patcarls47

My wife and I are going to Tanzania for a safari. What camera / lens combination will work best for me after cropping to obtain identical closeup photos?

1) Canon 5dmIII / 70-300L
2) Canon 5DmIII / 70-300L with 1.4x Teleconverter
3) Canon 60D (crop sensor) / 70-300L

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I vote for the 5DIII and 1.4X TC. - from which you can crop if needed - optimally using well applied pixel enlargement techniques/software. The none cropped images will definitely surpass the 60D and the 70-300L is a great lens !

gwong1 Loc: Tampa, FL

Par, When I went, I used the 70-200 f2.8L ii with a 1.4 teleconverter on my 7D. I also use my 400 f5.6L, and my 2.0 teleconverter on my T3i, and had wonderful results. I also had a P&S for video. Enjoy your trip and post some shots. Gary

wotsmith Loc: Nashville TN

Well if you saw me in the airport leaving on a photo shoot, you would understand my answer. My answer would be to take most of what you own. I would take all of what you list, plus some normal lenses for landscape. I would keep your telephoto on the 5D and a normal lens on the 60 D or switch if the game is far away.

I have never been to Tanzania, so I don't know how close you will get to game. In Southern Africa, there was a big difference between national parks -like Kreuger- and private reserves. In the parks the guides usually are not allowed to leave the roads, on the private, they could and get much closer to the game. I would very much favor the 5D and shoot mostly with that unless game is far away and you need the crop factor.

On a wildlife photo shoot, I take 600mm f4 prime; 300mm f2.8; two or three camera bodies, smaller lenses from 16mm to 104mm and both a 2x and 1.4X - yep thats two bags. I have not learned the technique of traveling light. I don't necessarily take all that in the truck for the day, but for sure two bodies with different lenses on and the teleconverters in a pocket. Don't forget to shoot in RAW and have big chips. You will need a laptop and external harddrive for backups and process photos each night. That way you don't need a stack of chips, and you'll get a good idea of what is looking good to improve your shooting for the next day. I don't know how humid Tanzania is, but I have had my macbook pro quit due to humidity in Costa Rica. (I discovered that is not uncommon. Day was saved because I had tossed in a second laptop. Yes I do travel with too much stuff. My wife and I were shooting birds and more than 5000 frames per day, so we would have run out of chips quickly.) Now when going to really humid places, I have a airtight bag and a little deal I found on Amazon that soaks up the humidity and you plug it in every night and it gets rid of the water.
Have a great time.

gary northrop

We leave for our second Tanzania photo trip in a week. Our pro photographer guide used his 70 -- 300mm last time, on his 23rd trip, and had great results -- as did I with my 70 -- 200mm 2.8 and older 100 - - 400mm on a Mk ii and 50D. You will get very close to game, and longer telephotos usually won't be necessary. Also, you don't want to crop too closely or it will look like you visited a zoo, as you probably know. There won't be a humidity problem, but I kept my unused equipment in large ziplock bags because of the dust problem. I also wouldn't go without the trusty 24 -- 105mm or similar lens for scenics.

Shutterbugsailer Loc: Staten Island NY (AKA Cincinnati by the Sea)

Personally, I would bring the 60d and the 300L lens, and pick up a bridge camera for any shots that require more reach or a wider angle of view than that combo can provide. You are traveling light and willn never have to worry about changinjg lenses in a dusty environment

mdsiamese Loc: Maryland

Keep the windows UP and the doors shut and locked! Remember the story recently about the woman who was killed when a lioness mauled her through the window while she was taking a photo. I also remember a video of a lioness trying to open a car door.

But seriously, enjoy! I wish I could do it.

guligian Loc: Louisville KY

It can be very dusty. I advise two bodies and two complementary lenses and never plan on switching lenses. That's what I did and it worked great. I used a 55-300mm and an 18-70mm. I used both a lot. The game is generally quite close.

jolefont Loc: Brooksville, FL

I took two camera. One with a 18-300 and the other my 80-400. Both were great for the bush. Got many gorgeous scenes at 18 mm and as stated you get close to most of the animals. My one big advise is to bring an empty bean bag. Have you guide stop at a store and pick up beans or rice. Place bags in your bag and it works great on top of 4x4. Then at the end of trip give the beans or rice to guide, they will love it. I also brought a macro lens for around the lodge/tent for close ups. Never change lens in bush!! In fact if you run into the migration, I can guarantee you a professional cleaning will be needed when you return. Have a ball..I love all of Africa. Safaris are great.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Echoing the admonition that was presented to me. The minute you step onto the ground, you drop to the bottom link of the food chain.

Some have, recently, demonstrated that leaving the vehicle isn't a required step.
--Bob

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yeah, I'd definitely take both cameras.

I don't know where you're leaving from, but personally I wouldn't travel 10,000 miles without a backup camera! Especially to somewhere that I don't know if rentals or repairs might be possible.

Shutterbugsailer Loc: Staten Island NY (AKA Cincinnati by the Sea)

And don't watch the new CBS weekly drama "Zoo" prior to booking the trip. It could scare a Navy Seal out of going on a safari

choward_ab Loc: Alberta, Canada

We took a couple of heavy Kingsize, quilted pillow cases to slip our telephoto outifits in when we weren't shooting. I shot with a 60D with a 250 to 500mm zoom and my wife shot a 7D with a 100- 400mm zoom and a 6d with a 500mm prime. We kept our second bodies and 24X105's in our camera bags zipped up. We like these combinations and even though most of the time we were quite close to the critters generally found the telephotos useful.
We haven't learned to travel light either.

wotsmith Loc: Nashville TN

I traveled to four different game parks in three different countries. For EVERY game drive we sat in the back of a pickup and the cab had been removed. No protection whatsoever!!

A little spookie when the lions walked by about 4-5 feet away. They told us we would be safe if we kept quiet and stay seated we would be safe. We obeyed!

Camlane Loc: North Carolina

Biggest problem is that you can't use the Canon 1.4 extender on the 70-300 L. The Kenco is reported to work.