gwong1 Loc: Tampa, FL

I am going on a Tanzanian Photo Safari in August. I am beginning to practice my set-up now in preparation. We will be riding in the back of an open top truck, and stopping to shoot. I will not be able to bring and use a tripod, so am carying my monopod, which came with a belt holder.
My equipment Canon 7D, longest lens 400mm F5.6L and Canon 1.4 and 2x extender. My second camera is a Canon 3ti, with 70-200 F2.8L, or 24-70 F2.8L, to use as still or video of the trip.
I am attaching three shoots taken today with the Canon 7D set-up decribed above, handheld with monopod in belt holder, taken from about 500-600 feet the car and truck are moving at about 45 MPH. All shots are RAW converted to JPEG without any PP.
Any suggestions, ideas? I am bringing an inflatable neck pillow to use as a bean bag as well.

Firehouse Bulldozer


Sports car headng West


FedEx Van heading East

GWR100 Loc: England

My Africa experience says take a circular polariser, and keep your camera dry (water proof cover if possible) at water falls, I blew my Canon A1 up with very fine spray at Victoria Falls, only did it once though, tough lesson to learn.Didn't find dust a problem, but I did keep my spare lens in old socks, especially if you have to backpack and can't use you gadget bag. Depending on your tracker you will find that a lot of the time you will be so close the the wild life you will be better of with a mid range telephoto.

in August. I am beginning to practice my set-up now in preparation. We will be riding in the back of an open top truck, and stopping to shoot. I will not be able to bring and use a tripod, so am carying my monopod, which came with a belt holder.
My equipment Canon 7D, longest lens 400mm F5.6L and Canon 1.4 and 2x extender. My second camera is a Canon 3ti, with 70-200 F2.8L, or 24-70 F2.8L, to use as still or video of the trip.
I am attaching three shoots taken today with the Canon 7D set-up decribed above, handheld with monopod in belt holder, taken from about 500-600 feet the car and truck are moving at about 45 MPH. All shots are RAW converted to JPEG without any PP.
Any suggestions, ideas? I am bringing an inflatable neck pillow to use as a bean bag as well.[/quote]

photoninja1 Loc: Tampa Florida

I'd suggest you forget the monopod and get a bean bag. It travels easier and gives you better stability when you shoot from the vehicle. You can carry it empty and add rice or beans after you arrive. And depending on the truck, you may not even be able to use the monopod. Enjoy the safari. There are so many great shooting opportunities it boggles the mind. A lot of the wildlife is easy to shoot, but expect to be doing some running and gunning too.

breck Loc: Derbyshire UK

I visited Entosha last year the Monopod was all I used jammed up against the vehicle door it was solid , camera shake wasnt a problem, however my longest lense was a 70-200mm (105-300mm equivelent on my D300)which to my suprise was rarely used at the long end !We got that close to the animals, enjoy I cannot wait to get back.
Dust was a problem do not change lenses whilst out on Safari

AnnaZ Loc: SW Wis.

Good information for me, as we are leaving on OUR photo safari to Kenya 3 weeks from today! So, even tho I didn't aske the question, I appreciate the answers.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

On safari in Kenya and Tanzania I used my f/2.8 70-200 with and without 2x multiplier almost exclusively when shooting wildlife, and my 24-105 when doing landscape and inside photos. One of our photographers had a mono pod, but found it awkward to use. I found the bean (rice) bag very useful. An important consideration is your driver's experience with photographers. If you have a good one he'll be experienced in getting into positions from which you can get the wildlife shots you want. One of the things that you DO want to ask your driver to do if he isn't so experienced is to shut off the engine as quickly as possible when stopping. This addresses the problem of engine vibration affecting your shots-particularly when bracing the camera/bean bag on some part of the vehicle (which you'll find yourself doing all of the time.

Have a great trip, and post some photos on your return.

breck Loc: Derbyshire UK

Almost forgot try this web site for loads of safari photography help, very informative
http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/safari-photo-tips.html

Kojack

I went on a safari in Tanzania about 14 months ago. Following is my advice based on lessons learned.

On the truck don't bother with either mono or tripod. Use a bean bag (my guide gave me one to use). I suspect that the inflatable pillow won't be as flexible as a bean bag.

I used a Canon 7D with a 70-200 IS USM "L" series; a Canon 24-70 "L"series; and a Tamron 10-24; and a 2X TC for the 200 mm telephoto lens-the usual TC restrictions apply so best use is in good light. Obviously the Canon lenses are better but the Tamron was great for what I wanted (big scenes, landscapes, etc).

The more crowded the vehicle is the more difficult it will be to fuss with lens changes, etc and to get to the place in the vehicle where you can get the shot you want.

I gave up the general use of filters as I found they deteriorate sharpness (maybe not enough $$ on filter quality?)

Prepare for lots of BIF opportunities. The variety of birds is astounding! Big birds like eagles and vultures are great subjects as they will sit still for long periods.

Have a great trip!!

PaulB Loc: Alabama

I have been to Africa twice. The first time I took both a monopod and a bean bag. Inside the safari vehicle, the monpod was somewhat awkward. The bean bag worked much better, resting on the vehicle roof. I did not bother bringing the monopod on my second African safari. Having two cameras is a good idea, not only as a back up, should one camera fail; but, it allows you to have cameras with different lens ranges at the ready when you need them. Have fun and take some great photos!

Larrie Loc: NE Ohio

These are popular with safari photographers:
http://www.rue.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6
A little pricey but can be found much cheaper occasionally on Ebay. Do an ongoing search

rogerl Loc: UK (Harrogate, North Yorkshire)

This may be helpful: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-80048-1.html

ASR666 Loc: Singapore

Yup bean bag works the best as a stabilizer - I've seen the pros using that in Kenya. Put the EF 24-70 on one body and the EF 70-200 on the other. Aperture f/8 minimum and ISO 400 to get stopping speed. They are both fast lenses and work really well together such as - herd of elephants (24-70) and then baby elephant (70-200).

The EF 400 is a bit slow and needs the bean bag + engine off. it gives great ultra close-up shots but sometimes could be too long since some of the animals are quite close ...

Hope you have a great trip!!

gwong1 Loc: Tampa, FL

Thanks to everyone who answered my questions. I think I will re-think my equipment and look into a bean bag. Gary

Zenith701 Loc: Southern California

Thanks for asking the question gwong1. Great site breck. Thanks.