was a good thing I kept my receipt as I ended up taking them back. And again I will say look into the new Canon SX60 it has a zoom on it that you will never get with any of your lenses.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

I managed our Africa Safari (7 years ago) with a Nikon D300 and a Nikon D200, a Sigma 18-270mm and a Sigma 150-500mm and came back with many memorable images. All of it fitted in my camera backpack with extra room for a change of clothes as carry-on luggage on Delta Airlines to and from Africa. It can be done.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Hi,

I flew into Johannesburg to go to Kruger a few years back. I put any non-equipment photo items in my luggage, actually only packed a carry-on size bag that included clothes (I knew there was a W/D available). I also wore a vest for that trip and put items in it. I even had my tripod on my photographer's backpack and no one said a word. Most often these days I put the tripod and ball head in the suitcase and hope for the best. All other gear I put in a backpack and into a waist pack, so that is my two items. I normally carry on two cameras, two long lenses (not one of the huge, really expensive lenses, have no idea what they do), a mid range lens, a micro lens, and various other smaller items. My long lenses are a 150-600, a 200-500, and an 80-400 so not too big. I've never had to remove anything from the backpack as I weigh both packs at home. You can get a lot into a backpack if you pack it right. A long lens on each side and two cameras down the middle plus a smaller lens and a few smaller items tucked in. Everything else in the additional waist pack, which is fairly large. That's how I do it.