Lens choice for Safari (Canon 70D) - Hire or Buy

AndrewSt

AndrewSt

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Off on safari as part of a 3 week trip to South Africa and thinking about lens choices for my Canon 70D.

I currently have the 18-135 STM which I think is a great all round "walkabout" lens, which should do for my landscape and general travel photos.

Only on safari for 3 days but I am going to need something with more reach and really want some memorable photos. Budget is limited but I think I have the following options. I would need to hire for 28 days which makes the hire charges quite high.

70-300 IS USM - Panamoz sell for £260
70-300L hire for £210 at Lensesforhire
100-400L hire for £220 at Lensesforhire

A little concerned about risk of damage,loss,theft of the hire lenses but it appear that the maximum loss would be the £180 excess on the insurance should the worst happen.

Any suggestions?
 
When I went on safari at a private game reserve next to Kruger I hired from a company in Johannesburg, I paid a deposit and they delivered the lens to the Intercontinental Hotel at Jo'burg airport which I stayed at for one night when I arrived.
This is the company I used www.lensrental.co.za. Do a google search as I am sure there are other companies.
It may be cheaper as you will be able to rent for just the safari period and not the entire period of your holiday.

I hired a Nikon 200-400 f4 for the 10 days I was on safari, sorry but I have no idea how much it cost as that was nearly 4 years ago!

You really do need 400mm so forget about the 70-300's.

Where are you going on safari?
 
For wildlife the more reach you get always seems the most important for me. I've got a Sigma 150-500 OS but it doesn't seem to work great with my 70D for some reason, so I use that on my 5D3. For my 70D I use a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS MkII and Canon 2x MkIII extender for a 140-400 FL and that gives me good reach with good IQ. I got a Canon 300 f4L IS just before Christmas and I tried that the other day with my Kenko Pro300 DGX 1.4x converter and that gives outstanding IQ while still having an impressive AF speed.

Out of the list you made I'd go for the 100-400L as it'll give you the best reach while still giving a very good IQ. I had a 100-400L and the Sigma 150-500 OS and only a 5D3 body, and after a lot of comparison testing, I kept the Sigma as it gave the best overall for IQ and AF. However, since I got my 70D and found the Sigma isn't as good with it (even after doing MFA) I now wish I'd kept the Canon 100-400 L instead as all the Canon lenses I've tried on my 70D have been excellent with it.
 
It strikes me that 100-400 is best for you as it gives you the option of animals one minute and birds the next. My own choice would perhaps be Canon 400 F4 DOISUSM which can comfortably handle all situations. I have one for sale but I guess its beyond you budget - if you can hire OK.
 
I'd hire the 100-400. Friend of mine recently hired one from the same company, to also go on safari, and spoke very highly of them. He came back with some great images and regarded it as money well spent.

Oh and take a bean bag!!
 
Consider buying a used 100-400mm then selling it when you get back - as long as you've looked after it you'll lose virtually no money on it - not far off a free loan
 
Try for something longer than 300. A Sigma 50-500 would give you good cover at both ends: we found 'opportunities' turning up both at a distance and close in when we were at Governor's Camp on Masai Mara.
 
I was on safari in Kenya a couple of years ago with only a 55-300 and really found it lacking in distance. Definitely take at least 400mm.
 
Is the hire of something longer out of your budget?


If not an expensive 500mm prime to hire, how about a sigma 150-500mm? Buying is £400-£500, not sure if anywhere rents them out? It will give you versatility if you're stuck in the back of a jeep.
 
From what you list, I'd be looking at the 100-400 lens...

To buy or hire - difficult one - would you use the lens again ? if not, then hire it (or buy and sell on afterwards).

If you are hiring - what about something different a long prime ? - why not pop over to the Photo section and have a look at some safari shots and see what lenses were used...

Enjoy your safari...
 
A Canon 200-400 f4 1.4x would be nice. Probably a bit heavy and pricey but still nice.
 
pooley said:
Consider buying a used 100-400mm then selling it when you get back - as long as you've looked after it you'll lose virtually no money on it - not far off a free loan
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Yup, this is what I would do. The 100-400 gives you the reach you need in a fairly compact and light package. Trying to swing a 500mm lens around in a safari vehicle is a good way to annoy your fellow travellers.
 
If I can get hold of the cash I think I will buy and them sell again after the trip. Looking for around £800ish I would guess for a decent one? Will place a wanted soon once funds are in place but any sellers out there PM me or add to this thread.

It looks like the image quality beats the sigma 50-500 from what I can tell.
 
hollis_f said:
Trying to swing a 500mm lens around in a safari vehicle is a good way to annoy your fellow travellers.
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But a great way to get the image you want (and I've never had problems 'swinging' my 50-500 around in any vehicle including a Jeep in Indian tiger reserves and Polarcirkle boats off Antarctica and Spitsbergen).
 
AndrewSt said:
It looks like the image quality beats the sigma 50-500 from what I can tell.
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At the moment I have both the 100-400mm and 50-500mm OS (although the Sigma is currently away being repaired) and have to say at 400mm the 2 lenses are pretty much equal in IQ. If you take into consideration the difference in focal length at both ends then personally I would rather have the Sigma.
 
A little worried about not having a wide enough focal length if I go for the 100-400L. Going to a private reserve where we should hopefully get close to the animals and I don't really want to change lenses too frequently.

Obviously the 50-500 sigma addresses this, would the 28-300L be worth considering? Slightly more to rent but not massively more than the 100-400L
 
If your looking at hiring, why not the canon 70-200 F/2.8 L IS USM ii and a 2x extender. By all accounts this lens is as sharp at 400mm as the 100-400L. That way you are covered from 70-400 with Canon's best glass
 
AndrewSt said:
A little worried about not having a wide enough focal length if I go for the 100-400L. Going to a private reserve where we should hopefully get close to the animals and I don't really want to change lenses too frequently.
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You really do want to avoid changing lenses if you can. Firstly, there's usually a lot of fine dust around (Tsavao in Kenya was particularly bad and Masai Mara was bad enough); secondly, there's a good chance you'll miss the image you're after!

AndrewSt said:
Obviously the 50-500 sigma addresses this, would the 28-300L be worth considering? Slightly more to rent but not massively more than the 100-400L
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300 would, in my opinion, be way too short.

It's all compromises and you'll probably be wishing you had something else at some stage of your trip.

I had the Sigma 150-500 originally and replaced it with the 50-500 to get the short end sorted after I had problems with penguins getting in too close on South Georgia. I've had the 50-500 on my 5D3 and have moved it onto my 70D to get the extra reach when a polar bear and her cub turned up in the far distance on Spitsbergen. And I've moved it off the 70D and onto the 5D3 when the light has started to fail while chasing sea eagles in Trollfjord!
 
Excuse the lack of knowledge as I am still pretty much a beginner, but how does an extender work, other than the obvious. Do you have to remove it completely to switch between 70-200 and 140-400 or is the flick or a switch? If the former then does it offer any advantages over switching lenses other than reduced weight?

Basically how quick is it to switch between the extender and just the lens?
 
Extenders sit between the lens and body.
You remove the lens, fit the extender to lens or body (personal preference, I always fit to body) then fit the lens back on.
 
I am thinking the 100-400L makes the most sense after some research. With only one body I don't want to change lenses or fit extenders very frequently.
 
I think with the prices quote in the original post, buying is the way to go. Lens hire seems an expensive waste of money to me.

But I guess that would not be to everyone's choice.
 
The plus side of hiring is that you test drive a lens to help your choice of which lens to eventually buy.

I use a 70D with 70-200mm f4L IS and optional 1.4x Canon Extender making it 98-280mm. Wildlife is do-able on it if you can get close enough but you want the max reach you can get so I would recommend the 100-400mm - A good range.
 
The 100-400 looks to be less than ideal at both ends. Too short at the long end for anything at a reasonable distance and to long at the short end for anything close in.
 
digital said:
The 100-400 looks to be less than ideal at both ends. Too short at the long end for anything at a reasonable distance and to long at the short end for anything close in.
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I'll agree with the first bit, 100mm can sometimes be too short. That's why a second lens (24-105 in my case) preferably on a second body is a good idea on safari.

I'll strongly disagree with the second bit. Unless you're shooting birds (or other very small things) 400mm should be enough in most cases. If it's not long enough then (unless you're shooting portraits) you're going to be shooting at distances where atmospheric distortions start coming into play - and no extra length is gonna help then.
 
hollis_f said:
I'll agree with the first bit, 100mm can sometimes be too short. That's why a second lens (24-105 in my case) preferably on a second body is a good idea on safari.

I'll strongly disagree with the second bit. Unless you're shooting birds (or other very small things) 400mm should be enough in most cases. If it's not long enough then (unless you're shooting portraits) you're going to be shooting at distances where atmospheric distortions start coming into play - and no extra length is gonna help then.
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I'll strongly disagree with your strong disagreement. I've used long lenses to shoot wildlife on literally every continent and have never had problems with 'atmospheric distortions'. The only problems have occurred when I've lost the shot through the lens not being long enough.
 
So after some research I have found a company the can deliver to the lodge. It works out much cheaper than taking 28 day hire from the Uk.

1. Second body. I use a 70D, they have 60D/7D or 5D3 available. Would hiring a FF be silly with no practice before hand? Tempted to just get the 7D.

2. Two bodies gives me more freedom and I am considering hiring 2 lenses to go with my 18-135stm that I use for general travel. Thinking either a 70-200L and a 300 or 400 prime? Or the 100-400L and something else, any suggestion, what would you do?

Obviously if I go FF for one body then I have to remember the crop factor differences and not get 2 lenses with similar ranges.
 
As tempting as the full frame may be, don't forget about the crop factor. As you are shooting wildlife and using a 100-400 you would effectively be losing 240mm at the long end. I would be tempted to go for the 7D (same focus system as the 70D with a couple do extra features. Also how much time will you have to get used to the controls? May be worth going to a friendly shop and trying a couple of bodies. Although the focusing on the 5D3 is something else ;)

Edit: additional thought, what version of the 70-200L is it. Another option could be 7D, 70-200L, 400mm L and use a bit of the cash saved by not going for the 5D3 towards a 1.4x extender. That way you could have 70-200 f2.8, 105-280 f4, 400mm f5.6 and 580 f8(manual focus only)
 
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I can get the f2.8 70-200 Is. Good thought about the extender, it gives me quite a lot of flexibility.

I think I will stick with the 7d and not the 5D. Is the 7d much better than the 60D?
 
AndrewSt said:
I can get the f2.8 70-200 Is. Good thought about the extender, it gives me quite a lot of flexibility.

I think I will stick with the 7d and not the 5D. Is the 7d much better than the 60D?
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I can't comment on the 7d as I've never used one however I have a 60d which I use for wildlife and love it however, the only thing I would say is the 7d has more focus points, which are easier to select, (just got a 5D3 and love the joystick for changing focus points), expandable focus points (use a group rather than just 1) and better fps. All things that come in handy for wildlife :)
 
I've stayed out of this thread until now, because as the owner of LensesForHire I have an obvious interest and I didn't want that to cloud perceptions of what I was saying. I never want to "sell" the idea of lens hire if it's not right for the customer, and this situation with a 3-day safari in the middle of a 3-week trip is one of those awkward ones.

(You might be surprised how many times I've had people try to persuade me that, because they're only going on a short safari, they ought to be charged for 3 days hire rather than 3 weeks. Or perhaps you wouldn't.)

Anyway, the economics of long hires are clearly much more marginal and the option of buying new and then selling is, for some people, a viable alternative. (If you're not comfortable with the idea of selling second-hand gear then it's less attractive.) If I were trying to push the idea of hiring as opposed to doing that, I think I'd suggest the following issues:
  1. The price you end up paying via the buy/sell route can be hard to predict and may not end up cheaper. For example, looking at the Canon 100-400 (our most popular lens, by the way) the best price you can currently get it new is £1259 from Clifton Cameras. There are currently 142 of these listed as sold on eBay in the UK recently; the best price was £980 and the worst was £400. The median price was £800. So based on this, buying and selling one would cost at least £279 and more probably £350+.
  2. Insurance can be an issue if you buy/sell. If you've already got a specialist camera insurance policy then you can often get a new lens added relatively cheaply; but if not, things can be awkward. A lot of household and travel policies won't cover items that cost £1000+. Of course I'm not saying it can't be done, but it can be a hassle.
AndrewSt said:
So after some research I have found a company the can deliver to the lodge. It works out much cheaper than taking 28 day hire from the Uk.
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That's great news. Do you mind sharing their details with me? It could be the perfect solution for people like you, who might hire but can't justify the price of a long hire from the UK, and I certainly don't mind suggesting that to other people who have a similar dilemma.

AndrewSt said:
Would hiring a FF be silly with no practice before hand?
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Not because it's FF, no. Obviously the results you'll get with any given lens will be different than on a crop body, but it seems like you have a grip on that. However, the 5D Mk III is a pretty complex machine - the AF in particular is very sophisticated - and personally I wouldn't want to assume I could just pick one up and get the best out of it quickly.
AndrewSt said:
Two bodies gives me more freedom and I am considering hiring 2 lenses to go with my 18-135stm that I use for general travel. Thinking either a 70-200L and a 300 or 400 prime? Or the 100-400L and something else, any suggestion, what would you do?
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I really don't think you want to be mucking about with lenses too much. There's a danger it will take over your trip. If I were you I'd have the 100-400 on my camera for the wildlife (because I know my camera best so I can get the best out of it), and if I had a second body I'd have my 18-135 on that for general purpose photography. (So that's another crop body.) Two bodies that use the same cards and the same batteries is obviously desirable.

Hope that helps!
 
The company in South Africa are www.outdoorphoto.co.za

I think your suggestion for a second body (probably 7D) with my 18-135 STM and my 70D with a 100-400L makes a lot of sense.

It is either that or like above a 70-200 L 2.8 IS, my 18-135 STM and a 400L. I do think the first oprion makes the most sense.

I may even look into buying another lens anyway to complement my 18-135STM for general travel use, portraits and landscapes. For this I am thinking the 17-55 or 15-85 would be good options?
 
If you're going to hire in ZA then I'd think hard about my preferred setup.

I use a 300f2.8 on an APS-C, normally with a 1.4x TC attached and with a 2xTC in the bag. That gives me a 420mm f4 lens with excellent AF and IQ. Optionally it can become an astounding 300 f2.8 or a capable 600 f5.6. It's lighter than all the big zooms, but heavier than the 400 f5.6 or the 100-400 - but the improvement in IQ is well worth the extra weight (besides, who really notices in a safari vehicle.

On my 2nd body (also APS-C but FF may be better) I have a 70-200 f4 IS (f4 because it's light) for when stuff gets real close.

In the bag I have a 24-105 and a 10-22.
 
Cheapest way, is to buy used on here, then sell for what you paid. The For Sale forums here are very good, and 100-400L's come up quite often. Hold their value well too.
 
HoppyUK said:
Cheapest way, is to buy used on here, then sell for what you paid. The For Sale forums here are very good, and 100-400L's come up quite often. Hold their value well too.
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This is exactly what I did for a recent trip to Sri Lanka which was part of a 3 week holiday the saving compared to renting was massive. I'm now looking at doing the same again for an ultra wide angle to photograph the northern lights rental for a week is well over £100 all in and I'll never loose that buying and selling second hand and I should have the lens long enough to practice.

I would second what Stewart said about over complicating your safari with camera gear, remember to spend some time with your eyes away from the viewfinder enjoying what maybe a once in a lifetime experience.
 
OutdoorPhoto (ODP) is owned by Hedrus Van Der Merwe. He's also a professional wildlife photographer and a hell of a decent guy. I'd send him a mail, explain where you're going, and ask him about the best lens(es). You can trust him, or any of his staff to give you good advice, and they know the game reserves etc.
 
I may now be I a position to buy a 70-200 F4 IS used, something that I think would be worth keeping long term anyway.

This obviously gives me extra freedom with what I hire as the 70-200 will be good at closer FL and good image quality. So my second lens choice is probably either a 100-400 still or a 300 prime with a TC in my bag. Giving me 70-200, 300 and 420mm.

Good option?

The 200-400 would be great but not sure the hire company stock this.
 
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