My husband and I just returned from a photographic safari in South Africa. Check out Eagle Eye Safaris. They were very affordable and took great care of us. We came home with 6,000 upclose photos. Make sure you go with a company that can go off road so you can get great photos. I can’t wait to go back and I will definitely be using Eagle Eye Safaris again.

Went to South Africa this July. I can highly recommend Karen Blackwell and Ernest Porter. They are professional photographers and they own Eagle Eye Safaris. They take care of everything and are right there with you throughout your safari. The Safaris are small (ours was 8 people). We got up close to all the animals. I never used any lens longer than 200 mm because we were so close. We were able to go off road. Karen and Ernest were always their to assist with photography if you needed help. I really can’t say enough good things about Eagle Eye Safaris so I do hope you will check them out. My husband and I are planning to go back with them just as soon as we can. That’s how great the entire trip was.

Wondering if anyone has compared Tamron 70-200 f28 VR to the newer Tamron 70-200 f2.8 VR g2 version? Is there much noticeable difference?

My husband and I just returned from Safari a few days ago. As to equipment, it depends if your safari is allowed to go off road or not. Ours was able to and we got very close to animals. All I used the entire week was my Nikon d7500 camera and a Tamron 70-200 f 2.8 lens. Never changed. You will need at least a lens with that reach if you go off road and longer if you have to stay on the road. F2.8 is also important as safaris are out before and after daylight. It is dusty and you would want to avoid changing lens. If you are going around this time of year, it is winter. Very cold before and after daylight on safari vehicle. I saw no bugs at all but did get all the shots and am just about finished with the malaria meds. Check to see if they go off road. Where will your safari be?

Do you know where you are staying in Johannesburg and what is the name of your safari? If you want I can share where w ar staying.

My husband and I are going the end of June. We have a few days before safari and are planning on going to Lesedi and Cradle of Mankind. When are you going? If it is after us I’ll let you know what I think when we get back.

Thank you everyone for the many suggestions. You have given me plenty to consider and I really do appreciate all the information. I now feel better prepared to make a lens decision thanks to each of you.

I have a Nikon D7500 and need suggestions for a good lens to use on safari. I was thinking of the Nikon 18-200 mm with VR II. I already have the Nikon 70-300 lens but figured the 18-200mm would be a better all purpose travel lens. Or do you think I’d do better to get the 18-300mm. Also, does anyone know the difference between VR and VRII? Anyone with safari experience I would really appreciate your input. I’ll only get to make this trip once so I need to get it right. Thanks for any suggestions.

Is your iPad fully charged and is the battery in your camera fully charged? That is the only way it will work for me.

I want to thank everyone fo all the help and great information. You have shared a vast amount of knowledge with me and given me much to think about. Thank you.

Thank you for the help. I tried manually calibrating my monitor, however it does seem to be okay. Tomorrow I’ll print a photo and see how it looks. If I do decide to get a new monitor (the one I have now is approximately 10years old) what resolution would be good for photos? Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Good morning. I just purchased and hooked up the Canon piXma pro 100 printer. Now I’m wondering if my monitor does not have enough resolution. The highest resolution my monitor is capable of is 1600 x 900. Do you think I need a newer monitor? Thanks for any help.

Adorama has the cannon pro 100 for $369 with a $250 rebate and a pack of 50 sheets of photo paper included. This brings the price down to $119. Free shipping. I realize this is not an all in one printer. Just thought someone may be interested in this deal. It is on until end of August 2018.

I have both of them and I do use both of them. If I'm looking for something in particular in one book and I need a little bit more explanation I go to the other book.

I want to thank everyone for their suggestions and help. I assume I am the op, but I have no idea what that stands for. My goal is to learn to shoot in manual, so when you say read light how do I learn that? I do have an expo disc 2.0. Would that help? Is that what you mean by reading the light?

Because of everyone’s helpful comments I think I understand more about exposure. I am so grateful for all the information each of you was willing to share with me. I am so happy to be part of this group.