Upcoming rental

So I'm going to South Africa/Botswana in a little over a month. I fully intend to put more clicks on my camera in these two weeks than I have in the past two years combined.

My current setup is pretty boring - 30D, Sigma 105mm 2.8, Canon 50mm 1.8, Tamron 17-50mm 2.8, 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS. The only equipment that I own that I plan on using is the 30D and the Tamron. We've got some fairly strict weight restrictions for baggage, so I want to take as little as possible.

I'm pretty sure I've decided on renting the 100-400mm IS f/4.5. That seems to be the best affordable lens for safaris and wildlife shooting. I also plan on renting a grip.

Since my primary focus will be wildlife rather than landscapes, do you think I should go ahead and keep with my tamron alone or should I opt for a better wide lens? The tamron is alright, but it's nothing spectacular. I get poor AF in low light, and that's a bit worrisome since I'll probably be doing some early morning/late night game drives.

And yeah, this is the lens forum so it's a bit off topic, and I know this is typically ill advised, but I feel like I should be packing a better camera. Again, nothing wrong with my 30D, but I feel like I should have something better to document my one trip of a lifetime. Should I even consider renting a second body for my primary use and giving the 30D to my travel partner to use?

Any advice is appreciated.

Hi
The 100-400 will be a great lens to take with you. If your thinking of renting a body then couple it with a 7d but learn about the complicated focus system. Dont go with this body and an instruction manual as you'll be fumbling with the booklet instead of capturing great shots.
Whichever way you go have a great time, I'm jealous

h14nha wrote in post #10560093
Hi
The 100-400 will be a great lens to take with you. If your thinking of renting a body then couple it with a 7d but learn about the complicated focus system. Dont go with this body and an instruction manual as you'll be fumbling with the booklet instead of capturing great shots.
Whichever way you go have a great time, I'm jealous

Quoted for thruth, especially the jealousy part.

Thanks. This is the trip of a lifetime and I just want to be as prepared as possible. Appreciate the confidence votes about the 100-400, but what do you think of a wider lens? Will my tamron suffice or should I opt for renting something better? The more I think about the body, the more I want to do it. I'll still have my 30D with me, so worst case I can still use that. Having the wide on the 30D and the tele on the 7D would be ideal, though, since I would never have to change lenses. Grabbing a new body just days before leaving worries me, though, as I won't have time to get used to it.

Having 2 bodies is a very good idea for your trip. Perhaps think about renting something such as the 50D rather than the 7D. That way you'll have virtually no learning curve on the new body. It would be a shame to have missed once in a lifetime shots using the 7D because you didn't have time to master it.