ekfelton Loc: Michigan

You should take a 600 with a 1.4 TC and for some shots that won’t be enough. Do not change lenses, take two or three bodies with different lenses attached to each.
It’s a wonderful trip and you don’t want to miss the shot

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Check out the Tamron 18-400. It’s made for DX cameras. If I still had my d7000, I would get this lens in a heartbeat.

jrkinkle

Your 18-200 is fine. I think you should consider taking a second camera. The bridge camera is good suggestion. The better solution would be to rent or buy a D 500 with the 300 F4 with a 1.4 extender. The D 500 has wonderful low light capabilities. This configuration is light and the auto focus on the D500 is very fast and accurate. You need the low light if you are in the forests or to capture animals resting in trees. You will also need bean bags if the guides don’t supply. It’s a wonderful trip. You’ll have a great time.

picsix

I went last year to South Africa and did a lot of research ahead of time. I took a Canon EOS Mark III and a Canon EOS Mark IV. Everything I read said, you never know... I primarily used a 100-400mm lens, but always had my backup camera with me with with a 24-105mm. On safari, you are always in a jeep, so can have your backpack with extra camera, lens, etc. with you. You want to avoid changing lenses out there, due to dust.

Papa j Loc: Cary NC

I think the 150-600 or 200-500 range might be good insurance for distant captures however I just purchased the Tamron 18-400 and very satisfied with the reach, quality and ease to carry while traveling

J

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

The relatively small and light Tamron 100-400 would sound good to me along with a second body with wider angles.

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ole sarg Loc: south florida

That kinda depends on how close you want to get to a lion!

jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

I just returned from safari in Southern Africa (four countries). It was not much different from Kenya and Tanzania in terms of lens desirability. I have a Nikon D7100 and I switched to the Tamron 18-400 for this trip and never regretted it. Both safaris I was on involved constant bumpy (very bumpy) roads in very stiff vehicles and there was constant dust and confusion. It was also hard to keep your camera steady but forget a tripod unless you're on a dedicated photo safari. That was great because we saw virtually all the animals we hoped to see. Some were about three feet from our vehicle and others were dots on the horizon--or smaller animals that were a good distance away. With the 18-400 I feel I got the shots I wanted without having to change lenses except at night. At night I switched to my 50mm 1.4 because we were out in very low light conditions. This let me get some (reasonable) shots of a leopard and a few other nocturnal animals.

One guy with us had two bodies so could have even sharper lenses but it seemed to be very clumsy hauling those bodies and lenses up and down and in and out of the vehicles. (Having said that he did get great pictures.) I would suggest at least 400mm with your crop camera and something as short as possible on the other end. It is a "once in a lifetime trip" and you don't want to miss the rhino out there at 400 yards. (I say "once in a lifetime" in good natured jest being we just got back from our second "once in a lifetime" trip).

My best advice is to keep it as simple as possible because you want to enjoy the scenery, animals in real time and the people you'll be traveling with as much as you want pictures to remember it all by. It's a wonderful trip no matter how many times you make it.

Gerald Friesen

While there are times on Safari when you are up close and personal with your subject, there are many times you are at distance. My experience is you need both. I carry my 80-400mm attached to D4 and 600mm attached to D5. I also bring a 1.4 teleconverter which I've used infrequently on the 600. If you're going to South Africa, Zimbabwe or Botswana you'll need a monopod for the big glass because they use open vehicles for game drives (tripod is useless in these vehicles). If you're going to Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania you'll need bean bags for support since they use closed vehicles (shooting from the sunroof and windows). Ethiopia also uses closed vehicles but regardless, the shooting there is ALL long distance (600 with a 2.0 tc needed).
If you want to stay with 70-300mm then absolutely bring a 2.0 teleconverter. You'll need it.

rcarol

I would consider buying the Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD Lens. On your D7500, the Tamron would give you a field of view equivalent of a 600mm lens.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Friends who take these photo safaris tell me that animals are often found right outside and next to your vehicle. Maneuvering long lenses in tight confines is a problem. Whatever you do, get a bean bag camera rest as a stabilizer.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Agree plus a35-200 and a second body

was_a_guru

The Tamron 18-400 would be a good possibility. It’d worked well for me in a number of different shooting environments.

largeley

I have been on two safari's with two professional photographers. I agree with some of the suggestions made so far. I would definitely take two camera bodies each with a telephoto lens on to minimize changing lenses, for the reason stated earlier – dust. Take a sensor cleaning kit with you and learn how to use it before you go. I took a Nikon D4 and a 7200 and several lens. However, the longest was a 70-300 zoom lens, which wasn't enough quite a few times. Introspect, I would also take a prime (fixed) lens that allows for a wider aperture for better, sharper pictures in low light at least a 400mm preferably even longer. I regret that I couldn't take a number of action pictures using a camera and lens that could 'stop' action of moving animals or birds. Since many of these lenses and even cameras are relatively expensive and are items that I would normally not use in day to day life, I suggest renting the lenses you need but don't have, which I did and perhaps even a professional camera body. There are a number of companies that do this even by mail.

hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico

If you are taking just one lens, you should consider the Tamron 18-400mm.