Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

I also have the Tamron 18-400 and enjoy it. It covers most any range needed and is light enough that you can carry it without a problem.

Dziadzi Loc: Wilkes-Barre, PA

I own a D7100, and have found that the Tamron 18-400 mm is a great all-around lens.

rosjan

I too have a D7200 and I just picked up the Tamron 100-400mm for a safari I'll be taking next year. I am very happy with the lens. Not too big, not too heavy, and very sharp. I went last year with a 70-300mm and came home with some great pictures. Have fun on your trip.

wetreed

I would also endorse the Tamron 18-400. This lens covers the entire range of what you will need. It’s not too heavy, it’s moisture resistant so that will also help keep dust out, the autofocus is amazingly fast and accurate. Some people have criticized the manual focus ring, but I find it very well placed and easy to use. The lens is very well built, sturdy and very affordable. It took me about 5 minutes to get used to it and it gets even better with time.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Your 18-55 is a slow but otherwise excellent optics for its price. It will serve you well as a general purpose lens. I have no experience with the new 70-300 P since I have been using the original 70-300 VR for several years now. I have no experience with the new 55-200 but I used an older version and in bright light it was convenient due to its light weight that makes it easy to carry it anywhere.

If I were you I would not consider an extreme wide angle zoom till you use the 18-55 enough to determine if 18mm is enough as a wide angle for you. For your African Safari you will need a long tele, something like a Nikon 200-500 f4 VR or a Tamrom 150-600. Obviously, you can use also something like a 300mm f4 with a 2X tele converter but that could be a little complicated for you. To play it safe, since you are not going to be using those lenses very often your best bet is to rent one of them. Be aware they are big and heavy lenses and although handholding them is a possibility a tripod could be better although I do not know if a tripod will be practical for an African Safari.

I have no experience with the P90 but I am sure others can give you good advise on it.

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

Looks like you are covered well on the telephoto end....for wide you have the 18-55 AF-P lens which I hear is a good lens for a kit lens....I have the AF-S version but I heard the AF-P version is much better - I don't know if that is true I never compared the two....but you may want to get a decent wide zoom or prime (10-24 range or 20 prime-- I am in the market too for one or both)....wide shots of the canyon will be fantastic especially just after dawn or just before sunset. Maybe you can get shots of the wildlife with the 70-300. I have the 7200 great DX camera.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

Nikkor P 10-20mm is inexpensive, very sharp and is compatible with your D7200. Bought one recently and very impressed. For a big zoom, I recommend looking at the Sigma 150-600mm contemporary. Very sharp images. Great reviews. It is a full frame lens and it works great on my D7200. I bought the package with the 1.4 tele and I can pretty much reach anything I want with it. You might want to consider a set of extension rings instead of the close up lenses. Usually preferable to introducing more glass into the photo. I picked up a set at Hunt's for under $100 that works with my AF lenses.

jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

I agree that you are covered well for the Grand Canyon.

African safaris are another issue entirely. You should first decide what you want to photograph although I'd assume you want both the great landscapes and amazing wildlife. Wildlife can be seen and photographed from a few feet away to several hundred yards.

The next important thing will be to determine what type of safari vehicle you'll be traveling in. From my experience generally in Kenya and Tanzania they use pop-top vehicles where you can stand up inside the vehicle and rest your camera/lens on the roof as you shoot ( I use a towel but some bring sandbags). Unless you're going on a photo only tour a tripod will probably be impractical and a waste of weight and space. This presents a dilemma because it requires both a long and short focal length to get your shots. I've resolved it with a Tamron 18-400 lens (on a Nikon d7100) which gives up some speed and a little IQ over more expensive longer lenses but it allows me to get both shots with the same lens. You are going in February which is after the shorter rainy period and therefore greener and less dusty than the drier periods. But I still think it's dangerous to change lenses while out in the safari vehicles (I've had to erase spots on the rest of my pictures in post processing to overcome the one time I did change lenses in the field). It's also impractical because short and long shots become available within seconds of each other. Just something to consider. I think at least 400mm should be best for you because some of the long shots were some of our best.

In southern Africa they tend to use open sided safari vehicles. In those cases you can't steady the lens as well as in the pop-tops so you'll have to take that into account. I have been in them once but did not really perfect my shooting style--I'm going again in October and will have to work on that too. I'll still be using my Tamron 18-400 but I'm also taking a Nikon 50mm 1.4 for early and late shots where light is scarce and the Tamron just isn't as fast on the focus or adjustments. So check with your tour to see what type of vehicles you'll be using.

Hope this helps--both of your trips should be fantastic and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.

maritzajf Loc: Florida

It seams that through time we end up collecting lenses that practically do almost the same. I am not taking all to the safari. I will go light. Thank you!

wetreed

I have that lens, it might be a very little heavier than some,but it is not too heavy to carry around all day and all night. I’m not trying to be mean, but maybe you should join a gym and improve your physical condition. I’m just saying.

Papa j Loc: Cary NC

It’s much lighter than my 70-200, 70-300, 80-400 or the 150-600 don’t you think

J

maritzajf Loc: Florida

Tank you for the information. I like the idea of the 18-400 ( if is not to heavy, I will look for it now) the trip to Africa is with OAT for 34 days and visit 5 countries and lots of parks: the vehicles are open with roof hatches. I do not want to carry lots of equipment, it gets very heavy after e few days. I Know that I need a wide angle. It is my first time to Africa, so any advice is welcome !

Papa j Loc: Cary NC

Rent it for a week i think it is more compact and lighter than the 70-300. OAT is a great tour we will be doing Sicily this year

jdub82 Loc: Northern California

If you will be in Africa for over a month, and visiting 5 different countries, you might want to consider taking a Nikon P900, and leaving the DSLR home. I know that might be hard to contemplate, but the camera and lenses will get heavy when you have to carry them around with you. You will actually need to carry all your equipment with you all the time, because it isn't safe to leave expensive gear in a hotel room or in a vehicle. If you do decide to take the D7200, I would go with one versatile lens like the Tamron 18-400. Last year, I spent 18 days in Kenya with quite a bit of travel in country. I took my Canon SX 50 Bridge Camera. I was able to get some great shots on Safari.