White Lenses in Africa [Archive] - Canon Digital Photography Forums

Az2Africa

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 19:17

Hi Sharkey
I lived in Kenya from 1997-2002 running my own Overland Safari business(until 9-11 killed tourism and I was forced to return to the USA for work).I also plan to return later this year to try out new gear. I am taking a 20D, 70-200 2.8L IS and a Canon 100-400 plus a 1.4 teleconverter. The fact is, whether you are at Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara or Serengeti, the driver/guides know where all the animals are and you are usually shooting anywere from 5 feet to 50 yards. Occasionally you may see a Cheeta in the distance and need more glass. But the ones I mentioned will do you very well. Be sure to take something wider as well for the incredible scenery.And plenty of batteries.I am taking 6- 511s and 40- 2300amh AA's.I am going to get a Land Rover from a friend and self drive, but if you are interested in some recommendations give ma shout. If enough forum members are interested we could put together quite a trip at a very good price.
Cheers,
Terry

FlyingPete

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 19:17

You need these:
http://www.lowden.net.nz/Stuff/JRFCover.jpg

sharky

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 19:39

You know, the idea of doing a photo specific tour was something I was considering, but the prices tended to be pretty astronomical. I wonder how many others around here would be interested?

TammieO

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 19:51

My hubby and are have talked about going on a photo safari, but probably not until we get better with our gear.

Az2Africa

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 19:58

Most people spend far too much. Agood 10 day Safari covering the spots I mentioned and a few more runs $1.900-2,000US If 10-12 jion, it goes down to about $1600US. Airfare from Phoenix is going to run around $1,200US on UKAir.The Safari costs include food, lodging, tansportation and park fees. It's not a luxury trip, but very nicely done.And you get to see everything the rich pay $10,000 for.One advantage with a forum group would be a chance to learn from eachother and look at or try other gear.

MDJAK

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 20:30

One thing right off the bat: the 1.4 does not work with the 70-300 DO IS.

That said, while it is certainly an intriguing adventure, in today's world, unfortunately, just doesn't seem a safe bet to me. Keep in mind also that you are required to get multiple vaccines which cost close to $300 per person and are NOT covered by insurance. Personally, I like the Bronx Zoo.

ssim

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 20:31

I would most definitely be interested in a trip like this. I was at a charity auction last fall and there was a safari trip for two up for bids. I wasn't sure what exactly it was worth and went as far as I could. It was down to me and another lady and she won.

Of course maybe I should be checking my lottery tickets and then it wouldn't matter:confused:

sharky

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 20:48

Sounds like there's a bit of interest here. On the safety aspect, I know that some parts may be considered a bit risky, but many of us live in cities that are at least as dangerous. From my perspective, it's just a matter of knowing the risks and doing what you can to minimise them.

A few years ago I travelled to Egypt and heard news of a major terrorist attack the day before I was supposed to fly into Cairo. I weighed my options and decided to go ahead with the trip, and was rewarded with the most amazing trip of my life, complete with photos of the Valley of the Kings with absolutely NO tourists in there!

ducdubbq

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 21:22

remember that the camera you have worth probably 5x what most of these people make in a year. if your worried about stuff being stolen, then plunk down some change on a FD system and some long glass.

plus get insurance, travel insurance or property insurance to be sure its covered should it be stolen.

i like the zoo myself and when i go to europe i bring a rangefinder and 2 lenses and some bulk loaded film. nothing that looks too much. still, a tourist is a tourist and everyone knows who you are.

FlyingPete

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 21:26

i like the zoo myself and when i go to europe i bring a rangefinder and 2 lenses and some bulk loaded film. nothing that looks too much. still, a tourist is a tourist and everyone knows who you are.

I find that a good place to practice wildlife photography, I live off my 75-300IS out there, longer (or clearer) would be better though.

Az2Africa

1st of May 2005 (Sun), 22:17

I never felt unsafe in Nairobi (Mombasa is another thing) while living there. I am sure there are parts in any city that you would not walk around in with all your gear.Safaris have been taking place in east Africa for decades and have a very good safety record. There was one incident in Uganda in 1998, when some rich and unguarded tourists were killed. but I never went there without hiring a couple of Army guards from nearby. But the places I am talking about are Niarobi, Lake Naivasha, including Joy Adamsons house, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Oldovai Gorge and Serengeti are well travelled and very safe.We travellers have a saying "If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!"
Terry

robertwgross

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 00:36

Nairobi has a pretty rough reputation, but it is the major international airport in that region. When I went to Kenya, we flew to Nairobi, but then left town immediately on a charter flight to a safari camp. I don't think the average Westerner wants to walk down the streets of Nairobi with an obvious camera case hanging on his shoulder.

When I was there in 2000, the longest focal length combination I had went to 400mm or so, and it was almost long enough for most stuff. It would have been a lot better, though, to have longer glass. Also, having some major zoom range would be very handy. One minute you are rolling along in a vehicle, and then suddenly some distant animal is spotted. The vehicle stops. What are you going to do, start changing lenses? No, especially not with dust and stuff flying around. Being able to zoom from a giraffe at 100 feet to a kudu at 300 feet is important to me.

When I was there, we went for a game drive every morning, and we looked for the animals. Then for every afternoon, we went for a walk and let the animals look for us!

---Bob Gross---

condyk

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 04:59

My main concern is that a big white lens like that is a "steal me" beacon, so I'm thinking I might be better off selling the 70-200 and getting the much more discreet 70-300DO.

I'd love to hear the views of the people here, especially those who have travelled to similar areas.

My experience of living in Africa for a decent amount of time is that the equipment isn't what's vulnerable, it's most often the individual that attracts attention, i.e. if you look and act like a soft touch, which I'm sure you won't, then you are much, much more likely to attract problems. You may also just be in the wrong place at the wrong time ... that's just bad luck, butn you can minimise the risk even then. The same applies anywhere, not just Africa of course.

You must be street wise, do some real research into potential dangers and scams, take care each moment, stay aware, and treat people with respect. On this latter point, parts of Africa (of course, made up of many cultures and countries!!) generally has a totally different way of operating: it can be painfully slow to get things done, African time (people can just turn up when they're ready not according to the clock or a prior arrangement!) can be irritating to those used to punctuality, the different diets and foods, etc. I remember the girlfriend of one of my best friends getting very angry that there were no vegetarian options in a tiny little village cafe! Crazy and very insensitive to the culture (boy, was that a hellish trip at times!!!)

I have seen SO MANY tourists acting like buffoons, as if the other side of the world should be just like home. Forget it, go with the flow and if you don't have patience and cultural sensitive then stick to Disneyland :lol: :lol: Such behaviour also attracts lots of attention and you can become a target. I'm sure you'll love your trip tho'.

You are most generally vulnerable in cities or towns (though you can also be hijacked out of town) and there you maybe don't want a big lens anyway. There is plenty of advice on the Internet about personal safety in Africa, as that's the bigger issue, rather than being worried about taking white or black lenses.

Over 18 months of living in Southern Africa I very rarely felt threatened, though there is a backdrop each and every moment of needing to take basic good care and staying aware of what's happening round you. I have felt more threatened living in London at times!

As to lenses: a nice wide like the 17-40mm, a nice small walk around town/people lens like basic 50mm II or something, and a 400mm minimum reach zoom like the 50-500mm Bigma, 100-400mm IS or 80-400mm OS (IS/OS is good!) I'd take the latter with an extension.

Good lens/safari thread here:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/218009

You may need to register to view, but I can't remember now!

neil_r

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 05:12

I lived in S Africa for a while (Pietermaritzburg) I felt no more vulnerable there than I have in any other country, everyone had stories of when they had been burgled (and we were too on Christmas Day!) but that is common throughout the world.

I must confess I find the thought of lens apartite quite funny. :D

N

tommykjensen

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 05:31

I am going to get a Land Rover from a friend and self drive, but if you are interested in some recommendations give ma shout. If enough forum members are interested we could put together quite a trip at a very good price.
Cheers,
Terry

A safari trip to Africa is on my wishlist and I hope I can go in 2 years time.

I am interested in any recommendations You might have.

Longwatcher

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 07:28

I would love a trip to Africa and Kenya has always been on my list to visit some day, however, I have promised myself, Greece or Ireland first, so unless I win the lotto it would have to wait for a few years.

As to safety, there have only been a few places in the world that I have felt wary or unsafe. The top two are South-East Washington DC (near Naval yard) and a beach in Hawaii. I have apparently been to several other places that a lot of people don't recommend (parts of Thailand, Saudi and California, but strangely I did not see any problem there and only found out after the fact that they were 'bad places to go.
SE DC tops my list though and there were occasions where even I stayed at my work location because it just did not feel right that day. In fairness I should point out that SE DC has improved significantly in the past 5 years and the parts I used to frequent are a lot safer now then they were 7 years ago. So the moral is always take into account that situations change.

Az2Africa

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 08:02

It is probaly a good idea to see the other countries one your list first. I had gone to many countries prior to Africa, but now seem only interested in going back there. It has that effect on people. Istarted out in 1997 in Cairo and backpacked for 6 months through 14 countries all the way to Capetown carrying only a Canon Elph APS camera.I took hundreds of pictures with it that still get Ooos and Ahhs from poeple.I can imagine the results with the new gear.But remember to look away from the the viewfinder long enough to enjoy the trip. Many photographers have to go home and look at their pics to see where thay have been.

badrotation

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 08:35

it all depends where you're going in africa a friend of mine went to one of the poorer places and he said there were thieves everywhere you couldnt walk down the street without the feeling of being watched and one morning he came downstairs to find a local guy lay on his sofa asleep!! :confused: but like i said at the begining it all depends where you're going to

Yep, some places are really bad, where a gang of 8 year old kids will pretty much jump you if you are not careful. Id make sure you get get a really good insurance policy on your equipment that covers theft in other countries if possible.

HKFEVER

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 08:56

Planning to go there, a full sun elispe will happen in 2006 there.

rpcm

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 09:05

When I was in Kenya the only place we felt at risk was in Mombasa and our guide told us to keep the windows of our minibus shut in certain areas, but then there are places in London I would not walk around with a camera in view. It is a case of being aware of your surrondings and use your head. As for the safari you will have a great time, take long and short lenses as if you are lucky, you will be very close to the animals. The scenery is breathtaking aswell! Remember at the end of the day a camera is only a camera and make sure it is insured. Also when I was there or anywhere else I always kept my used film or memory cards/backup seperate from the camera so that if the camera got stolen I still had the photos - which is the main thing.

pierrot

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 10:17

Being a tourist and whatever you'll try to do to "vanish" in the environment, you'll still be as visible as a fly in a bowl of milk. Knowing that, the colour of your lenses will not matter at all.

And don't imagine that the world outside of good'ole America is that dangerous : AFAIK, the criminality rate in the USA is among the highest in the world. Not to say that Africa is safer, but don't be a self-victim of an oversized paranoia.

Believe me and above all people who actually lived over there: keep humble, discreet, respectful, patient, behave yourself and smile; everything will be easier and thus safer. ;)

Az2Africa

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 10:50

I couldn't have said it better!

jukas

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 11:41

A friend of mine went several years ago and loved it, he was mostly on the Eastern side and said that while there was some rougher areas he never felt overly threatened. Personally I wouldn't hesitate to take my white L's but I would make sure I had good no deductable insurance that would cover international travel. I would also keep my memory cards or film seperate from my camera, and carry some sort of image tank that I could dump everything from a CF card to overnight. I would also store that away from the camera bag.

A big black lens will be just as noticable to a thief as a big white one and I'd rather take the chance of it getting stolen and have to deal with the insurance than leave it at home and wonder over all the shots I'd miss.

billsh

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 15:16

Africa is on my list also. It would be interesting to see what a trip would cost.

robertwgross

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 17:36

As was the thought early in this thread, there are huge variations in what an African photo safari trip will cost. Here in the USA, you can book a trip through a stateside travel agent, who in turn books you through some African travel company. Sometimes the African travel company will in turn subcontract certain parts to other guides and transportation service providers. There is a huge variation on the degree of amenities provided on such a trip. A budget-minded twenty-something will head over that way with lots of loose ends, and somehow he can get there, do the trip, and get back in one piece with lots of adventure stories about the youth hostel in Nairobi. Other travelers with a little more cash in their pocket might prefer to have the amenities and arrangements a little more nailed down, and that is what costs money. In some cases, big money.

One compromise option, if you can swing it, is to go on a privately-organized tour that has no commercial travel leader. For example, a retired friend of mine organizes his own private trip to Kenya and Tanzania about every two years. He has been over there so many times that he knows the ropes, so to speak. Yet he doesn't get paid for his expertise. He does it just for the hell of it. His African nickname is "the big babu." The people who go that way pay a land cost that is between 20% and 40% of what the same trip costs when booked with a super travel company. I know. I've gone both ways and got the photos each time.

What is kind of a kick is when you have gone to a safari camp that is 137 miles from Nairobi, and you are probably 50-100 miles from the nearest commercial AC power, yet the camp has solar power, a satellite telephone and Internet access, and fine wine on the dinner table. However, your office will not be able to reach you unless they try very hard.

---Bob Gross---

Az2Africa

2nd of May 2005 (Mon), 18:22

Bob
Good advise. That is what I was talking about organizing earlier in this tread. I will be going in Oct. I planned to get a Land Rover from a friend in Nairobi and do a self drive around Kenya, but would be happy to delay a bit and organise a good inexpensive tour if anyone is interested. I lived there and know what I am doing. If not, I'll post some shots when I get back.:lol:

aam1234

3rd of May 2005 (Tue), 10:12

Az2Africa, I'm interested if enough people are.

tommykjensen

3rd of May 2005 (Tue), 10:35

Az2Africa, Have You heard of Jensens safaris? Its a danish family company organising safaris mainly in south africa.

Website: http://www.jensensafaris.com/ (unfortunately its only in danish).

*** btw even though my last name is also Jensen I am not related to the company in question ;-)

Az2Africa

3rd of May 2005 (Tue), 21:18

Hi Tommy

Sorry, I've never delt with that company. I did very little in South Africa. Mostly Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. Ethiopia is in my opinion among the top 5 of any of the over 70 countries I've been to. The scenery and photo ops are spectacular. Just hard to get people to go there.
aam1234 and anybody else interested can email me at terryhaney@qwest.net

photobitz

11th of January 2006 (Wed), 00:22

Seem to have gone a little off topic here... I like the nice camoflaged lenses posted earlier, but you could always try wrapping your nice white "L"s with some sticky contact (you know... the stuff you coat books with) or electrical tape. And if you don't do it really neatly, it might even make the lenses look like some busted up pieces o' garbage, thus putting off would be thieves. The coating of plastic should also help stop you getting scratches and dings in your lens barrels too.

steved110

11th of January 2006 (Wed), 02:31

I know from experience that the 70-300mm range is not enough in africa for wildlife, except at watering hole viewing platforms. A crop factor would help, obviously.
regarding security, your status as a tourist marks you from the start - everything you have is a marketable commodity in the third world, remember you will be among people who have almost nothing, and see western tourists as a resource in more ways than just a tourist dollar. So you need to be careful, wether you have a big lens or not. Your guide will be very careful to look after you, it's in the cities the most care is needed, and in that respect Africa is not so different from the west.
a lot of picture agencies, eg reuters , use compact cameras in urban areas where theft/ mugging may be a concern. Wandering around with a massive camera and a huge gear bag is asking for trouble in certain areas - just like at home!
Have a great trip!
Steve

1stKnight

11th of January 2006 (Wed), 03:58

Cool thread! :)

I took up photography as a hobby in February 2005 and I have since discovered a preference for Wildlife, Landscape and Macro photography.
Happily, I too am going on a new safari adventure soon so I can indulge in my new passion.
My fiancée and I are going to the Masai Mara (Little Governor’s Camp) followed by some beach time in Zanzibar next month for our Honeymoon.

Although English, I grew up in South Africa – lived there for 24 years, mostly in Durban – and can relate to the various comments made regarding caution against theft and I concur 100% that one should exercise a healthy degree of respect for the local cultures and norms and be aware that being a tourist does attract thieves. However, in my experience, the common or garden-variety thief will generally be unable to distinguish the value difference between a flash bit of L glass or a plain ‘ol black lens. Indeed, a compact camera on display and easily accessible to the opportunist is just as vulnerable as an equally visible DSLR. The thieves themselves will most likely flog their stolen goods for a mere pittance to satisfy an urgent need.

That said I find that parts of the UK can be just as daunting as parts of Africa for walking about with a camera on display. Therefore I endeavour to be constantly aware that others may wish to relieve me of my hard-earned electronic gadgetry and take precautions as necessary. I’ve never been to Kenya before but I will do what I can and hope that I’m not in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I intend to make do with what I own already as I can’t afford to add any lenses at this stage: I’ll take my entire Canon kit which includes a 70-300 IS and hopefully, given the 20D’s crop factor, this will suffice for my needs. It should seem a step up given that I only had the 17-85 IS when I was on safari in Hluhluwe, Natal last March. I’m only taking 3x511 batteries and 8 AA’s but I will have a Solio solar charger. I really can’t wait – to get married and then go on a fabulous Honeymoon in Africa. :D

Krapo

11th of January 2006 (Wed), 04:18

Sharky, I think your combination is just fine. 17-40 for scenery and 70-200 + TC for wildlife.
Of course, a longer focal would help for distant animals, but I did not have more than my 80-200 when I went to Tanzania last summer, and it was sufficient for around 70% of the shots. Anyway, the 70-300 won't make a huge difference in reach, and you will loose IQ compared to your 70-200. So unless you can get a 500mm, forget about changing your lens.

The fact that it is white instead of black will make absolutely no difference to thieves.
If you are unlucky enough to be attacked during a safari, they will take everything, whatever the colour! But I insist on the fact that it is VERY unlikely that you will have problems during your safari. I felt safer during this trip that I would if I went with my camera to a big city like LA!
However, as said above, be careful in the cities. But don't get paranoid either.
I felt 100% safe during my safari in Tanzania. The only place I was paying attention was in Stonetown, Zanzibar, where it can get tricky sometimes like in any town were tourists are synonyms of gold bars.

Compared to other countries where I have been like Angola and Nigeria, Kenya or Tanzania are soooooo safe! ;)

Enjoy your trip!

photobitz

13th of January 2006 (Fri), 00:03

If you were happy enough using manual settings, you could maybe pick up a Tamron 500mm mirror lens with EOS mount. This is a really light lens and comes in a fairly small package too. Downside is you need to compose your shot rather than point-and-shoot - something that is all but forgotten by the majority these days.

Image quality is pretty good too - not as good as high-end Canon's but to get 500mm into such a small unit, you can't really complain.

The only thing I don't remember is whether it uses a manual or electronic aperture.... anyone else know?

BigAl-SA

13th of January 2006 (Fri), 01:04

The only thing I don't remember is whether it uses a manual or electronic aperture.... anyone else know?A mirror lens has a fixed aperture (usually F8 on a 500).

From someone who has lived in Africa for more than 50yrs, and travelled pretty widely in Africa, the places you're most at risk are in the cities. You're pretty safe in the parks. So plan your strategies around that. I go with Condyk's idea: bigma or 100-400L is the minimum you want for game on the African plains.

Seven

13th of January 2006 (Fri), 06:08

Hi !

My opinion is that when you come home with the pictures taken with the 70-300DO, than you will realize that exchanged the minimal risk of getting robbed or even to be a thiefs victim against the fact of having taken much more softer and and heavyly flare affected pictures. This is what the DO produces wide open especially on the long end. Under my quality conditions most pictures taken with the at 300mm are not useable until stopped down to alt least f/9. I used to stop it down 2 Stops in every focallenght to get acceptable qualitiy. Even if done it like that I had to use strong USM (FocalBlade 1.02 in my case). Its is a nice,small amateur lens(much better then the old 75-300 or most Third-Party lenses covering that range) with an impressing IS-Fuction - BUT IT IS NOWHERE NEAR TO AN L-LENS IN TERMS OF IMAGE QUALITY. I myself where caught in this DO-Advertising L-like Trap Canon set up proper. And payed for it. 1300 Euros ! 500 more i could have bought the L ! I was really a fool !
THIS IS THE REASON WHY I AM SELLING MY COPY RIGHT NOW ! Because I recently moved to from 1,6x to FF. On 1.6x I loved the DO but on the FF(that what it is made for) it seems to get even softer and the corners at my 17-40 @17mm are much sharper then the DO-Corners. Also i am very disturbed by the very obvious cornershade at the long end (til f/11). So I decided to replace it with 70-200 2,8 L IS. If it have no problems with the AI Servo Interference Banding on a 5D! I have to check this first ! The DO has defenitely a problem with that on my 5D (in high ISO) !
Back to the Point ! Ban that replacement thoughts outta ya mind and stay c L ean ! Seen !
Just I 2 cents !

Greets
Seven

joe_elway

13th of January 2006 (Fri), 07:27

You know, the idea of doing a photo specific tour was something I was considering, but the prices tended to be pretty astronomical.

Me and a buddy are going on a private tour next month on the northern Tanzania belt ... mostly Ngorongora and Serengeti. It's a mix of camping and lodge. Including flights it's working out at €4,000 per person for 2 weeks.

We've got a private jeep with driver and are being following by another jeep with cook, gear and camp attendant (to keep the Gibbons away).

I booked mine with http://www.seekasafari.com/ - ask for Katie... she's a star.

I was talking to a guy last Saturday at the zoo who was quote 8K PP for a similar trip. He'd been on a trip to TZ before on a normal tour and he hated it. The guides moved location to quickly giving no time to photograpers and all everyone else wanted to do was get drunk (not usually a problem for me but I'm paying to shoot photos).

I'd we could have chopped costs greatly if we went out of season, camped all the time and had more people. But... I want to rest up once in a while, be able to charge batteries if necc and keep the numbers down.

I'm bringing a 350D, kit lens (maybe get an upgrade), Simga 70-300 Super Macro II, Canon 100-400 L IS and Epson P2000. I'm getting the Canon 1.4TC II and thinking about the 50mm F/1.8.

Another company of interest to UK/Ireland people might be http://www.wildarena.com. They get a lot of mentions by people for their day trips. Don't know about the quality of their photo safaris. I'm tempted by their Tiger trip for 2007.

photobitz

14th of January 2006 (Sat), 07:16

A mirror lens has a fixed aperture (usually F8 on a 500).

From someone who has lived in Africa for more than 50yrs, and travelled pretty widely in Africa, the places you're most at risk are in the cities. You're pretty safe in the parks. So plan your strategies around that. I go with Condyk's idea: bigma or 100-400L is the minimum you want for game on the African plains.

Ah, that's right. Still.... on bright african plains f8 is probably OK. Unfortunately that means set depth of field which may cramp your creativity.

condyk

14th of January 2006 (Sat), 11:01

I'm bringing a 350D, kit lens (maybe get an upgrade), Simga 70-300 Super Macro II, Canon 100-400 L IS and Epson P2000. I'm getting the Canon 1.4TC II and thinking about the 50mm F/1.8.

Could be a great trip from sounds of it ... tho' you just can't beat self drive where you control everything ;) tho' that's probably just me!! I'd leave the 70-300 II, waste of time given you have the IS L, and you won't need the TCon enough to justify its cost IMHO. 400mm will get you lots of keepers and there are plenty of oportunities if you miss one shot. I'd also forget the 50mm myself if cash was a tad tight but would pack a good fast aperture standard zoom with the change. Tamron 28-75 or Sigma 24-70 will get you plenty of shots that don't involve distance and you will appreciate the flexibility. The 'almost' MAcro abilities of these lenses will be good. Really there is so much tiny stuff that many 'Big Five' fixated types will just miss. I might pack a kit lens too for your wider angle coverage. Stop it down and light in Africa can do the rest. Alternatively, the 17-40mm could cover you for wide and semi-walokaround usage. Don't forget a power adapter ;-) if you do, buy a few local plugs and swap your 'UK' style ones for while you're there. That's what I usually do when I travel. Swiss Army Knife does most of what you need on safari!