New equipment recommendations for safari

[yaaan]

Hi all,

A newbie here after some advice. I'm off to Uganda later in the year to see the gorillas as well as some general safariing. I'm currently using a Canon 450D and my big lens is a Tamron 70-300mm f4/5.6 which I picked up for a fairly bargain price a year or so back.

Having had a read of some of the threads here the general consensus seems to be that something in the region of 100-400mm would be a good lens to take so I am considering purchasing one of these. However several threads seem to recommend a better body rather than a better lens and as such I'm not sure of the best course of action. I sometimes find myself disappointed with the image quality of my photos as they're not always as sharp as I would like them to be. I suspect that some of this may be my photographic ability but also believe some of it is a result of a cheap lens with a fairly cheap body.

Obviously I don't want to spend money unnecessarily and am aware that good equipment isn't a replacement for good skills but I would like to equip myself suitably so that I stand a good chance of getting some decent images. On that basis what would peoples' recommendations be regarding lenses and bodies? I've looked at the Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM which seems to be pretty reasonable but I'm not sure what body to get (if it's necessary). I'm not able to spend thousands and am happy to buy second hand. Is the 50D worth looking at?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Ian

 

[Deckard]

Welcome Ian.

I don't think I'd necessarily upgrade your body [I had a 450D for a couple of years], the 450D is pretty capable and will still shine with good glass. The 50D has superior AF and build, but IMHO you'd get better results putting that money into glass. I shot an airshow with a friend's 100-400 on my 450D and it worked out very well.

Another option may be renting for your holiday if you can get an agreeable lender.

 

[hollis_f]

When I went to Rwanda to see the Mountain Gorillas I used a 100-400 and got some decent stuff. However, I was very lucky in that the Gorillas were out in the open and the weather was quite bright. Just had a check and 80% of my shots were between 100 and 200 mm. If I were to go again I'd probably take a 70-200 f2.8 for the extra two stops that provides.

However, the reason I had the 100-400 was because we'd spent a week in Kenya beforehand and that was the perfect lens for safari (well, perfect without spending loads of money).

You can see my Kenya and Rwanda shots here.

 

[yaaan]

Thanks for the replies. I think maybe I'll pick up the Sigma 120-400 (or is it worth holding out for the Canon 100-400?) and see how that goes before I head off to Uganda.

@hollis_f: Those are some great shots of the gorillas! I'm looking forward to getting some of my own

Thanks
Ian