Africa Safari Photography Question
 

Hey there,
I will be spending 6 weeks in Tanzania, Africa where I will be shooting with a Canon 40D. However, as this will be my first time in the country, I am curious as to what equipment I should bring? I will be going on safaris and living in villages. As a result, I know I will be exposed to much dust and dirt. What do you suggest I bring to clean my camera? How do I avoid bringing over a tripod when I will want long shutter speed shots for sunsets? Should I bring over a special type of filter, or will the basic UV protect my lens enough? I'll be shooting with a 70-300mm and a wide angle. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hey there, sounds great, Tanzania 6 weeks. Can you tell us a little about your itinerary?

regards - tom

*bookmarking* for myself.

I'm always looking for photography tips.

Wow, 6 weeks!? Sounds like my first trip to Tanzania and Kenya 7 years ago. The rest is history, as they say!

As far as cleaning goes, you will need to educate yourself on how to clean your sensor prior to your departure. Visible Dust sells many different products, and all are expensive. I use an Arctic Butterfly to clean my sensor on a daily basis, and then I use a wet solution when there is dust that cannot be picked up by the Arctic Butterfly. This usually happens every 2 or more days.

Have you thought about a backup camera? Whether a point and shoot or another Canon DSLR, this is not a bad thing to think about. With all of the time and money you are putting into your trip, a backup camera can be a great thing.

You can shoot everything you need from a beanbag, and I recommend the Kinesis Safari Sack. You can buy one empty, but maybe a good idea is to buy one with buckwheat already stuffed inside. It doesn't weigh much, but yields a great shooting platform.

Regarding filters, I always prefer to not use one for wildlife. I just pay close attention to my equipment, and wipe off the dust when it starts to get more dirty than I am comfortable with. A UV filter isn't a bad idea, though, and isn't an expensive insurance policy.

How are you going to download / backup your images? Something to think about, as you will need to have your images on 2 different devices in case of failure. Something like a laptop computer and an external hard drive would be my first recommendation. That way you can see your images when you have the time, and make corrections based on the feedback you see on the screen.

Have a great time!!

I agree with Andy's comments regarding filters and bean bags. Often you'll find yourself shooting in low light conditions (around dusk and dawn) and the bean bag's ability to stabilize the camera/lens will increase your chances of a good shot. Some argue that the bean bag weighs too much given weight restrictions on flights. Personally, I'd leave an article or two of clothes behind and make sure the bean bag comes.

BTW, I've shot with the original 75-300 IS lens (from what I've read the 70-300 is an improvement) and was pretty happy with the results.

Andy, wondering if you could help with 2 matters. First, I've recently been using a Canon 100-400, which is push-pull and perhaps therefore more prone to dust problems. Given the dusty conditions in Namibia, do you have any suggestions on protecting the lens body? Also, I recently noticed lots of dust spots on my Canon 40D's sensor. I used a Hurricane blower with no luck, so I was interested in your comments about the Arctic Butterfly. Is there a particular kit you recommend? I've been hesitant to touch the sensor, fearing I'll do more harm than good.
Thanks, Steve

Just a heads up. Expect the need to pay people for their photographs

Steve, I wouldn't worry too much about the push/pull aspect of the 100-400mm. You can worry about it to death, or you can go out to take photos. I haven't found that the 100-400mm is any worse than any other lens when it comes to dust on the sensor. I haven't found that blowers are effective at removing dust from a sensor, so I would just go grab an Arctic Butterfly and go from there. I am not up to speed on what packages they have, but if they have something that combines both the Arctic Butterfly and their swabs with the cleaning solution that is what I would go for. I love their sensor scope product that allows you to see the specs of dust without getting out a headlamp.

Thanks, Andy. I'll look into the AB further. Steve

The VisibleDust sensor loupe works very good to see sensor condition. For sensor cleaning supplies I like Copper Hill Images, http://www.copperhillimages.com/ , they are not ridiculously expensive like others. I do not use filters on the lens. But if you know you're going to shoot in a sand storm then do use a filter. Some people like a small pillow case for the camera/gear when in dusty traveling conditions.

Do take a second camera. Back-up your photos so you have two copies. A hand full of cards (don't erase) and a small hard-drive back-up works. Don't know about the village thing you're doing so how often can you charge camera batteries and how. Tanzania I believe has special electrical outlets

And, can you tell us a little (or a lot) about your itinerary?

regards - tom

Let me chime in on this subject, mainly to agree with Andy on everything (as usual).
First off, I don't use filters for wildlife either, and indeed my experience suggests that UV filters that people commonly use to "protect" their lenses are of very little use in protecting the lens and noticeably degrade image quality, both in terms of sharpness, contrast and the quality of the background blur. So just leave the lens hood on and skip the filter.
I also use an Arctic Buterfly for sensor cleaning. It is a wonderful tool and I never go anywhere without it. The one thing to be careful of is not touching the other parts inside the camera with it, because you can pick up grease or oil and then smear that across your sensor, which in turn then necessitates a wet-cleaning (I use the Visible Dust VDust and Sensor Clean Products and te Green Sensor Swabs for this). You should not worry about damaging your sensor by cleaning it with an Arctic Butterfly or other specialized sensor-cleaning gear, as in effect you are really just cleaning the low-pass filter on top of the lens, which is just a a piece of glass. I think people get too concerned about cleaning their sensors and I really don't think it's that big of a deal. I have cleaned the sensors on my cameras numerous time without ever doing anything worse than getting a little smear on the sensor, which then came off with a wet cleaning (lesson learned about not touching the inside of the camera!).
I use the 100-400 lens extensively. I do believe it gets slightly more dust on the sensor than other lenses I use, but it is such a versatile lens, I still use it all the time regardless of any dust problem. I can photoshop dust spots off an image, but I can't recapture something I missed because I was afraid to use my camera or had the wrong focal length on! So I do not believe this is a reason not to use a 100-400 on safari, and my wife is going to use our 100-400 extensively on the trip we are taking in 3 weeks.
Image storage is a huge consideration. My wife and I took 300GB of pictures on our last trip. We used two Hyperdrive units to make a double back-up of every image we take, so we have two copies of everything in case of a hard drive problem (which has never occurred, knock on wood). We prefer Hyperdrives to carrying a laptop because they are smaller and lighter. You can get them in capacities up to 500GB, I think.
I would not go to Tanzania with only 300mm in terms of focal length. If it is possible to rent or buy a 100-400 or even something longer, I would suggest doing so. I once read an article on Luminous Landscape that started off by saying "there are two kinds of lenses you take to Africa: long and longer." For the trip we are taking in 3 weeks, my wife will be using a 100-400 and I am taking my 500/4 and planning to use it with a teleconverter a lot of the time.
The final piece of equipment I cannot live without is an external flash (I use a 580EXII) and Better Beamer. This is such an important tool for wildlife photography, I have no idea what I did without it. You cannot always use it, of course, but there are times when it makes an impossible shot possible.
Finally, I would not bring a tripod. To take a landscape shot, you will generally be using a wide-angle lens, so why not just use one with image stabiization? I use a 24-105 for this sort of thing, and I can get handheld shots with it down into the 1/10 or so range. The only time you really need a slower shutter speed than that would be to blur moving water or get stars in the sky, or to take a series of bracketed exposures to later use in creating an HDR composite. Unless you need a tripod for something like that, it seems like an unnecessary item to bring on a safari, especially given the weight limit on some of the internal flights in Tanzania.
Have a great time on your trip, and good luck with the photography aspect of it!
Chris

Also, be particularly careful not to handle your camera equipment if you have any sunscreen lotion or insect repellant (with deet) on your hands. I learned the hard way- I just threw away three (film) camera bodies because they were disintegrating (melting) after my last safari. Don’t cry for me… I just purchased the Sony Alpha 900 (thanks Andy for the recommendation) and I love entering the digital world. (Andy, as aside, I shot 300 pics at the park –mostly moving animals, cars or people – and only three were out of focus. Not bad since I had not even read the user manual and basically just did a point and shoot on the autofocus. Will get an Alpha700 for the backup camera. Thanks again for your input, the Sonly A900 is compatible with all my lenses 28 – 600mm AND its digital…WOW)
If you think the temperature will swing daily (50’s at night and 80 by day) you might want to invest in some desiccants (but NOT the blue silica type) which will help prevent condensation from forming inside a housing.
Just my two cents-

Good info here. I'd appreciate any thoughts on the question below.

I've never schlepped along a tripod on safari, but my next stop will be Namibia (self drive). Do you all have the same recommendations for this country or would shooting in places like Etosha and the Namib greatly benefit from use of the tripod?

Ooh, congrats on your A900 camera. I just got back from Namibia and Sony loaned me a pair of them, along with some excellent lenses. I was pretty impressed, actually.

For Namibia, I always recommend a tripod for those moments when the light is fleeting and you want the absolute sharpest images possible. It all depends on what you deem as more important: sharp images or not having to deal with a tripod.

Khakif: you mentioned Andy's recommendation on Sony a900. May I ask if there is a thread in Fodors where I can read about? We have the a100 and are now trying to decide which body to buy next for the upcoming safari in august... We are only hobby photographers and are mainly using the Sigma 100 - 300mm F4 in combination with a 2,0 converter (I am still dreaming of buying a 500mm F 4,5, but it is so terrible expensive:-((.
We had lots of problems with the a100 - I am sure that there is something wrong with the body because the autofocus of the lenses always breaks down after a few month of normal use. We already sent it back to Sony twice but they keep on telling us that there is nothing wrong with the body. Not haveing a second body yet, we feel forced to buy a new one...
Thanks for help!

Steffid, we chatted on the phone a while back about camera equipment. We both live in Houston, and I don't think there is a thread on Fodor's about the Sony camera system. Sony recently loaned me a pair of A900 cameras with some lenses for my Namibia trip. I was impressed with their offering, but don't have any experience other than with the A900 camera. I hope this helps!

thank you, Andy!

Steffid, my dilemma was that I had a small fortune invested in quality lenses for the Minolta7000i autofocus camera and it was a matter of possibly investing in a Nikon/Cannon(and ALL new lenses)or just waiting it out until Sony launched a high-end camera compatible with my existing lens collection. My DH has a Nikon D80; was impressed enough with the A900 to make the switch also.

Whatever your camera choice just get in a little practice before you go and you’ll capture great memories. Not all your shots may qualify for the cover of NG, but they will be priceless to you.

Hey all! Thanks for the help!

Regarding storage, I have just bought a some extra cards. I think that I should also get a hyperdrive thought because I don't think 70G of memory (the total amount I have in cards) will be enough by any means for 6 weeks in Tanzania. Do all hyperdrives support RAW? And how trustworthy are they because I don't really have enough money to buy two of them?

Regarding my itinerary, I will be spending my first 3 weeks working in 3 different hospitals in Tanzania. I will spend 1 week at each of the following: the Arumeru District Hospital, the Kibaoni Village Dispensary, and the Yullansoni Clinic in the rural Yullansoni Valley.

After my 3 weeks in hospitals, I will be traveling around for 3 more weeks. Any recommendations on what to do while I am there will be greatly appreciated. For one week, I am planning on living with the Massai and for another week I am planning on being in the Serengeti. However, I am unsure of what to do for my last week and all I have come up with is climbing Kilimajaro which doesn't peak my interest too much. Again, any advice on what to do will be appreciated.

Lastly, what size bean bag are you guys talking about? Or is there a certain brand you recommend or a website that has them for sale? Thanks again!

Andy or Chris, when do you use your external flashes on safari? I'm going on a 3 week safari and tour of Africa (Cairo all the way down to Cape Town) in August / September and have rented a 100-400 IS lens to go with my 28-135 IS lens. I have a beanbag to take but hadn't even considered taking an external flash. Do you definitely agree that its worth the weight and hassle of another piece of equipment.

I only use flash for cultural shooting, birds and the occasional dusk mammal shot. My images just don't work most of the time when I introduce artificial light into the scene, as I am trying to mostly shoot black and white animals-in-the-landscape kinds of images right now.