getting into gear

I am breaking into the “feel good” programming of the last few weeks with a posting on gear. If you prefer not to read my safari gear report, feel free to take a nap.

Bodies
I traveled with two bodies both with cropped sensors: my D80 and a D90 that I borrowed from my brother-in-law. I used my D80 for the wide-angle shots. The reason why I mostly used the D90 was because it has a built-in dust remover. As I was changing lenses quite a bit and it was very dusty, I wanted to have that peace of mind. Having now reviewed my images, I can say that this strategy worked.

Lenses
Shortly before I left for Kenya, I traded in my 55-200mm Nikon kit lens for a 70-300mm f/4-5.6. It was the best thing I did given the budget I had. A rough estimate of 80% the +4000 frames shot were made using this lens. You cannot use a teleconverter with this lens and while there were times I wished I had more reach, more often than not this lens was sufficient. I also brought my 300mm f/4 with me but I ran into a couple of issues with it. In my haste, I actually purchased the wrong 1.4x teleconverter to use with this lens. I could have still used it because at 300mm it would have been sharper than my zoom lens but the lens was making strange noises as it was hunting to focus. It would have been distracting to everyone else in the van and you certainly don’t want to have any noise as you are shooting animals. The lens has gone to Nikon to diagnose the issue and I’ll keep you posted.

The remaining 20% of my images were shot with the 50mm f/1.8 lens loaned to me by my friend Dave, my Sigma 10-20mm, and the 17-35mm I borrowed from my roomie, Krista. I would definitely recommend taking a portrait lens with you as there will be a number of opportunities to shoot people. Since returning from Kenya I’ve purchased the 50 f/1.8 as it is a reasonable price for such a versatile lens. I really liked Krista’s 17-35mm. I didn’t use it much but when I did, I loved the results. It looks like that one will be going on my wish list.

Accessories
My suitcase was jam-packed with both my tripod and a monopod. Neither of which I used very much although in the beginning I did use my monopod since I did not have a bean bag (more about that next). You do need to stablize your camera and lens when shooting and I found that the monopod gave me the stability when I lined it up with the rooftop of the van. It was cumbersome when I switched to shoot at eye level through the window especially as there were four people (sometimes five) per van. Ideally for the size van we had, there should be no more than three shooters. I did purchase the Kinesis Beanbag to take with me but I was not able to obtain any beans or lentils for the bag so it remained unused. My recommendation is to take filler with you and not to assume that you will have access to them when you arrive. Don’t forget that you can (and probably should) ask your driver to turn off the vehicle when you have stopped to shoot. It’s a really simple thing to do and easy to forget but the vibration of the van can take away from the sharpness of your image.

One recommended accessory on the list was the Hoodman Loupe. It was my first time to use it and I loved it. You do need to be careful handling it especially if you are hanging it around your neck. My friend Maureen bought the same loupe. The thin rubber ring that goes around the loupe and connects to the strap that hangs around your neck broke. Mine came loose once or twice and I had to reattach it but it did not break.

On the filter front, I don’t have any special filters other than a three stop neutral density filter, a circular polarizer, and a magenta FLW, all of which I used. Actually the magenta FLW was used a fair bit by me and others but the next step up will be Singh Ray filters. Boy that wish list is getting a little long!

All of my gear was carefully packed into the Gura Gear Kiboko Bagdesigned by wildlife photographer Andy Biggs. I just love this bag. It is lightweight and so well-designed that I am certain it will become the standard for  photographers on a safari. The innovative butterfly design makes so much sense as you will need to keep your bag on the seat or the floor beside you and all you do is open up one side to access only what you need. At first the back pack straps were annoying to attach and detach but only because I am not used to carrying a back pack. After a while, I just left them connected and it was fine. You will need to carry a separate bag for your laptop. Some people might prefer to have an all-in-one but a number of participants who didn’t own a Kiboko carried their laptops separately so I don’t feel it was an issue at all. I do think that women may have some challenge getting this bag through as a carry-on if they cannot pull off the illusion that the bag and its contents meet the weight restrictions i.e. 8kg or 10kg depending on the airline.

Getting ready for a once in a lifetime opportunity you might be tempted to splurge on a lot of new equipment. I don’t believe that you need to, depending of course on what you already have in your bag. Much of what I brought with me I already owned and some of it since I started my photographic journey. The rest I was able to borrow or to acquire without going bankrupt. Sure it would have been nice to have a D700, a 200-400 mm and maybe a 14-24 mm but there’s is nothing like a few constraints to push you to work a little harder at learning your craft.