Going on Safari? This is what you need

So you’ll soon be going on your very own safari and you really want to take some top notch images but where do you start?

This week I have decided to put together a list of not only what I keep in my photography bag but also what I recommend you bring with in order to make the most out of your photographic safari.

We so often have guests from around the world that bought a camera specifically for their safari and so this article is here to help you make informed decisions on what you need to maximize your time spent in the bush as far as photography is concerned.
First and foremost, you need a camera obviously, but let me start this off by saying the best camera is the one you have with you. Whether it be a smartphone in your pocket, a point shoot or a fully fledged DSLR with all the bells and whistles, all that matters is that you get the image! However, I will use this platform to give you a couple of recommendations as far as wildlife and nature photography is concerned.
Photography is sadly a very expensive hobby and we don’t all have the means to get the best gear possible all the time. However, when looking for the perfect camera for you (with the outdoors in mind) please consider the below points.

• A camera with a decent ‘fps’ or frames per second is going to go a long way in helping you captures things like birds in flight or animals on the move. Something around the 5fps range should serve you just fine for this.
• Auto focus systems have come a long over the last few years and having a good focusing system built into the camera will make sure that you have far more keeper shots as the camera is able to maintain focus even as the subject or even you yourself moves around. Something to look out for in this department is the inclusion of what is called ‘cross type focusing points’. A system with these types of points will prove to be far more accurate than those without.
• Something which helps us outdoor photographers immensely is having a camera with good ISO performance. Having a camera that is good at high ISO will allow you to use much faster shutter speeds, something which is very important in maintaining clarity and of course freezing movement without blur.

At present I will go out on drive with two camera bodies set up to achieve different things and although this is a more expensive approach, it really is highly recommended. It allows one the opportunity to photograph the same scene in very different ways. For this reason, I have a setup with zoom in mind and another setup with wide angle in mind. Of course, this also makes it easier to capture landscapes and open scenes on the fly.

A last note concerning cameras, particularly for DSLR or mirrorless systems is that of full frame versus APS-C (crop frame) cameras. Crop Frame cameras are generally smaller and lighter and as an added benefit allow one to zoom in closer, to the tune of between x1.3 and x2.0. This allows you to get closer to the action. However, full frame cameras will generally have better low light performance as well as better image quality.
 
At the end of the day the most important thing you can do for your photography is to invest in good lenses or glass. Pairing a great camera body with a terrible lens is far worse than pairing a mediocre camera body with a great lens. With this in mind my recommendations for capturing wildlife and nature in general would be:

• Having a decent zoom lens, a lens with total zoom range of around 300-400mm should serve you just fine. This is often enough zoom to get you close to the action.
• A good secondary lens should be something a bit wider. Consider a lens with a minimum zoom range of between 14mm and 18mm. This will allow you to capture landscape and general scenes very effectively.

Lens can be incredibly expensive devices to buy, so unless you are very serious about your photography, try not to break the bank. You can also find great lenses from third party manufacturers like Tamron and Sigma for a fraction of the cost of original lenses from the likes of Nikon, Canon and Sony. For those wanting more reach and more detail in their images have a look at something like the Tamron 150-600mm f/6.3 lens, this is an incredible lens and you can find them brand new for around $800 or second hand for even less! Please also remember that you can easily change lenses in the field (as long as you are careful not to get any dust inside your camera while you do so) so it is not paramount that you have a secondary camera body!
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Now that you have a good idea of what to look at as far as cameras and lenses go let’s take a look at some of the extras that come highly recommended. After all you wouldn’t want to be in a situation where you have a stunning leopard in a tree on a kill at golden hour and suddenly you realise your battery is dead!
Below is a list of extras that I carry in my camera bag at all times:

• Extras Batteries (1 or 2 should be fine and always try stick with batteries produced by the actual camera manufacturer – they are just better!)
• A monopod or a tripod can help tremendously. Especially when you are using a big zoom lens! We do supply stabilising bean bags at Tanda Tula if you require one – just let us know.
• A decent camera bag. This not only helps you travel with your gear safely, but it also helps you keep all your goodies together on the back of the safari vehicle.
• Don’t get caught out in the cold by not having enough storage! Get some more SD cards, they are relatively inexpensive.
• On occasion we get the chance to photograph wildlife at night, so for these situations a small flash light can help a lot, rather than fumbling in the dark to find something in your bag.

I hope this brief article will help you in making informed decisions before you pop into your local camera store or buy something online. All guests are more than welcome to email me at luke@tandatula.com if you have any further questions or if you would like a little advice on what direction you should take.
Until next time, happy snapping!