Telephoto in Africa

I appologize to ask a question unrelated to underwater photography, but I will be going on a safari in South Africa this July, and I was wondering how much lens I am going to need.

Currently my longest setup is the 70-200/2.8 with the 1.7x teleconverter on a D200.

Any suggestions?

Also... monopod? tripod?

thank you and sorry again.

Depends on your budget, we are going to SA in June. After a lot of reading I went with

Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF VR Zoom Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Autofocus Lens (Vibration Reduction)

After this you are looking at +$5000 lenses. Most people I talked to say you should have a monopod and beanbag

hello

I have used a Sigma 80-400 OS/VR, nice focus is faster than the Nikon, and all the reviews say the optical quality is the same.

however it is a brut, but has a totally usable tripod collar, unlike the nikon, which is a little on the poor side.

regards

craig...

ah and the sigma is much cheaper.

I think the set up you have is great unless your budget is unlimited. 2,8 lenses are the way to go. Get or make a beanbag to support it in the truck like a tripod.

Your best reasonably-priced option, I think, is the Nikon 80-400VR. I have used my Canon 100-400 IS lens on two previous Africa trips and have been pleased with its size and performance. With the newer DSLRs, the lens speed is not much of a drawback since you can boost the ISO with little image degradation. With the crop factor, the 400mm lenses give you the view of at least a 600mm lens. This will be good enough for just about anything except for small birds in faraway trees! You'll definitely want a beanbag (though some safari operators provide them in their vehicles). I've never needed a monopod or tripod since generally you can't get out of the vehicle. Beanbag and VR or IS should be plenty for sharp shots.

I'd also vote for the Nikon 80-400 VR. I took mine to Africa in 2004 - it had been a gift from my wife the Xmas before. I was very happy with what this lens could do with wildlife, also with it's very reasonable weight, size and cost. You really can hand hold this lens at 400, though a monopod helps. (I didn't have a monopod then, and so ended up using my tripod configured as a kind of bipod in the safari vehicle, which worked well.)

The midday light in most parts of Africa is very bright and lasts a long time - you shouldn't have any problem getting fast shutter speeds at normal ISO levels during most of the daylight hours. If you happen to run into a great action sequence requiring very high shutter speeds in the early morning or at dusk, then you might wish you had a 2.8 lens, but you'll still be able to get a reasonable shot by kicking up the ISO. When the animals/birds you're shooting are stationary or moving slowly, as is usually the case, there is no real problem.

All these were shot with the 80-400 VS, either handheld or propped on a tripod used as a monopod.

Cheetahs

Terrapins

Burchell's coucal

Frogfish (Robert Delfs)

The short answer is: as long a lens as you can afford.

The first time I went to Africa, I had a 100-400 on a film body, and got good shots.

The last time I went to Africa, I had a 500/4, 1.4x and 2x TCs, a 1.6x and a 1.3x crop body and I still wanted more focal length! I used the 500 + TC + 1DMk2 for almost 75% of my shots.

The bare minimum for me would be the 100-400 or 80-400 zooms. Make sure you take a standard zoom to cover wideangles and scenics (I got some full frame lion closeups with my G6).

My Africa photos are here:

http://www.photosafariindia.com/articles.htm

Vandit

Save your money. Your 70-200VR with 1.7 is fine, if not better, combination than the 80-400VR. If you going to spend money upgrade to a 500 f/4 or a 200-400VR zoom not on a 80-400 lens.

My Africa photos are here:

http://www.photosafariindia.com/articles.htm

Vandit

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Vandit,

I just have to say that your website, in addition to having some beautiful photos, is a wealth of information. I've recently been researching long lens choices, and your discussion of gear -- especially lenses -- is perhaps the single best (and most understandably presented) discussion of lenses for nature photography I've seen!

I've bookmarked it, and I hope you periodically update it (as new lenses come out)!

Tokina makes a pro quality fixed 400mm f5.6 prime that is pretty good and VERY cheap. It's sharper than the 80-400 and it's very small and light. Focus isn't fast, but then neither is the 80-400 or the 70-200 w/ teleconverter.

Here it is w/ a buy it now of $285:

http://cgi.ebay.com/TOKINA-AF-400MM-5-6-SD...1QQcmdZViewItem

Just another lens to consider.

Cheers

James

BMYates - Thank you very much for your kind words and glad to know you found it helpful... yes, I do plan to update this site and add more content. Have neglected the website for almost 6 months - the following few weeks are going to fix that! Have some techniques and stuff coming there soon.

James - I actually went to Ebay to try to buy that lens, till I found it was a Nikon mount. <Homer>Stupid Nikon</Homer>. That's a great buy, though... thanks for pointing it out.

That would make a cracking lens to have on one body, with the 70-200 on the other. I would never shoot in Africa with just 1 prime + camera, however.

Regards,

Vandit

Oh, I didn't know you had a Canon mount - they make the lens for both Nikon and Canon. I recently bought one for my Canon mount for $300.

Cheers

James

Heh, the OP has Nikon, so that'll be helpful to him. I was merely considering sneaking off with the lens you recommended... hehe

Great topic for me. I'm in the proccess of booking a trip to see the gorillas. I'll be in low light jungle, with alot of trompling though the brush. No flashes allowed, any tips for that situation.

Fast 70-200/2.8 IS, a monopod, ISO 800 and Noise Ninja.

Vandit