Serengity & Zanzibar - Need Advice

EDIT: Update after Safari - see link for images:

Thanks all for your invaluable advise.
We had a great trip. It was a good learning experience, and i think i am happy with the images i got. Hopefully we will go back again sometimes in near future and i will be able to do better.

Here are some of the images from my trip:From Wildlife Photo Sharing Section

* Original Post*

I will be off to a relatively short (8 day ) trip to Tanzania in the last week of August. As the time gets closer, my excitement is going up. However there is a lot of anxiety related to photography as this will be the first of its kind trip for me.

Apart from shooting once at the zoo, i have never shot any wildlife as such before. I have been doing a lot of research on the net and here on this forum and have gathered some great information - yet some questions remain unanswered. Hopefully people here can help me with some of those.

We will be at Serena Mountain Village - Kilimanjaro for one night, Lake Manayara for one day at the Tree Lodge, followed by 3 days at Serengiti at the Bilila Lodge and finally 3 days in Zanzibar at the Breezes - Any suggestionsrelated to photography at these locations is absolutely welcome

Equipment:
5DII (70-200 2.8 IS)
5D (24-70 2.8)
30D (400 5.6)
17-40 f4 with me for the Zanzibar part.
Are these enough? Am I carrying too much? (specially from safety point of view?)

Other Equip:
CF Benro 2680 Tripod,
Light CF monopod
self rigged beanbag. Some assortment of filters including Hoya x400 and 1 stop GND for Zanzibar beach shots.
1x general Compass

16GB CF
8GB CF
2x2GB CF
2x1GB CF
Macbook Air and 250GB Hd for transfer
3 Batteries for 5d/30d & 1 for 5DII (May pick up a spare)

I will be carrying these in a mountainsmith Kit Cube bag which i found on Amazon - I think this is the most wonderful addition to my gear as I have easily been able to configure it to fit all the 3 bodies with lens mounted into this bag, and this neatly fits into a small carry on luggage very snuggly (Will do a mini review on this in a few days with pictures) http://www.amazon.com/​gp/product/B00452HIDG

And one shoulder bag to use in the field.

Q1: Am i Carrying too much equipment?
Q2: Would my equipment be safe in the hotel room when not used?
Q3: Any specific suggestions for Do's and Dont's while at Safari?
Q4: Any special shooting advice for Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Lake Manyara or Zanzibar?
Q5: In Zanzibar, is it safe to have 1 camera around neck and camera bag on shoulder?
Q6: Any other open advice?

Thanks a ton in advance.
Sanjay


ps: Here are a couple of pics i shot at the local zoo - I wasnt too happy, but it was a good learning experience: https://photography-on-the.net …p?p=12910632#po​st12910632

That's a lot of travelling

Take a spice tour at Zanzabar and sample some of the local fruit etc---some of it is pretty weird and stinky but all was good. Zanzabar was an old slave porrt BTW lots of interesing ruins.
There is some shopping to be done in the evening in the stone town area.
3 days is more than enough unless your are diving/snorkleing.

Never felt threatened so no worries walking around and yes you are carrying way too much stuff

lay all your stuff out and take 1/2 and you'll still probably have too much.


check with desk clerk at hotel if ok to leave stuff while out.

I was at the Selous on a more traditional safari so can't help there too much other than to take more pics than you think you want and cull when you get back.

looking forward to a report. You'll have a blast.

also you can get a plug in adapter at radio shack for about $10 that covers about all possible plug ins including Tanz so you can recharge battery

Suggestions

Camera bodies: one FF and one crop. But,,,,I would want a FAST cropper like 7D. When we were in South Africa last summer we got great action sequences that required high fps. So I would consider trading in the 30D and/or 5D on a new or refurbed 7D (or IDIV ). The 5DII will be great for landscapes and close work.

Big fast memory cards: Sandisk or Lexar 16 or 32GB 600x. This is to minimize waiting for buffers to write to the cards and, minimize download times in the evening.

Disk space: 250GB may be enough...but HDs are cheap. So I would get a 1TB drive with the faster interface the Mac can handle (FW800?).

The above changes are not inexpensive. But compared to airfare and safari costs, these are small investments that can improve the experience.

hehe I'm off to Tanzania on Sunday and will also be staying at Breezes on Zanzibar. We're there until the 2nd September.

Your kit sounds HEAVY. way more than I'm taking. 3 bodies would be too much for me but I can see why you've gone for them with your lens selection. I'm lucky to be able to borrow a 100-400L which will be my main game drive lens. I was considering borrowing a 10-22mm but decided against it. My Siggy at 18mm will have to do.

I'm taking:
600d + 3 batteries + charger
30d + 2 batteries + charger
100-400L (on the 600d for the safari)
Sigma 18-250 (on the 30d for the safari)
50mm f/1.8
Monopod.
2x16GB SD
1x4GB SD
1x2GB SD
2x8GB CF
2x4GB CF
netbook and 250GB USB drive to back-up photos
I've not decided whether to take my remote trigger and speedlite flash yet.
1 pair of 10x25 binos (for the mrs)
1 pair of 8x21 binos (for me)

all carried in a Lowepro Primus AW with a Zoom 55AW for use at the lodges or on Zanzibar.

I emailed the tour company in Arusha and they offered to provide a bean bag for me in the Land Rover. Maybe you could do the same?

I decided against the tripod cos of the weight and it's not much use on the game drives. Monopod is nice and light and will cover most of what I want to shoot. A tripod would have been nice but it was a luxury i decided against. And because I'm not taking a tripod, I'll probably leave the remote trigger at home.

Thank you guys for your suggestions and advice thus far - its invaluable to someone who has never been to this part of the world - pl keep it coming Thank you again!

@Sidnye: Thanks for your suggestions - I will definitely visit stone town to look for photo ops : are there any spots there in particular that i must focus on? I heard that unsolicited guides are everywhere and leech onto tourists ....
Are there any particular beaches in Zanzibar that shouldnt be missed for photography?
Would i be alright to set up my rig (tripod included) on the beach in the evenings for long exposure photography there without offending anyone?

@MCAsan : Stop Tempting me !! :P Yes, as you suggested, I had previously thought on those lines as well, to sell the 5D and the 30D and pick up a 7D instead - but i think i will resist. I am very happy with my 30D and 5D thus far - I am not a lot into action photography, so outside of this safari (which i am not sure if there will be an opportunity for fast action sequence anyway, but i could get lucky) I dont do much of sports or Wildlife action photography - but i may just scrumb to your idea The 5DII , Benro CF Tripod and a Hoya ND x400 are new additions for this trip and i feel i have already spent too much.
My memory cards are fast 400x-600x, so i am fine with that, and i have 2x250 gb ultra tiny (1.8 inch) external HDDs - so on that front i think i should be fine....

@Owain: We will be in the Breezes from Aug 31st to Sep 4th - perhaps we could connect to exchange photo notes?
You seem to have some good equipment. I am thinking to take 3 bodies with me for the simple reason that i will not have to change lenses while on the safari and can cover everything from distant shots to wide angle evening sunset shots - plus i can quickly swap cameras when needed.

I too am contemplating taking my flash unit (or not) and will have 2pairs of Binoculars for wife and myself (8x & 12x)

The 17-40 & 24-70 are primarily for sunset shots and long exposure evening beach shots in Zanzibar...


@anyone who can help: I have never previously used 9x ND filter for long exposures - I have been reading a lot, but any pointers or suggestions would be very helpful, specially for beach shots.

Hi

yes there are "tour guides" by the dozen in Zanaibar, stone town is small everything is in walking distance. The side walk vendors are great espciallly the food stalls. I ate there, but it all caught up with me a few days later so use discretion and there are some heavy duty meds that'll stop you up big time.

It'll be hot and humid in Zazibar. Take the plane from Dar, it's not much more than the boat and a lot faster.

I'm not much for the beach scene so no help there. although I had a beer at a bar frequented by Freddy Mercury back in the day. (He was born there)
two camera bodies would be enough--I like smaller cards (4g) rather than the big ones as they unload faster and are way cheap.
As I stated, I was in the Selous on a more traditional safari and was walking most of the time,(bushwacking thru the tall grass for miles and miles) so I was very limited with what I could carry.
I assume you will be in a truck so need a long lens and maybe the 70-200 will due
the 17-40 as a walk around.
Zanzibar is mostly Muslim so the dress is conservative----check out some of the history----some horrific ethnic slaughter took place there not all that long ago.

It has a long and recent history of slave trade and some old ruins of sultans and slave stations to check out.

All said, be sure to occasionally put the camera away and sit down and savor the scene--and have a tusker or two

I'm very, very envious---except for the long flight, you'll have a great time. If you fly thru Dubai, try for a lay over---it's an unreal place---

looking forward to your report.

Sidnye wrote in post #12922894
two camera bodies would be enough--I like smaller cards (4g) rather than the big ones as they unload faster and are way cheap.

yes agree, two bodies should be enough in an optimal situation, but he's kinda limited by the lenses he's taking. If he had a 100-400mm to couple with his 24-70mm, 2 bodies would be plenty. But he seems to be limited by the lenses he has. He'll need the reach of the 400mm prime (so I'm told) so that's indispensable. And he'll need the zoom of the 70-200mm. He could probably manage with these two on the game drives, though. The other two lenses can easily be mounted onto a body back at the lodge or camp, without too much risk of dust getting on the sensors, where there will be plenty of opportunity for scenery shots. However, there might just be that one opportunity on a game drive where you want a focal length under 70mm.

edit. I think what i would do is buy a x2TC for the 70-200 and then i would do without the 400mm prime. The light should be good enough to shoot at f/5.6 or above, shouldn't it? and then I'd have the 24-70mm on the second body and do without a third.

edit2: I'm not really all that experienced yet but I think getting the lenses right is more important than getting the bodies right (re suggestion for trading in bodies for a 7D that can shoot more FPS.)

I can consider renting the Sigma 50-500 OS lens - but then carrying an extra body isnt that much of an issue with me. Anyone has experience with that lens?

The past i am most anxious about is that with any of these (affordable) long lenses, the max aperture is about 5.6 - added to the fact that i will be shooting from inside a vehicle with limited composition / angle opportunity - I may end up with a lot of "Snapshot" type images......

Any tips in this regard would he very highly appreciated....

_____

Here is another thought - Need reconfirmation if this is a good idea:
ef 400 5.6 on 5DII - So i can have very high ISO for high shutter speeds
ef 80-200 on 30D - which gives me a FoV of 128mm - 320mm at 2.8
ef 24-70 on 5Dc - for occasional scenic or very close shot...

With the above combo, i will be able to cover from 128-400 on one body, and yet be able to keep very high shutter speeds - is this a viable combo?

starlights wrote in post #12938482
I can consider renting the Sigma 50-500 OS lens - but then carrying an extra body isnt that much of an issue with me. Anyone has experience with that lens?

Ideally - 100-400 on the 30D, 70-200 on the 5Dii. Swap the 70-200 for the 24-70 when needed. People often make a lot of fuss about changing lenses on safari. As long as you're not totally stupid it's not a problem at all. Indeed, I reckon there's less dust in the air than you'll find in the average city a lot of the time.

Here's the 100-400 in Tanzania.

starlights wrote in post #12938482
The past i am most anxious about is that with any of these (affordable) long lenses, the max aperture is about 5.6 - added to the fact that i will be shooting from inside a vehicle with limited composition / angle opportunity - I may end up with a lot of "Snapshot" type images......

It's this latter factor that means the 400 f5.6 isn't a great safari lens. Your compositional options will be massively restricted if you're relying on that for your long range stuff.

starlights wrote in post #12922485
I too am contemplating taking my flash unit (or not) and will have 2pairs of Binoculars for wife and myself (8x & 12x)

12x binoculars are likely to be way too dim and wobbly for use on safari.

When we were in Kruger last May, no problem changing lenses. In the park you have to drive on the roads which are mostly paved. In the surrounding private reserves you can offroad and maybe get a bit more dust. I had two cropped bodies, in case one died, to mimize lenses changes...and more importantly have a ready to go lens/body combo for anything between 150-1100 with 100-400 on one body and a rented 500 plus 1.4 converter on the other.

That safari dust was no where near what we had to deal with this spring out in the Four Corners area of the southwest USA.

Thanks everyone - I rented a 100-400 - so that was great advice.

Any tips on actual "do's and don'ts" will be very helpful.

have high quality CPLs for each lens size...if not for each lens
have hoods for each lens
have a gracious plenty of batteies and memory cards
have more disk space that you though you would need
if possible, have a second portable drive to make backups

Thanks all for your invaluable advise.
We had a great trip. It was a good learning experience, and i think i am happy with the images i got. Hopefully we will go back again sometimes in near future and i will be able to do better.

Here are some of the images from the trip which i posted in the photo sharing section : https://photography-on-the.net …hp?p=13106837&p​ostcount=1

Glad you had a great time!! Wonderful images!!!

I'm going to Zanzibar in June next year.
Don't know much about the place. Can you go on safari on Zanzibar itself or is it too small?