Must haves to take on a Safari?

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EddyP82

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Evening all,

Next Saturday we're going on a safari in Tanzania for our honeymoon, I plan to get some pics where I'm there so think I have all the gear (but no idea).
I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything that you might think essential.

So I'm taking:
Canon 80d
Mk1 100 - 400 L series
1.4x L series
Canon 550d
18 - 200
10 - 18
Lots of batteries, lots of memory cards.
Macbook to take a back up of the SD cards each evening
Rocket blower for clearing dust
Lens cloth
Large bean bag that can hook over the side of something like a Land Rover

Any recommendations for other things to make life easier?
 
That's a good kit list for safari. I was about to say there's no point using the TC as you won't get AF but it turns out the 80d can focus at f/8, that's pretty cool.

Anyway to make your life easier I'd say get a decent guide and go in a big car, the more open the better. Have a great time!
 
EddyP82 said:
Macbook to take a back up of the SD cards each evening
Click to expand...

I would suggest an external backup drive for the MacBook (unless you can guarantee Internet connectivity and you have some kind of cloud backup).

Store the drive in a separate location if possible.
 
To what extent is your new wife or wife-to-be a keen photographer? Since it's your honeymoon, I think your kit list should include a plan for how you'll show her that she's more important to you than the photography.

And before you go, check and double check your carry-on baggage allowance. Airlines vary enormously in what they allow, and some otherwise decent airlines are surprisingly stingy.
 
StewartR said:
To what extent is your new wife or wife-to-be a keen photographer? Since it's your honeymoon, I think your kit list should include a plan for how you'll show her that she's more important to you than the photography.

And before you go, check and double check your carry-on baggage allowance. Airlines vary enormously in what they allow, and some otherwise decent airlines are surprisingly stingy.
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AND how many batteries you can carry, cabin or hold luggage, how I.e. only in equipment?, etc.

Also, how about a monopod?
 
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lightweight tripod, maybe a Gitzo 1 series is really useful, especially in the evening light

- when you are sitting on the balcony having a romantic drink with your new wife?

I usually have one of those rechargeable battery things - a bit like a small external HD that you charge up and it will then charge for example a MBP twice, or other stuff quite a lot of times - e.g. a mobile phone maybe 5 or 10 times
 
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That's a lot of kit, why two bodies? I'd just take the 80d, 100-400 and 18-200 (for general and landscapes).

As per Stuart's post, remember it's your honeymoon, best not to start off on the wrong foot [emoji38]
 
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StewartR said:
To what extent is your new wife or wife-to-be a keen photographer? Since it's your honeymoon, I think your kit list should include a plan for how you'll show her that she's more important to you than the photography.

And before you go, check and double check your carry-on baggage allowance. Airlines vary enormously in what they allow, and some otherwise decent airlines are surprisingly stingy.
Click to expand...

I agree, and some safari operators use light aircraft to reach the camps.
 
odd jim said:
That's a lot of kit, why two bodies? I'd just take the 80d, 100-400 and 18-200 (for general and landscapes).

As per Stuart's post, remember it's your honeymoon, best not to start off on the wrong foot [emoji38]
Click to expand...

Taking two bodies avoids changing lenses in the field, and reduces exposure to dust. It also gives you a back up if a body is damaged/fails on a 'once in a lifetime' trip, and lets your spouse/partner shoot if they want to. On the other hand, I managed to irritate the hell out of my wife by spending too much time fussing with a camera on various trips years ago, so I know exactly what you mean...:D
 
Lightweight clothing, wet wipes, plenty of water, it's worth thinking about getting a camelpack. Only put water in it otherwise it's a pain to clean.
Get a decent hat like a Tilly, available in all good stores. http://www.tilley.com/uk_en/
A decent set of sunglasses that don't fall off easily.

Secondly, after all that is cameras. Travel light, there's nothing worse than being in a landrover with someone with a huge backpack constantly fiddling and needing all the room (plus it must be a pain to carry). Don't bother with the macbook, just change SD cards every couple of days. They are reliable these days if you buy reputable brands.
One camera body, long lens on it all the time, probably, with a walkabout lens for closeups. A couple of batteries and charger.

But enjoys it, don't view everything through the viewfinder searching constantly for that killer photo. It's a holiday/honeymoon, take photos as reminders of the occaision.
 
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Thanks for the replies guys, I do have a lightweight travel tripod that converts to a mono pod too, so will add that in.

I'll also balance the photography and keeping the wife happy, don't worry :)

I'm ok with the carry on allowance have checked that already, and we don't have any light aircraft trips so that will be fine too.

We've got a private tour so have all of the vehicle to our disposal which should make life easier hopefully.
 
another thing to balance is for photographic purposes you are better sitting next to the driver (as low as u can get in the vehicle). while you can technically see less the closer the eye line of the animals the more compelling the photos tend to be.
 
An alarm clock for the 3am starts,

Plenty of smaler change too, don't be like me giving the porter a weeks wages for carry my bag, the next morning you'll have every porter from a 20 mile radius wanting to carry them for you
 
Gyles said:
Don't forget some lion repellant.
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You don't need lion repellent. Just make sure that you can run faster than the slowest person present. ;)

On a serious note, I trained as a ranger guide when living in RSA and would say everything has been pretty much covered. Just make sure you take plenty of water and listen to everything the guide tells you to do and don't panic if the wildlife starts getting too close (Once, I hadn't checked my surroundings properly when I got out of the land cruiser and ended up with a lioness sniffing at my legs; I hadn't seen her laying under a shady tree). Above all else, don't let photography distract you from the amazing experience you're going to have; even on the quiet days where the animals seem to be hiding, the guide should be able to tell you a lot about the flora which I found to be a lot more interesting than I had ever imagined.
 
EddyP82 said:
Evening all,

Next Saturday we're going on a safari in Tanzania for our honeymoon, I plan to get some pics where I'm there so think I have all the gear (but no idea).
I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything that you might think essential.

So I'm taking:
Canon 80d
Mk1 100 - 400 L series
1.4x L series
Canon 550d
18 - 200
10 - 18
Lots of batteries, lots of memory cards.
Macbook to take a back up of the SD cards each evening
Rocket blower for clearing dust
Lens cloth
Large bean bag that can hook over the side of something like a Land Rover

Any recommendations for other things to make life easier?
Click to expand...


Take a pillow case or two. They make excellent covers / case for the cameras when you're out in a dusty bush and driving from one location to another
 
Take a beanbag. Useful for steadying the camera/lens when shooting from a vehicle.
 
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