Hip Coyote

Evaded there later this year. Plan is to take two Oly OMd em5 mii ...one with an Oly 12-100 Pro lens and one with a Pany 100-400. I will take a fast prime for indoors-low light and that’s it. No tripods, etc.

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

"Scenery shots during the day are pretty useless anyway." Why did you say that? Isn't there any scenery worth shooting?

jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

I am not familiar with the newer bridge cameras but on my first trip to Africa I took a Nikon p600. It was too slow booting up so I missed some pictures and it was a bit soft at the far reaches. The next trip I switched to a d7100 with Tamron 16-300 which was a great improvement. The third trip I just switched to the Tamron 18-400 which was about perfect for my needs. I also took a Nikon 50mm 1.4 but only changed it in camp in my tent and used it for night drives. I would not recommend expecting to change lenses on game drives because of the motion and dust. I also regularly shot animals almost touching our vehicle all the way to beyond my lens limits (but I didn't lose many good shots because of distance). No tripod unless you will be on a dedicated photo safari.

Finally, keep it as simple and versatile as possible so you'll have a good time. Also take binoculars as you still spend a good deal of time observing animals and not shooting pictures. Wonderful experience each time.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

Same here, except I have the E-M-5ii coupled with the penny 100-300. Absolutely great shots, hand held. I caution against having two bodies as I found that the lurch of the jeeps on the rough trails caused a lot of damage to my body by the second camera around my neck. Also, you are at times in close quarters and worrying about the second body and where it swings is not worth it! Leave the second body as insurance in a room safe.

JoeM845

dick ranez

My choice would be a Canon 7Dmk ii with 100-400 permanently mounted with a second camera being a bridge like the panasonic fz1000. Your choice might be something similar for Nikon whatever than is.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Canon 1DX MII. Canon 200-400mm w built in 1.4X.
All built like a tank,dust and rain proof rugged enough for abuse.
14 focused an metered frames per second.
Incredible low light and shoots beautiful video.
Can't get any better in total speed quality and indestructibility.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

I'd highly recommend the Sony RX10 III or IV. Their excellent fixed ZEISS 24-600mm, f/2.4-4.0, zoom lens will handle anything you're liable to encounter on safari. And both shoot great 4K video.

bwa

Robdur

Also recommend the Sony RX10 iv. Takes great photos, is a bridge camera with a 24-600 zoom, Zeiss lens and you only don't have to worry about lugging around pounds of gear and which lens to use. Also it shoots RAW and JPG and has great video. Unless you are shooting for National Geographic this camera will produce stunning photos. Only downside is low light/high ISO. It does ISO 1600 OK, max I use is ISO 3200 but only if necessary.

CWGordon

I don’t get to Africa every day. I took the best camera and lenses I could. I took my DSLR’s. Upon advice I took nothing larger than my 80-400. I also took my 70-200 2.8. I had one on each of my 2 cameras. Obviously, distance, subject matter, movement, and light decided for me which lens was appropriate at which time. This allowed me to take about 99% of what I wanted to shoot w/o ever changing lenses. The few times I needed to put on a wide angle I was in relatively dust-free environs and had time to change without stress to change quickly. I always had at least one lens already mounted, just in case.
I never felt I needed a much larger lens. Yeah, nice to have a bit more reach once in a great while, but 400 was fine. Just crop a bit! I am a believer that best product comes from, all things being equal, best equipment you can afford. We all want to get terrific enlargements w/o hauling heavy equipment around. Tough to do. The sharpness in that Lions’ eye cannot be produced very well w/a 1” sensor. Jus’ain’t gonna happen!
You have a choice: both compromises, weight or quality. Let me know when you find a lightweight point and shoot or “bridge” camera that will give you the quality of a good DSLR. I’ll buy it. I have tried virtually every camera on the market. I always come back to the simple question; what means most to me on this trip? Light weight or image quality? When I have the answer to that question, the camera choice is easy. DSLR or... . Often I take too much equipment. As my Mom used to say “Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.” Often, this merely had to do with taking gloves or a scarf to an outdoor event on a cold day. Usually, I ended up putting them on. The moral of the story is that you cannot get a second chance at many experiences. Ready or not, the scene appears and disappears fairly quickly, likely never to be seen or “caught” ever again. You make the choice. Either way, I hope you have no regrets.

crphoto8 Loc: Anaheim, California

I took a Canon 5D Mk3 to an African safari. 95% of my shots were with a 70-200 f/4 L AND a 1.4 TC. Many keepers, excellent resolution. We got quite close to animals which consider safari vehicles as just another animal out there.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Who is going to carry it ???
.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

That wasn't part of the question

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

That may not be part of the question, but it should be part of the answer. Weight is a real consideration. First, you have to get your gear to where you are going. For most of us, that means carry-on. You have to lug it, and in the case of big glass, also be able to fit it in available space. Second, you have to lug it wherever you go. If you have the strength and stamina, more power to you. Third, if you are lucky, you may have a bean bag or monopod for support, but many of your shots will be hand held, and the heavier something is, the harder it is to hold steady by hand., particularly if you are patiently waiting for your target animal or bird to change position. Fourth, as I mentioned previously, if your safari involves travel by air while in Africa, you may be flying in a single-engine Cessna Citation where there might be a weight restriction. Do you want to choose whether to leave your lens or your clothes behind?

I'm not saying not to bring your 600mm bazooka lens; just consider all of the implications vs. what you wi9ll be doing with your pictures. With a modern DSLR and good 70-300mm zoom, you should be able to severely crop a shot (even if taken with a crop sensor camera) and enlarge the resulting image to 16 x 24.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

You made quite a statement about a 1" sensor. Do you have any experience or own one with which to back up your statement? You are very wrong, but then again, ignorance is bliss!