llee_2003

I love your pictures. Thanks for sharing.

uhoh_busted

It's sure an encouragement to me to get a digital SLR with telephoto -- I've only got one of Canon's basic digitals and I was happy with my shots -- in fact for landscapes and wider range shots I liked them better than (my hubby)Steve's Nikon film camera (although his telephoto close-ups were tops). I'm such an instant gratification junkie that I don't think I'll ever use film again, myself.

divewop

uhoh-
We could probably start a whole other thread on camera equipment. I too am wanting to buy a digital SLR. Probably Nikon since that is my film SLR of choice and I've always been happy with it(and I have all the lens.)

I've been waiting on Kavey's return to see how her new D70 worked as I'm torn between that and the D100.
And I always take my little Nikon 5700 digital point & shoot along w/ our video camera. (And the husband who helps carry it all!)

My little digital point & shoot got me some fantastic leopard and cheetah photos so as long as you're close enough to the subject, it works great.
But I am ready to get the digital SLR now so I can use my telephoto lens.

aussiebeg

Could you please send the address to [email protected] Sorry but cannot get them up. Thanks for the wonderful trip report. O'Africa so large and far away. At least this africa/fodors site keeps the juices going between trips.

ila

Ruthie-
Was the camera you took on the Botswana trip the same one you took on the Tanzania trip? Somehow the pictures seem different. Was it the green of Botswana or perhaps you used a different camera on the earlier trip? Also I would be interested in how you booked that wonderful Tanzania trip? Can one routinely book this personal type safari as you did, or was it a coincidence due to the fact that you met the fellow at the trade show? Whatever, that trip is intriguing to me. More please on the details. Also since you stayed at the CC camps in Botswana, would the camp in Ruaha be on that same level, or would you have preferred the CC camp there or do I have Ruaha and Selous mixed up? Thanks. ila

Clematis

Divewop, thanks. I also have the Nikon 5700 and have shot digital video. I do know about these tricks but others may not. I was particularly interested in what RuthieC's hubby did because birds are a special problem. You can't always rest your lens on a bean bag because you have to aim it high into a tree. I suspect the stabilizer feature on that long lens was a big part of it. What I would like is a motor drive on a digital camera as fast as a regular SLR motor drive. But anyway, the real key is that Ruthie's hubby has a great eye.

RuthieC

Ila,

The photos for Tanzania were a mix - some were taken with my husband's previous digital camera (Minolta Dimage something) and some were my APS camera scanned in.

In terms of the very personal safari we experienced, I think this could be booked through any good local tour operator. However it really helped us that we met Stuart from Pulse Africa and were able to talk to him about the sort of thing we were looking for.

In addition I think we really lucked out because our arrival in Tanzania co-incided with Geoff Fox's arrival (father of the family running all the places we stayed). He sort of took us under his wing and because they had so few other guests we got some really special treatment.

The Ruaha River Lodge is probably about half a notch down from the CCAfrica lodges. The accomodation isn't quite so spacious or luxurious. The camp staff were lovely, but aren't encouraged as much as CCAfrica staff are to mix with guests (I'm not saying they are discouraged, just that it's so obviously more a part of th CCA philosophy). However the quality of the guiding we had was the best ever. You go out with two people, but the expert guide doesn't do the driving. So he is continually looking around and talking to you at the same time. This, I think is even better than the CCAfrica approach, where the expert guide is also worrying about the driving. In addition our guide in Tanzania, Esau, was a bit older and a lot more experienced than any of the ones we met in Botswana.

(........ does it show that I'm a little biased towards Tanzania?)

divewop

Clematis,
I hate that delay on my 5700. It drives me up the wall. The only time I use it is when I know the subject will be stationary. And then sometimes the subject will still move. That's why I'm ready to get a digital SLR.

Birds are particularly difficult to shoot 'cause once you get close enough and get the lens ready they either fly off the branch or those already in flight are too far off to shoot.

I've got the Nikon 80-400 lens w/ the vibration stabilizer and from my experience it really helps, especially when the shutter speed is at 1/60 of a second or less(which is when you should use support.)

Having an "eye" for shots is a whole other story. But that too, can improve w/ practice.

sundowner

divewop - I have the Nikon 5700 also and the shutter delay is horrible. But the pictures are great when you get one. You'll love the digital SLR compared to the 5700.

RuthieC - your (and hubby) pictures are awesome! You got so many great birds. And the lions - incredible.

When I was in SA, the guide really wanted to show me the Ground Hornbill. The camp had a breeding program there. Anyway, there was a fire while I was there and those birds were not to be found so I didn't get to see them. You sure did!

RuthieC

You will know me as Ruth?s hubby, but my real name is Phil. Ruth has asked me to write a few lines on our Botswana photos. Firstly I have to say that I am very critical of my own work, so it was really amazing (and flattering) to read the compliments from several of you. As Ruth pointed out, most of the shots were taken using a Canon EF-75-300mm f4-5.6is lens with image stabiliser. I find that this works very well for me and so I have not bothered to buy a tripod. Driving on rough terrain in open top vehicles gives you very little opportunity to set up and use a tripod, although I may in future invest in a bean bag to support the lens!
It is great to hear that people like to see the scenery shots, as well as the animals. This is to me a very important side to our holiday photos, since I have a pretty bad memory and I would not like to have to rely on it to recall some of the wonderful places we have been. When I am shooting scenery I generally switch to the Canon EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6.
There you have it, my entire collection of lenses (2). If only some enterprising nature magazine would invite me to work freelance for them at a fantastic salary I may even buy a bigger telephoto zoom and something to shoot ultra close-ups!
Once again, thanks for the kind words.

girlpolo33

Ruthie, if you have a moment, I would love to be invited to see your photos. My e-mail is: [email protected]

Thanks! Nancy

mv24

Incredible photos - what a great experience.
We are off to Sandibe and Nxabega in a couple of weeks - wondering - were you not able to see any leopards??
And also were there bats in your rooms?
Thanks again for sharing.

RuthieC

MV24

We kept missing the leopards - people saw them just before we got there & just after we left. That's life on safari - it's a mix of the skill of the tracker and the luck of being in the right place at the right time. At Sandibe and Nxabega I didn't have any doubts about the guides' skills, we were just plain unlucky.

Don't worry about bats, the photo was misleading. The bats are in the main lounge area at Sandibe, high up in the roof. However our guide at Sandibe was named Bats so it was a little confusing when I shouted "look, bats" as I did on one night drive, much to the laughter of our fellow passengers.

Anyway, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time whether or not you see leopard, the people at those two camps are really special.

Clematis

I love Africa, if you're going to invite me to the bush, what is your name?