rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

The OP has already done that
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-473044-1.html
and in the meantime there was someone on this very page looking for this kind of information
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-473658-1.html

lightyear

Your comments are very much appreciated. In your next communique (Part II?)please address: battery charging ( adequate electricity in camp? solar charger? charge while in vehicles?); details on vehicles used and availability of rooftop and beanbags for long lens shooting vs. use of open sided vehicles with no way to rest a camera and long lens for stability; in particular; problems with airport security if using Heathrow; tour operator and number of people in each vehicle and total number on the tour; leadership and guidance if any; was your tour designed for the general public or for photographers? Many thanks.

tennis2618

I found whwiden's report to be very interesting and wonder why others need to be critical of efforts to be helpful. We have a wide range of photographers on this site and this is great for some. Others can do what I often do--ignore that particular input.
Regarding his recommendations, as someone who took a very comparable trip earlier this year and has been to Africa previously, I would heartily concur. I find that two bodies is a great idea as you can put a long lens on one and short on the other and keep shooting rather than change. I took two Nikons-D7000 & D800. I disagree with his comments regarding lenses. I have borrowed several long lenses but bought the Nikon 200-500 for Africa. It is not as heavy or big as their more professional lenses, but is 5.6 throughout and took very sharp pictures. I've had a couple of pro friends tell me they use it regularly now and would recommend any Nikon shooter look seriously at this lens. (No, I don't work for Nikon.)

Regarding lightyear's questions, don't take a tripod to Africa. You just cannot use it on any of the vehicles I have seen. Most vehicles have bars or ways to support a beanbag and I found them helpful. Most of the time you are shooting animals you will have time to get a stable position. The birds are also great and different--if you are a birder you already can handle a relatively long lens on a flying bird, just ask your driver to stay stopped while you shoot. If you aren't a birder you will be seduced by what you see there, so practice before you leave.
I think most all African safari trips expect to have serious photographer's among their groups. The guides are very knowledgeable and the drivers will get the vehicle in a good position. And the non serious point and shooters will understand and be patient (and jealous) of your commitment to getting good pictures. We have used (and recommended) A&K for our trips. They know Africa, are not the most high end company but offer great camps and guides, and they clearly understand the photographers that travel with them.

philo Loc: philo, ca

forget the tripod, shoot at a high sutter speed and iso. the action is too fast for a tripod, and there isn't much room. if you are using your 600mm lens shoot a shutter speed higher then that.

whwiden

I had both a tripod and a monopod. The vehicles had three rows of seats, capable of holding 9 passengers. We were a group of 5, so I had room to use either. However, the tripod in the vehicle would have been very difficult to use. I did not do that. Rather, I used the tripod for night sky shots. I did use the monopod sometimes early in the trip for my Tamron 150-600mm lens. I pretty quickly decided it was more trouble than benefit. In the river boat, I used neither. On a future trip, using digital equipment with stabilized lenses, I might pack light and take neither (other than maybe a small tabletop tripod to use if the circumstance happened to be right). The monopod has a sharp retractable end which got some scrutiny as a possible weapon but was not banned. The vehicle engine will need to be turned off to avoid vibration if you are going to attach or support the camera on part of the vehicle. The Tamron lens and the Nikon 24-120 should be an excellent combination. I would only add a fast normal lens like a 50mm 1.8 or a 35mm 1.8 DX. If you have the space, as a back up, I might take a fun but not expensive superzoom camera, like a Nikon B700.

The hand luggage was weighed and tagged as acceptable at JFK and in Johannesburg for South African Airways. I think the limit was 8kg. I liked the Domke canvas bags for a variety of reasons, but one is that they are light weight.

The flight from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls was a very large aircraft. The flight from Kasane back to Johannesburg was a smaller aircraft but still not a "small" airplane. The overhead bins would not generally hold a normal carry on roller bag--do not allow the airline to check your bags all the way through, say from Kasane to JFK. Pick them up between connections in Johannesburg so they do not sit in a transit area. If you have a roller bag for camera equipment, it may not fit in the overhead even on a larger aircraft.

I did not use a flash or ask about using one. I did a few night drives on which the driver used a spotlight.

There was some dust. Not as much as I expected or as much as others have experienced. I had a large stuff sack for a sleeping bag just in case. I used small brushes and a blower to clean off equipment as needed.

I did not have any favorite settings. I generally tried to keep the ISO below 3200 on the D750. I did have a pre-set for basic medium jpg and continuous hi in case I needed to take a serious action sequence--but I did not actually use it. Sometimes I set the camera to M, but let the ISO float.

I attach a photo of an owl illuminated by a spotlight and a photo of Victoria Falls.

I have several other recent postings of photos from the trip up on UHH.

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-472857-1.html (elephants crossing the Chobe). http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-472597-1.html (landscapes)
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-472541-1.html (elephant "fight")
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-473044-1.html (animal portraits)

philo Loc: philo, ca

I looked at all of your past work and I must say you did/d beautiful work.

whwiden

Yes. That is consistent with my experience. Make sure you find a top ISO that you are comfortable with for the use to which you will put the photos, and then do not hesitate to use a high ISO in order to use a fast shutter speed. That would be my advice for wildlife.

whwiden

I had three batteries each for my main two cameras, and two batteries for the superzoom. That was sufficient. I charged batteries in the lodge/camp at night. In Hwange we were in a semi-permanent tent with several outlets--sufficient but I did charge some batteries during the day when I was out shooting with others. Did not use a solar charger or charge in a vehicle. I did have a separate power pack, but only used that for mobile phones. Vehicles and the boat were open without any particular features to stabilize a camera. I did see a few boats that were set up specifically for photographers, with each seat having a mount for a camera. Did not see that in any vehicles, but I expect some are similarly set up. My tour was just a general tour, but it only took the five members in our group. The guides seemed very good, and often knew to move the vehicles in position for photos, and often made very helpful suggestions. I did not arrange the tour, so I will need to get back with the name of the company. We had a small group because we were traveling with a 7 year old and a 91 year old. I am not sure a group tour would have worked with that age range. There may have been some prohibitions on younger children, so I would look into it if relevant. The only airport security question was about a monopod with a sharp retractable point (but it did not come of anything--however, it would give me pause in the future about a monopod in carry on luggage).

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Isn't that normal procedure for animals everywhere?? With the except of a Sloth mother & child that I saw in Venezuela, I've not seen animals which are guaranteed to be still while you set up a tripod and take their pictures with a slow shutter speed.

tscali

Thanks for the quick reply. I certainly appreciate your help. The pictures were super. Sure hope I can do as well. I must admit that I never thought about vibration while the motor is running and the vehicle is stopped. I know I can't hold the 600mm steady without support. I'll have to give that some more thought. The foam rubber padding is 2" thick and I can wrap it at least twice for 4" of foam. I sure hope that will absorb most of the vibration. The only other alternative is to use a monopod. Again thanks for your help.

whwiden

Thank you for your remarks. The Nikon 200-500mm lens was very tempting--and perhaps a better long term investment than the Tamron 150-600mm. I found the later very good, but I am sure the Nikon is also a winner. All the best!

whwiden

I am so pleased that you looked at my photos and enjoyed them. It means a lot. Thank you.

whwiden

It seems so to me.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

CTH .. FU .. FM! The M stands for moron. You are a waste of bandwidth and oxygen. Do you ever have any positive value to add?

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Very nice, and a very interesting and informative set of anecdotal commentary.