vanderhala Loc: Los Angeles, CA

I shot years with Nikon D40 then D3200 and acquired recently D7200 (see previous posts): still learning its tricks.
Have 70-300 Nikon (great) and 18-270 Tamron (used more since more versatile walk around and lighter weight. I am considering and will probably take both D3200 and D7200 bodies to avoid too much less changes in dust/haste etc. Have other lenses (see my gear)probably leave at home.
Am considering 100-400 Tamron (($699, maybe no tax using sale) for safari this summer,. Now reconsidering and looking at weather resistant-dust resistance Fujifilm S1 with 1200mm max range!(probably around 350 or so)
Polling UHH members if this would be a better choice: weight, cost, image quality

ricardo00

I don't know about the Fujifilm S1, but my wife uses a Lumix "megazoom" bridge camera. The way these camera's get such an amazing 35mm equivalent max range is by having a very small sensor. For example, the Fujifilm S1 has sensor that is 1/2.3 inch, about the size of an iPhone sensor. When there is decent light and the subject is not that far, the pictures on my wife's megazoom are quite decent. And she doesn't have to deal with different bodies, switching lenses, the weight, etc of a DSLR. However when light is not optimal, the subjects are not that close, etc, my pics are much better than those of her megazoom.
So it really depends on how important the photos are to you. IMO no megazoom with such a tiny sensor can give a pic that will compare to your D7200 with the lenses you describe. However, whether it is worth the extra hassle and cost is something only you can decide (I have seen people on safaris with only their phones as cameras).

vanderhala Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Thank you Ricardo00 for your quick response. At one hand the posted pix of S1 users looks great (as do CanonS50) but I have my doubts in difficult circumstances. The optical zoom up to 1200mm is seductive.

vanderhala Loc: Los Angeles, CA

and schlepping 600 mm glass at 2.3 kg is really not realistic !

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

I find it interesting that someone would only use a smartphone or iPhones for a Safari. But, they say, the best camera is the one you have with you? I've seen some phenomenal photos from taken with Smartphones and iPhones though. Your D7200 would be my primary only camera, with two lenses. I have been to the California Deserts to watch vehicle races. The vehicles kick up a lot of dusty sand. Not a good time to change lenses. The same, I'm sure would happen on a Safari with several tour vehicles, in dry dusty roads, in order to see and photograph wild animals, etc. I would only take one DSLR and two essential lenses. One, being a zoom telephoto, not less than 300mm focal range. I would take a Bridge camera, that has more than 300mm focal range. It does not have to be a Sony RX10iv, but that would be ideal, if cost is not a concern. You won't have to change lenses on a fixed lens Bridge camera. Panasonic, Nikon, and Canon have some very good affordable Bridge cameras too. Good luck.

AFPhoto Loc: Jamestown, RI, USA

I went last year with two OLympus OMD EM 1 mk II cameras. One with a 12-40 F2.8 and one with a fixed 300 F4 . Keep in mind that all shooting is done from within the vehicle and depending on where you are seated, the really long glass may not be usable. If the animal is on the port side and you are seated on the starboard side there will be little if any opportunity to swing a 600mm lens around unless you can convince the two people sitting next to you to duck, but they are likely to have their hands up with their cell phones to grab their shots. A physically smaller camera with a real long zoom will allow you to maneuver between your seat mates and capture that animal on either side. Also, I have to admit that this is a 50/50 scenario, as half the time the animal will be on your side of the vehicle. Given the choice, stay out of the middle seat. Good luck and enjoy a fabulous opportunity to capture once in a lifetime shots.

chase4 Loc: Punta Corona, California

vanderhala - I went to South Africa in May 2019 and only took my D7200 with a 18-270 Tamron lens. I was pleased with the results and posted some of them here if you care to take a look. chase

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-596143-1.html#10233556

vanderhala Loc: Los Angeles, CA

chase4 especially thank you, I must have missed these in June (on vacation playing chamber music myself). And thanks to the other UUH members responding.

ricardo00

Many times I have seen people who prefer just observing and not taking pics and they say that they feel taking pictures interferes in their ability to enjoy the safari. For example, see the pic below (by the way, taken by my wife with her bridge camera, a Lumix DMC-FZ1000)

vanderhala Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Nice! My way or the high way!

ggab Loc: ?

Is this a "Once in a lifetime" trip or something you will do over and over?
For me, if it is a "once in a lifetime" trip, I would bring the kit and get the best pictures I can.
If it is something I would do over and over, I would bring a bridge camera the first time and then decide for later trips.

JDG3

I have never been on a safari but I have traveled a good bit and taken a lot of excursions. Here is a little of what I have learned. Speed and convenience is very important. To get any kind of memorable shot, you will need to be able to compose and take your shot as quickly as possible.

On many of these excursions, UNLESS they are specifically set up as a PHOTOGRAPHY excursion, you have very little time to get yourself situated, get your equipment ready, and then compose and take the shot. Most often about the time you are ready to take the image, the vehicle or the subject is moving again. It is even worse when you are in a crowded vehicle and others are taking shots also. I cannot tell you how many times my wife, with her iphone, has returned with remarkable shots that I was unable to get because I was unable to get my camera and lens into position and compose a shot. With her iphone, the set up time is mere seconds and completely automatic, she gets shots that are sometimes simply amazing. She has her share of bad shots, but she always gets some that are great.

Along these lines, I took a lesson from iphone photography and simplified my photography and equipment to prime lens only and simply do not deal with big heavy lens. There is a whole world in the wide and medium focal length world that the big long lens or zooms do not see. In addition they are much quicker to use. Using a good lens, I can crop and retain enough detail to make worthwhile shots.

My point is that you need to have equipment that you are intimately familiar with, is quick to deploy and use and portable to wield in less than spacious surroundings. I came to grips many years ago that photos I take on my trips were not going to be "National Geographic" quality. Those guys spend days setting up their best shots with equipment worth more than my house. So for me, a quick shot to show my friends what I saw is sufficient.

This mindset also allows me to enjoy the trip and share the experience with my wife and friends on the trip, rather than have my whole trip condensed down into a viewfinder and ignoring those around me while I try to take photos.

timbuktutraveler

I recently cam back from 3 Safaris (1 in Zambia) and 2 in Tanzania) as well as a trek around Victoria Falls
in Zimbabwe.

I did not want to lug around several lenses and weight and flexibility were definitely factors.

So I rented a Sony RX10 IV from lensrentals.com.

The Sony with a 24-600 built in zoom weighs just over 2 pounds. The IQ of the photos was great.

The lens will cover all your needs.

Many members agree with me that the Sony RX 10 IV is the Rolls Royce if bridge cameras.

Have a great trip. It is an experience you will remember!

Larry

Hip Coyote

First, search UHH for African Safari info. There are a lot of topics and posts that are invaluable. This is a repost of my response to a Simi,at question:

I just got back from a trip to S. Africa and Namibia. A bit different situation in that (I think) animals in Kenya are in a more open environment, thus more movement. Right now, it is summer. That means that the bulk of the animals will be looking for water at watering holes rather than puddles...thus it is easier to get photos of them. (Again...different parts of the continent..so take that into account.) I absolutely positively recommend that you take two bodies. It can get very very dusty quickly. No way of changing lenses in the back of a safari vehicle. I had two micro 4/3 bodies...one with a 12-100 Pro Oly and the other with a 100-400 Leica Panasonic. I used the 12-100 most of the time, but did need the reach on a few occasions. The combo was perfect. (This will also be determined by where you go and if your guide can drive off the roads..in some instances we were allowed to and in others, we were not.) I recommend the 24-104 and the 100-400. Using a 2x crop factor that was a total of 24 to 800! Also, as mentioned, some people take a Sony bridge camera. I would think this would work well too. Maybe next time for me.

Also, I set up a pre-determined custom setting so that if there were action type shots, I could press a button and put my camera into a shutter priority- auto ISO- focus tracking - high speed mode. I used it once at a cheetah run. Usually I was either manual or A priority.

Animals get active at night...but often, game drives are not allowed at night. When the sun starts setting, you will quickly find that it gets dark and the limits of your camera will be tested. (As I said, mine was an M4/3 so I had more limitations than you.) You really have to bump up the ISO to get any kind of shots.

People think they are going to go to Africa and get Nat Geo pics...it may happen, but for the most part the photos will be memorable, but not Nat Geo quality. To do that you have to spend many many hours / days watching / tracking animals. You might get lucky to see a predator / prey chase or something, but don't count on it.

Take a pocket rocket, several lens pens, micro cloths and cleaning solution to deal with the dust. I had to clean my cameras, almost like guns, at the end of the day. On one game drive in the desert, they were covered in white powdery dust.

There are people in Africa! Interesting, wonderful people! I prefer people photography to animal photography any day of the week...including Africa. Do what you can to do some cultural adventures...meet the people. You wont be sorry.

Finally, once in a while, just put the camera down and enjoy the experience. The animals, etc...constantly looking through a view finder is no way to experience the place. Enjoy.

Bayou

I have a Fuji S1, as well as several Nikon DX cameras, so I am accustomed to making and seeing high quality images. I am often amazed at the quality of the images from the Fuji and its tiny sensor. It's not much good in low light, but outdoors in daylight, using some sort of stabilization technique, that looong zoom is quite something. This was shot at 125th/sec with the camera only partially stabilized sitting on a porch railing. It was shot as a JPEG and post processed using ACDSee and Topaz Studio AI Sharpen. The zoom is all the way, 1200mm full frame equivalent.

The camera handles nicely too, though the EVF, being an older model, is marginal.

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