For many, going on safari in Africa is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If its your first time traveling to Africa you could also be unsure as to what to pack and what to leave behind.
It’s not easy traveling heavy half way around the globe; one has to be selective as to what you carry.
Given that this time in our lives will end, and we will be able to travel again, we thought it would be best to quickly run through some must-haves when packing.
A camera for one is an absolute essential!
I often get asked what camera gear is best for safari, but it’s a difficult question to answer as everyone’s taste in photography differs; some people love the wildlife aspect and might opt for a telephoto (zoom) lens, some would rather enjoy the African landscapes and prefer a wide angle lens. But camera gear is not cheap and it’s not light either especially if you are wanting to carry fixed or prime lenses, which can be tricky to travel with.
This is where the Londolozi Photographic Studio lends a hand with its wide range of lenses, saves you the hassle of lugging cumbersome equipment all the way to Africa.
Londolozi Photographic Studio
In my experience living at Londolozi I have found that 300mm is a great focal length to use when on safari, may it be in the form of an 80-300mm lens or a 300mm prime. The focal length is what matters most to me; I’ve even found that when shooting with a 100-400mm, most of the time I’m somewhere between 250mm and 300mm when shooting. Keep in mind that this is if your focus is mainly wildlife.
The good news in this is that most standard entry level camera bundles you find have an option of a lens somewhere around this 80-300mm rang. Dependant on the brand focal lengths might vary slightly.
(As a side note if you are a birder, I would suggest nothing less than 400mm.)
A big yawn before getting mobile. Taken with Canon 300mm F2.8 Prime lens.
Here is a checklist of items that should always be in your camera bag:
- Camera Body and lens
- Battery and Spare
- Battery Charger (this is vital, as your battery might vary in size and shape traveling to other countries, making it incompatible with other chargers, even if we had the exact same cameras)
- Memory Cards
- Microfibre Wipe (Keeping the Lens clean)
Make a list, and be sure you have taken everything into account.
These items are crucial when going on safari.
If you don’t have a large zoom lens but would like to use one, you can easily pre-book through the Londolozi Website and we will reserve the lens for your stay, making it easy for you to travel light and also try out different focal lengths that suit you best on your safari.
The Londolozi Studio looks forward to welcoming visitors back after the travel ban is lifted…
Great bog Matt. We can’t wait to travel to the bush.
Matt, wonderful blog today, all the camera equipment I bring is an Canon FX70, with a wide lens capturing everything I need to capture🤗
Thanks Matt! We can’t wait to pack up our gear again for our next visit to Londolozi! What is your opinion of the aperture range on the telephoto lenses? A 2.8 vs 4.0 lens for example?
Hi Michael and Terri!
We can’t wait to have you back!
I for one will always go with the 2.8, that’s my personal preference, i like my images having a shallow depth of field. Other people might prefer the F4 as you get more of your subject within the field range. However the F2.8 does serve at an advantage in low light situations, giving you the upper hand at dusk when needing that extra shutter speed.
Great photo of a “serious” Sean Z.
I rented my photographic equipment from Londolozi and it was a breeze. Pictures came out great
Pleased to hear you had a wonderful experience!
Great information, thanks!
Glad you mentioned spare batteries, not just for the camera but for some accessories as well. I also feel strongly about a protective filter over the lens (UV or Skylight) which has saved a trip on a couple of occasions over the past. And some sort of device like a laptop to download to has been critical to us along with an external storage drive to make sure we had two copies of everything on separate devices. We also travel with rain coverings for the cameras & lenses just in case of rain or severe dust. I would also recommend a puff-blower to get rid of the gritty dust before using the microfibre cloth. None of these things except the laptop weigh more than a few ounces in total. On a separate note my wife uses all this type of stuff and also carries along a second camera & lens, a second battery charging unit and lots of memory cards. I use a Nikon P900 which is a fully functional all-in-one camera/video unit with a 24-2000 mm lens, but small and lightweight, so we really have everything covered, if she can’t get the picture I usually can get a shot.
My camera gear is set, but just need to rent a longer lens than my Nikon 70-200/2.8 I have a new Sony A7r iv but only with a 24-105 lens….
First I need to continue to rehab my fractured wrist so I can travel, photograph, etc. Looking forward to returning!!
Hi Denise, Sorry to hear about your wrist, i hope for a speedy recovery!
70-200mm F2.8 is one of my all time favourite lenses.
Waiting impatiently for international travel into South Africa is allowed again. Hope to be at Londolozi in November, 2020.
Thanks Matt. I’m already packed!
No doubt about that Al! i have the 300mm patiently waiting for you!
Cheers Matt. I actually bought a used 300m 2.8 when I was in Tokyo for the rugby World Cup!
Plenty of batteries and memory cards. I always bring a spare body with me as a back up.
The other thing is try and get an idea of the weight that you will be carrying, I now choose lenses on the basis of weight , do you really need a 300 F 2.8 when a 300 F4 is much lighter.
Do you need full frame or half frame?
A Canon 7D with a 300 lens has a longer focal length than a Canon 5 or 6 .
Don’t forget you’ll be lugging your camera bag with you through airports and it can get very heavy.
Sadly we have no plans to visit in the short term but the lock down has made me realise that I need to get back to Londolozi soon!
I have changed my gear to Fuji (a lot do with weight and size) and would love Londolozi to start including some mirrorless gear in their offering to guests to hire.
Hi Gillian!
We are working on the mirrorless range, hopefully next time you visit we will have some gear in our arsenal to offer you during your stay!
Great news!
I find a small torch is essential – learnt this the hard way, trying to find the various buttons on a black camera in a black bag when it’s almost dark!
Hi Matt, thank you for the blog! I’m actually on the hunt for some new equipment (also have a passion for wildlife photography) so this post was very helpful 🙂