Safari lens advice

I'm planning to rent a 100-400 canon IS lens for my first (and probably only) safari and have some questions:

- should I use the IS or not to get the sharpest pictures?

- what f stop and shutter speed should I use for the sharpest pictures?

- what ISO should I use .

- what accessories should I take ( ie. bean bag, lens filters, lens hood etc.)

- I plan on renting the lens a week before I leave. Is that enough time to get familiar with it?

- any suggestions on where to rent the lens from?

Thanks for any advice, Steve.

-IS Always IS with this lens unless mounted to a solid tripod. (on safari that is pretty rare)
Use Mode 2 IS for tracking fast moving subjects in a panning shot. (you never know when this is going to happen so ignore this suggestion, you won't have time to switch from mode 1 to mode 2! )

-Shutter speed depends on focal length and subject motion. to stop motion @ 400mm you will want about 1/250th at least.
"On Safari" there is usually a surplus of light so you will likely have the ability to get much faster speeds with moderate ISO settings.

-ISO used depends on conditions (and Camera and lens combo) Your looking to keep your shutter spesds high for moving subjects, not as important for static ones (especially with IS)
So adjust ISO to get the shutter speeds you need for your situation. Nothing "safari" about this aspect, it's just how to use your camera all the time. For what it';s worth, I was using 100-400 ISO in Africa last year wit that lens.

- Accessories: Been bag is handy, a polarizing filter might come in handy (helps with dull skies and if you ever are near water)
You will ALWAYS be shooting with the lens hood on. ALWAYS. Also bring cleaning gear, sunblock and have a large clean white cotton cloth in your cargo shorts at all times

Now run over to the POTN member activities forum and read through the Africa Safari II thread for more great advice.

I do believe that anything over like 1/1000th of a second you can easily turn IS off as it is not needed at all, from my understanding it actually takes away from the AF speed and im sure on the savannah youll need all the AF speed you can get...syke I dunno im just bored here lol...That rule of thumb would be mostly for AL Servo on shooting BIF and such

Personally, I'd just stick it in Av, ISO 100-200 or as needed, and f8.00. Pretty safe for that lens in safari conditions. Also, take a beanbag - I use The Pod Red because it screws into the foot, is small and light. Use a highest quality filter on it too as there is lots of dust and clean up your gear each evening. Use either Hoya Pro 1 or the B+WB+W MRC UV 010 F-PRO. Seems the 1-4 is fussy on UV's so check your shots with one before you go. Take a sensor cleaning kit and some lens wipes.

But the key above the gear is using the light. On a self drive you can point the vehicles where you like to ensure you get the best light for the situation you're in. On a 'package' safari you have less flexibility and the drivers have varying degree's of awareness of your needs. People need to keep still and engine off too. Early morning, like 5.30-6.00am you head out and then you'll grab the most amazing light from around 7.30-9.30ish. As the sun climbs then head back as the best light is over and it becomes very harsh. Don't waste your time then. Relax at camp, check your shots, eat breakfast, do your chores.

While you will use this lens most of the time but do take your 35mm as well as nice for camp shots and walkaround. The two are pretty much all you'll need unless you like landscapes, but even then you'll cope.

Where are you heading?

condyk wrote in post #5896529
Personally, I'd just stick it in Av, ISO 100-200 or as needed, and f8.00. Pretty safe for that lens in safari conditions. Also, take a beanbag - I use The Pod Red because it screws into the foot, is small and light. Use a highest quality filter on it too as there is lots of dust and clean up your gear each evening. Use either Hoya Pro 1 or the B+WB+W MRC UV 010 F-PRO. Seems the 1-4 is fussy on UV's so check your shots with one before you go. Take a sensor cleaning kit and some lens wipes.

But the key above the gear is using the light. On a self drive you can point the vehicles where you like to ensure you get the best light for the situation you're in. On a 'package' safari you have less flexibility and the drivers have varying degree's of awareness of your needs. People need to keep still and engine off too. Early morning, like 5.30-6.00am you head out and then you'll grab the most amazing light from around 7.30-9.30ish. As the sun climbs then head back as the best light is over and it becomes very harsh. Don't waste your time then. Relax at camp, check your shots, eat breakfast, do your chores.

While you will use this lens most of the time but do take your 35mm as well as nice for camp shots and walkaround. The two are pretty much all you'll need unless you like landscapes, but even then you'll cope.

Where are you heading?

hrmmmm that reminds me - i think my 100-400 has my worst filter on it... might ditch it and hope that i get a bit better contrast/sharpness...f​orgot about that - just stuck it on there ages ago and forgot

and i dont use a CP on the 1-4 much as its usually struggling for light as it is (hence forgetting about shtty filter)

ps to the OP - have a trip of a life time you lucky bugger.... africa is on my list... one day, one day

steve547 wrote in post #5896016
- should I use the IS or not to get the sharpest pictures?

Yes. Any minimal differences in IQ between IS/no-IS are far superseded by the real-world benefits of having IS while shooting off a vehicle.

Depends on your handholding skills. I generally shoot wildlife wide open and get sharp shots with this lens at 1/90 or more handheld, and even lower off a beanbag. However, I try to keep my shutter speed over 1/125 as much as I can.

You get some sharpness benefits if you stop down to f8 but you also lose some separation between your subject and the background. The choice is yours. I prefer f5.6 personally.

Depends on the light. You havent mentioned where you are going for your safari, but if you are shooting in grasslands, you can safely use ISO100 in daylight. In dappled light, ISO400 is better. I generally prefer to shoot at ISO400 by default, as the noise penalty is very little on my cameras, and I'd rather have the faster shutter speed.

Hood - yes
Bean bag - yes
Filters - U/V is not a bad idea (take it off if shooting into the sun, however); CPL for landscapes (although you'll probably use the CPL more with wider lenses)

Hard to say. Depends on your experience, ability to hold lenses steady, etc. I dont see any reason why not.

I'll let others answer that. I have no idea.

Vandit

Thank you all for your help. We'll be going to Tanzania ( Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater, Lake Manyara) in Sept. with a group tour. I appreciate your advice. It will save me alot of experimenting when I get there. Now I know what settings to start with. I wont have a computer there to see my photos and I can't judge the sharpness on the lcd screen. Thank you all again.

steve547 wrote in post #5896016
I'm planning to rent a 100-400 canon IS lens for my first (and probably only) safari and have some questions

I just got back from what I expect will be my once-in-a-lifetime safari where I used a rented 100-400, and hope I can help with some answers!

steve547 wrote in post #5896016
should I use the IS or not to get the sharpest pictures?

Yes, use it. You will be dealing with some degree of motion a lot of the time (as other people move or as you move in trying to brace the camera) and the IS will help.

steve547 wrote in post #5896016
what f stop and shutter speed should I use for the sharpest pictures?

For sharpness alone, around f8 (or even f11), with the shutter speed as high as you can get it without bumping the ISO up too much. But you'll want to vary the f stop in particular depending on the shot (f5.6 gives you a nice shot when you want the background blurred). You can see some of the variety in the shots I posted here. In particular, compare this shot (at f11) with this one (at f5.6). The first one would have been better if I'd shot at f5.6 or so.

steve547 wrote in post #5896016
what ISO should I use

Depends on the light. The best time of day for gorgeous shots is early morning and late afternoon into evening when the light is golden. But you'll have to bump the ISO up to take best advantage of that light.

steve547 wrote in post #5896016
what accessories should I take ( ie. bean bag, lens filters, lens hood etc.)

The one accessory I found most useful was a monopod. The second most useful was a portable storage unit.

steve547 wrote in post #5896016
I plan on renting the lens a week before I leave. Is that enough time to get familiar with it?

If you're accustomed to heavy lenses, sure. The push-pull zoom is a breeze to adapt to. But if you're NOT used to heavy lenses, then frankly no. I didn't really feel comfortable with the lens until the second week of intense use, and the shots I got show it -- the second and third week's shots were a lot better than the first week's shots.

steve547 wrote in post #5896016
any suggestions on where to rent the lens from?

Two companies I'd recommend any day: LensProToGo.com in Massachusetts and LensRentals.com in Tennessee.

Have a great trip.

Depending on where you go and how you are travelling, i never really experienced any situations where i need to pan for fast moving subjects. I travelled from Nairobi to Capetown overland in a leyland truck with just a 28-105 and 100-300 EF lenses and a 1.4x converter , i could have used a fast prime but my knowledge at the time didnt realise this. The converter i used only a couple of times from the roof of a landrover in Tanzania and found it just slowed the af down too much, the 100-400 is would definately be a bonus here. I also took a manfrotto tripod which i mainly used with just 1 leg extended as a monopod (worked well too).

Thanks again for sharing your experiences. They're a great help. Steve.

Btw, if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, consider renting a 500/4 + 2x TC & a second body. My first trip to Africa, in 2002, was only with a 100-400. Spent 4 months in different NPs and was quite happy with the reach (and this was with film, mind you). Have been there twice since, with a third trip possibly in this early August, and both times carted my 500. Ended up using the long lens 80% of the time.

Something to consider.

Vandit

have you considered buying a 100-400 and then selling it on when you get back? That way you could spend more time with it in the run up to the trip getting used to it?

might not be cheaper than renting for just 2 weeks, but might result in better photos with having more time with the lens. and you shouldn't lose that much on the sale, so it might work out similar to renting?

Hi Steve! Glad to see your plans are coming together. We talked in January by e mail, since then I did find the filter issue was a big part of my problems on some of the pics (see this thread: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=450695 )
I've been shooting sans filter since, but I would still use one in Africa due to the dust. I agree with the lens hood idea as well, it went on my lens in the morning and didnt come off until I was in the tent (unless I changed lenses for whatever reason) I always kept the camera on my lap with a bandana covering it. Hopefully you'll be with considerate people who know when to roll up a window! (we were on a package safari, not a photo group).
FYI, we bought a MAC for ourselves for Christmas after our November trip. After a lot of decision making and post processing (sometimes maybe too much) we ended up with a dvd (in April) with slideshows and video that we still watch and love. (some musical score hints: Out of Africa soundtrack, Soweto Gospel Choir, and Griegs morning mood for our Balloon ride (well worth the money in my opinion!)
PS...good luck with selling the lens after the trip, I still can't part with mine, and I still use the 75-300 as well when I dont want to carry the 100-400 around lol.... Have a great time!

Thanks Rick for your post and remembering me. I didn't know there was an issue with the UV filter before. Thanks for that link to the thread on filters. I guess I'll have the luxury of shooting without a filter since I'll be renting the lens. I'll just make sure I know the best way to clean dust off a lens. I was planning on looking you up again later. I'm just starting to get excited about the trip. I just ordered 2 more 4gig CF cards, a new canon battery, a bean bag and a sensor cleaning kit that I've never used before. We'll be going for our vaccines next week. As far as having considerate people in our vehicle, they're all my neighbors. Even though they may not be considerate, we have no problem telling each other to behave. Thanks again Rick and everyone else for all your help. Steve.

Just a thought......

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