PurpleHaze204 Loc: North Potomac, MD

Hi hogs, need your advice. I'm going on my first safari trip next summer to Kenya and Tanzania. I have an APS-C camera with both 18-135mm and 70-300mm lenses. Will I really need anything longer than 300? Since I'll be there two weeks, it almost doesn't pay to rent as I'd spend almost the same money to purchase say a Sigma 150-500 lens. I'll take travel tripod but will I need flash for evening drives?

Thoughts? Thanks all.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Doesn't the 300 perform like a 480 on the camera?
I personally would not bother with a third (additional) lens in either case.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Do you know how close to your prey you will be?

Carl S

I've been to various African countries a number of times, and my gear is a Nikon D-7200 and a D-7500 with the 18-300, a Tamron 150-600, and a reasonably fast wide angle lens if we are shooting from hides (blinds). In many cases I have had too much lens when a lion walks under the front bumper or a cheetah sits on the hood of the vehicle. The long lens is fine for crossings or animals at a distance. I have always used bean bags because seldom does one have the time to set up a tripod, and they are a hazard in a vehicle. For most night drives, the driver or tracker will have a strong light to spot the game. Have fun, and take a compact set of binoculars because you will probably spend more time looking than photographing.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

On an APS-C camera the 70-300 will suffice for 90% or more of what you will shoot. You will most likely be in a vehicle most of the time, so a tripod will just be useless weight. And you will probably have plenty of light except for a few sunrise and sunset shots. I used a full-frame camera with a 100-400 lens and only rarely wished for a smaller focal length lens (and it is often dusty on the dirt roads, so you really don't want to be changing lenses). Your two lenses should be fine.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Flash only goes so far...
(Light falls off with the square of the distance.)
One of my old better flashes was only good to about 60 feet.

PurpleHaze204 Loc: North Potomac, MD

Thanks all. Appreciate your advice.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

Generally, long lenses are your friend--up to a point. In most cases, 300mm (450mm full frame equivalent) should be enough reach. However, if you are serious about bird shots you need more reach. Also there will be cases where you see animals at a distance when you wish you had more reach. If you have a good sensor you may be able to crop in post to increase the reach. If you decide to look for a longer (and larger) lens check on weight and size limits of your trip. You want to keep your kit reasonably small and portable.

You do not indicate what system you are using. Image stabilization is your friend--ideally both in camera and in your long lenses. This is important because you won't be able to use a tripod so your shots will be hand-held. You will shoot a lot at 1/500 second or less so being able to increase your ISO is important. You also will take some shots in twilight so low-light performance of your camera will matter. How far can you crank up your ISO and still get acceptable images?

You also may want to consider the quality of your lenses. While in Kenya a year ago, I shot long shots with an APS-C body, the Sony a6000, with the full-frame Sony 70-300 lens. I was not happy with that lens--the bokeh was unpleasant and the focus on distant objects was not great. I just spent four months in Kenya, and I decided to buy the Sony 100-400 GM for long shots. (I considered the Sony 200-600mm but found this lens to be too large and heavy to be practical.) The shots I took with that lens are amazing.

You may consider traveling with two different camera bodies, for two reasons. First, safaris are fairly dusty affairs. The roads in Kenyan national parks generally are not tarmacked and can be bumpy. All this makes changing lenses impractical. Second, you will see animals at varying distances. You may have an animal appearing near your vehicle unexpectedly; if you are not ready with the right lens you will miss the shot.

For that reason I travel with two full-frame bodies when I am in Kenya, a Sony A73 and Sony A7R3--I will be back in December. I keep my Sony 24-105mm G lens on the A73 and the Sony 100-400mm GM on the A7R3. I use the 24-105mm for animals that are reasonably close and for landscapes. I use the 100-400mm for longer shots. As the Sony A7R3 has 42MP I have some room to crop. Furthermore, the Sony system has a Clear Image Zoom feature that allows you to double the zoom reach without losing pixels--giving me de facto up to 800mm reach. I took great images of animals in a volcanic crater from the crater rim where I could not get closer.

Good luck with your preparations, and enjoy your trip. Kenya truly is an amazing country.

Hip Coyote

Carl led you on the right path. I have not been to that part of Africa. in other parts it makes a huge difference if the safari guide can go off road or not. If they stay on roads then you need a longer lens. If the they can go off-roading then you need a shorter lens...generally.

What I can say is that you need to search this forum you will find a lot of advice. In my case my photo data from Africa shows that the vast majority of my shots were less than 100 mm. But there were some shots that were longer. I can also say, there are wonderful people in Africa....and you will be seeing the Masai. A wonderful photo and cultural experience. In fact, I enjoyed the people photography as much as the animal photography.

Tripod? Never used one. One camera? I had two, and it was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. A someone mentioned, shooting conditions change rapidly. Or you are in dusty conditions. As in you and your camera are covered in a brown haze of silt. Having wide to mid-range on one camera and mid-range to long on another is an absolute must. This coming from a photography minimalist.

You are dropping some serious $$ on a trip to Africa. I would not scrimp on a lens rental or purchase. But, as said, you also need a second body, IMO.

Generally, flashes are not allowed on night game drives. But, I was did take one. And while walking to dinner at a lodge in Namibia, I played peek-a-boo with a bush-baby for about 10 minutes using a flash. It was one of the best shots I took.

You also may have an excellent video camera on you! Many cell phones work quite well as video cameras and back up cameras.

I could not easily find my prior posts on Africa...written a few years ago. I do recall advising setting up a few custom settings ahead of time so that you are prepared...for instance in the event of a predator-prey situation, you need to be able to start shooting quickly...maybe have it set so your camera is in manual, a rather wide aperture, ss of 1500 or so and auto iso.

My final recommendation is do not be "that guy" who sees Africa through the viewfinder but never looks at it in real life. Put the camera down and just enjoy sometimes.

PurpleHaze204 Loc: North Potomac, MD

Thanks zug55 . . .I have a Canon EOS 77D with EF-S ISM lenses. I also have an old bridge Canon SX20IS that I hadn't considered taking. It has a digital zoom, but is only 12MP so I can't crop much in post. Lens is 28-560 (equiv) but ISO limit is 1600. Do I drag this along also? I think I'd prefer to only take the 77D . . .

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

I am not familiar with the Canon EOS 77D. My previous camera was a Nikon D7100, and the specs look similar. So this certainly is a workable camera. What I would recommend is that you get a second body that uses the same system so you can use your lenses on either body. Cameras sometimes malfunction, so having a backup using the same mount would be useful. You can pick up a used Canon EOS 77D for $400.

I would not take the Canon SX20IS--12MP does not give you the resolution you want. I think that digital zooms are only useful if you do not want to process your images on your computer. Digital zooms crop your image in camera so they are not real zooms--you might as well crop in post on your computer screen.

PurpleHaze204 Loc: North Potomac, MD

Thanks again. Appreciate your expertise and advice.

Hip Coyote

Trust me. Two cameras. It saved many photos for me. Think about it. A lion is right up next to your vehicle. All of a sudden there is a chase or other interesting thing happening further out. Driver starts driving, dust everywhere. What are you going to do?

Hip Coyote

Deep expertise here. It would be wise to heed this advice. Also, Zug, I am sending a pm to you for some guidance in Kenya.

Robertl594 Loc: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and Nantucket

It’s already been said, I will confirm. Take two bodies. Longest, fastest lens you can afford to take. Don’t need tripod or monopod. Maybe a table tripod if you must. Weight is an issue so keep it light.

More importantly, do you have a guide you are happy with? If you want one, I know a FANTASTIC guide who I used in Tanzania. I am still in touch with him and would be happy to connect you to each other. My requirements were to find a guide and vehicle who specialized in photographic excursions. I interviewed him before I went. He was exceptional. Made the difference between shots and no shots. DM me for info.
Enjoy!
RL