DSLR Camera
This comes down to your style of photography and, perhaps more importantly, your budget.
If your budget can cover it, it’s worth having two camera bodies as changing lens on safari is a massive “no no.” There are two reasons for this: most importantly, it’s a sure fire way to get dust on your camera’s sensor, but with the speed things can happen on safari you also don’t want to miss a shot because you were busy changing lens.
If you’re on a once in a lifetime trip, it’s worth having the camera kit to properly capture it.
A small, budget compact digital camera with a 3x zoom lens (approximately equivalent to a 35-105mm lens on a 35mm camera) won’t do for wildlife photography as the zoom is simply not great enough, but, it is great as a back-up or to keep on your person if you are walking around in the city before your trip.
Zoom Lenses and Wide Angle Lenses
Most SLR's come with a standard lens. Most of these are good for everyday use. For wildlife photography you might want to invest in a lens with an f stop of 4 through to f 2.8 or a 100-400 f5.6.
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Most of the animals you will encounter will be pretty close up, so having a couple of multi purpose lenses might be a better option.
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A 17mm - 55mm f2.8 wide angle lens is good for scenery and people shots.
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A 70mm - 210mm or a 70 - 300mm telephoto would be the 2nd choice, and if you can afford it those with an f2.8 range would be ideal.
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There is no need to buy really huge tele-photo lenses as they are cumbersome and get in the way of your safari experience, unless you are an avid bird photographer, then you would benefit from a 500mm lens.
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Binoculars
​Binoculars are strongly recommended for every trip member. They are invaluable for observing larger animals as well as birds.
A 7 or 8 power binocular works well for most people, but if you are particularly interested in birds a 10 power is best.
We recommend that each trip participant bring his or her own pair, as it is most frustrating to strain for the sight of a brightly coloured bird high in the tree, while waiting to borrow a pair of 'Binos', only to have the bird fly away once you finally get your hands on them.
Filters and Accessories
Skylight and haze filters are useful for lens protection as well as picture enhancement. Polarizing filters are useful when taking pictures over water and with wide-angle shots with sky and clouds.
Tripods are cumbersome and you will have few opportunities to use them, but if they are light-weight you may want to bring them along, especially if you are planning on waiting awhile for the perfect shot - the more stable your camera is, the better.
A small beanbag is very handy for resting your camera and lens on the roof of vehicles. We suggest that you make the bag at home (approx. 6'x 9') and fill it with beans purchased at a local market (to save weight)
Bring plenty of spare batteries for your camera. If your camera battery comes with a charger, bring it as many lodges will have charging points. If you are relying on disposable batteries, please note that they will be hard to find in Africa, and you should bring extra. It is very handy if all your equipment uses the same size batteries, so that if you run short, you can borrow batteries from your other equipment
The Final thought, Weight, just remember, having all this amazing equipment is great, but it does weigh quite a bit as well. So take that into account, you don't want to be carrying anything up to 10kgs + of heavy camera equipment and then discovering you did not really need it at all.
It is a very fine balancing act to achieve, and if you are in any doubt, then speak to one of our team and we can advise what type of animal environment you will be in. That way you can pack accordingly.