Leaving for Africa on Monday :)

Hi everyone,
I'm off to Africa for 3.5 weeks come Monday, pretty excited as its my first dedicated Photography trip, outside of Aus anyway.

Will be hiring a Land Rover decked out with camp gear for 21 days for a self drip trip but also doing a 3-4 day safari with Pangolin safaris up near Chobe.

Any tips, tricks or general advise before I go?

Aus.Morgo wrote in post #16980841
Hi everyone,
I'm off to Africa for 3.5 weeks come Monday,

Woo! Lucky you! My wife & I are leaving in 2 weeks, but only for 1 week.

Will be hiring a Land Rover decked out with camp gear for 21 days

That is brave! I have only been on organised safaris, but I have enjoyed them immensely.

Any tips, tricks or general advise before I go?
If the gear list in your sig is what you are taking, you will have enough, you may need a porter to help you carry it! I had a 100-400 as my maximum reach & at times it wasn't enough. Some friends of mine have been hitting great shots with 500 f/4 200-400 f/4 1.4x. That will be my main lens next month. My wife got some great shots with 24 - 105. This :-
http://venturephotogra​phy.com.au …-perth-fremantle-bunbury/

& this:- http://venturephotogra​phy.com.au …graphy-to-the-next-level/

have some great points, Seng did a similar safari to ours just recently with the same leader, he is much better with words than I am.

Best advise I can give, is have a great time.

Thanks mate,
I'll be taking the 200-400 1.4x on the 1d4 as my main rig, the 70-200 on the 5d3 and possibly the 7d & 17-55.
Biggest issue so far is getting it on the plane as carry on as the bag weighs around 13kg at the moment with a 7kg limit

Oh man, that is so great!! I envy you to bits. Have a great time and we expect to see lots of images from your trip! Also, be safe.

Aus.Morgo wrote in post #16981017
Thanks mate,
I'll be taking the 200-400 1.4x on the 1d4 as my main rig, the 70-200 on the 5d3 and possibly the 7d & 17-55.
Biggest issue so far is getting it on the plane as carry on as the bag weighs around 13kg at the moment with a 7kg limit

I was in South Africa 2 years ago for 2 weeks documenting some Cape Buffalo procedures with the Kruger Park Veterinary Services and my kit was similar to yours. Nikon D3s, D700 200-400, 70-200, 24-70, 1.4 converter, and Speed Lite all this was packed into a Think Tank Airport Takeoff had no problems with the airlines.
Looking back at images I would say 85% was with the D3s and 200-400 this was the perfect combo for alot of the wild life.
Here is a link from my trip
http://rguzmanphoto.ph​otoshelter.com …ca-Trip/G0000VySGUINxMyc/
Good luck and happy shooting.

Aus.Morgo wrote in post #16981017
200-400 1.4x on the 1d4 as my main rig, the 70-200 on the 5d3 and possibly the 7d & 17-55.

Biggest issue so far is getting it on the plane as carry on as the bag weighs around 13kg at the moment with a 7kg limit

Sounds like a great kit. You won't need more than that, how many ppl? 1 person with all that will struggle in a game vehicle, but it looks great.
Who are you flying with? I have been told that SAA will not allow camera gear in the hold & make allowances for carry on accordingly.
Besides you are allowed 7 kg carry on + a camera (if it has a 3.9kg lens on it, it is still a camera!) + what you can fit in your pockets... ... no problem!

I see you are in Aus, if you are flying out of Perth get there early & be prepared to argue, they can be real gits sometimes!

Pics from Kenya
https://www.flickr.com …4/sets/72157638​962039265/

gromeo wrote in post #16981043
Here is a link from my trip
http://rguzmanphoto.ph​otoshelter.com …ca-Trip/G0000VySGUINxMyc/
Good luck and happy shooting.

Great link some good shots there, I will spend some time looking thru them.

Say hello to Guts, Killer and Shah at Pangolin for me. Great guys that will put you in position for great shots.

My only advice is to keep the camera battery charged and download the card every day. Good luck and have a great trip.

Aus.Morgo wrote in post #16981017
Biggest issue so far is getting it on the plane as carry on as the bag weighs around 13kg at the moment with a 7kg limit

That weight limit is a joke. I've never been under 30 pounds with my camera gear to Africa ...even using the lightweight Gura Gear bags. Luckily, airlines seem to not mind as long as you have a soft bag and don't look like you are carrying a ton of bricks. Funny thing is that if you dare carry the pelican case (about 11 pounds empty), they will often make you gate check it.

Gbgb wrote in post #16981050
I have been told that SAA will not allow camera gear in the hold & make allowances for carry on accordingly.

My last trip, which was on SAA I had two guys with overweight ThinkTank bags. Once they opened them up to confirm it was camera gear, the check-in folks said they couldn't assume liability for checking valuable camera gear and therefore let them board with the heavy roll on bags.

buddy4344 wrote in post #16981394
My last trip, which was on SAA , the check-in folks said they couldn't assume liability for checking valuable camera gear and therefore let them board with the heavy roll on bags.

That is what I have heard with SAA, but the Qaintarse check - in staff at Perth were a little more rigid in their application of the rules!

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #16981023
Oh man, that is so great!! I envy you to bits. Have a great time and we expect to see lots of images from your trip! Also, be safe.

Thanks

Will do on the pics when I get back, hopefully I get some keepers

gromeo wrote in post #16981043
I was in South Africa 2 years ago for 2 weeks documenting some Cape Buffalo procedures with the Kruger Park Veterinary Services and my kit was similar to yours. Nikon D3s, D700 200-400, 70-200, 24-70, 1.4 converter, and Speed Lite all this was packed into a Think Tank Airport Takeoff had no problems with the airlines.
Looking back at images I would say 85% was with the D3s and 200-400 this was the perfect combo for alot of the wild life.
Here is a link from my trip
http://rguzmanphoto.ph​otoshelter.com …ca-Trip/G0000VySGUINxMyc/
Good luck and happy shooting.

Thanks mate, did you use the speedlite much? Its something I've been planning on taking but have read mix reviews of people taking them and not using them. Seeing as I need to cut down the weight a little...

Must be something in the air with Aussie's going to Africa. My wife and I are off in 2 weeks for 24 days. Bags already packed.

I understand what you're going through Aus.Morgo with regard to the weight, but there's 2 off us to share.

We've been told 15kg MAX per person including my camera gear...............

I'm taking a 5d3 and 7d bodies and a 300 2.8, 150-600 Tammy, 70-200 2.8, 24-105 +1.4 convertor. That's 16kg worth and only leaves 14kg for our clothes etc.
I'm not worried about SAA out of Australia but more the small planes from Maun into the camps in Botswana and from Nairobi into the Mara and Serengeti etc

I'm going to have the 300 on the 7d in a Lowepro for the wife to carry and I've got a Tamrac 6x for the rest.
Just hope it works out ok.
Leaving Monday........you won't sleep all weekend lol

Have a great trip

Gbgb wrote in post #16981050
Sounds like a great kit. You won't need more than that, how many ppl? 1 person with all that will struggle in a game vehicle, but it looks great.
Who are you flying with? I have been told that SAA will not allow camera gear in the hold & make allowances for carry on accordingly.
Besides you are allowed 7 kg carry on + a camera (if it has a 3.9kg lens on it, it is still a camera!) + what you can fit in your pockets... ... no problem!

I see you are in Aus, if you are flying out of Perth get there early & be prepared to argue, they can be real gits sometimes!

Pics from Kenya
https://www.flickr.com …4/sets/72157638​962039265/

Just two, I'm meeting a mate there.
We have hired a Land Rover, same as this

IMAGE LINK: http://s392.photobucke​t.com …er_1_zpsb53c988​3.jpg.html