Africa Photo Safari Camera Equipment
Photo Gear You Need for Your Africa Photo Safari
One of the biggest challenges of traveling to Africa, especially on an Africa Photo Safari, is getting all your “stuff” to the destination. Of course, what I mean by “stuff” is the essential Cameras and Lenses. So I compromise, which means I take less clothes and more Cameras! To keep the Cameras safe and make sure it makes it there, I pack the most important things into my carry-on. A pack with shoulder straps that complies with international airline carry-on restrictions is a necessity. Check with the airline to make sure your bag is compliant. You can use foam dish protectors (from a store like U-Haul that carries moving supplies) to protect each camera body and lens. To carry your laptop computer and other small stuff, you might also bring a small shoulder bag.
On my first African photo safari, I didn’t take my longest glass and regretted it, so now I always take my 600mmf/4. I recommend taking a minimum of a couple camera bodies and a variety of glass.
On my most recent Safari to Africa, my gear consisted of three camera bodies: the Canon 1D Mark IV was my primary wildlife camera, a 5D Mark II I took for landscape and video, and I also had a Canon EOS 50D just in case.
The lenses I take are all Canon: a 600mm L IS f/4, 300mm L IS f/2.8, 70-200mm L IS f/2.8, 24-105mm L f/4, and a 1.4X and a 2X teleconverter. I also had a Canon 580EX II Flash, cable release, and a variety of miscellaneous equipment. Don’t bring a tripod or monopod because they’ll just get in the way. Instead of a tripod,use a bean bag like Arthur Morris’ Blubb that can be filled with beans as we stand and shoot from the Land Rover almost all of the time.