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What Canon lenses are best for use on Safari in Kenya?

garymak
Enthusiast

What Canon lenses are best for use on Safari in Kenya?  I am looking for advice based on experience, specifically in Africa, preferably Kenya, on a safari.   ("Experience" means you have first-hand knowledge of the tight spaces and even tighter weight restrictions on in-country flying, which means you have to carefully choose your equipment given these restrictions.)

Body is the R5, and if I can, 5D MKIII as back up.

What would experienced people recommend? 
1) Lenses I will bring:
- 16mm pancake (tiny, no weight consideration, and needed for those open plains shots...)
- 24-240mm ƒF4-6.3 IS (not an "L" but good range for travel)
- graduate ND 8 square glass filter for quick holding and eliminating time screwing round filters on and off
- polarizers

2) Lenses I can also bring given the above:
- EF 100-400mmL ƒ/4.5-5.6L IS II USM (+RF adapter)
- RF 600mm ƒ11 IS
- RF 70-200mmL ƒ4 IS

4) For accessories I will bring:
- unfilled bean bag - will scrounge around for beans or something to fill it with since we're dealing with weight restrictions
- Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod
- large nylon drawstring bags to put camera in on Land Rover outings.
- WANDRD PRVKE Lite Photography Bag (small, expandable, backside opening, comfortable, waterproof-ish)

5) For accessories what about:
- monopod (I've heard a tripod is impractical and the small Manfrotto works well most of the time and if I need height, I'll find something to put it on)

So, thoughts? I'd appreciate any feedback, suggestions, tips, tricks, considerations, recommendations, and considerations... Thanks!

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

JoeySnaps
Enthusiast

The doohickey...

Your RF 600mm f/11 lens has a tripod foot, but it's not on a collar that can be rotated. So if you wish to take a portrait-format photo, you'll need to use your tripod's head to rotate the camera/lens combination. Users of Canon's 'big white' lenses with proper tripod collar can simply slacken the collar clamp, rotate the lens in its collar, and re-clamp.

The illustrated doohickey is a third-party item, there are several versions available (check out Amazon) and they screw to your lens's tripod foot and provide an Arca-compatible foot, but also a second one at right angles, so you can release your lens from your Arca quick-release shoe and re-mount it on the other foot for portrait pics.

I have one mounted to my RF 800mm f/11 which is slightly different to the illustrated one, in that its 'main' Arca-compatible foot is longer, so I can slide it along the quick-release shoe to obtain optimum balance of my camera/lens combination. This is helpful when I'm using a gimbal head.

Arca L bracket.jpg

.
R6mkII, various lenses, speedlites. Also legacy Canons going back to T90 and even A1.

View solution in original post

14 REPLIES 14

robinh12
Apprentice

You are correct. Was being reserved. I had no idea single-use plastic bags had been prohibited since 2017. However, it appears that they still have a plastic problem. I'd be wary of taking a 5D3 on safari, but if this is your backup camera, it'll suffice. It is powered by the same battery as your R5 (good). Taking two bodies is a difficult decision. If something happens to the R5, everything is lost.


@robinh12 wrote:

You are correct. Was being reserved. I had no idea single-use plastic bags had been prohibited since 2017. However, it appears that they still have a plastic problem. I'd be wary of taking a 5D3 on safari, but if this is your backup camera, it'll suffice. It is powered by the same battery as your R5 (good). Taking two bodies is a difficult decision. If something happens to the R5, everything is lost.


Random?  I think maybe you mis-quoted me?  Does this mean we'll get a malicious link in your signature shortly?

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.7.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, +RF 1.4x TC, +Canon Control Ring, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve ~Windows11 Pro ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8
~CarePaks Are Worth It

" I'd be wary of taking a 5D3 on safari" - could you expand on this a little?

shadowsports
Legend
Legend

@joeySnaps described it perfectly.  The RF 100~400, 600 and 800 non L's don't come with cases, hoods or collars.  They are great lenses, affordable and great for travel.  

@garymak, you would probably only need the adapter if you wanted quick on/off.  I don't think you will do a lot of vertical shooting.  Maybe a simple arca plate for it instead.  (like the rest of your gear)

The 24-240 remails a good choice as it might eliminate the need to bring (24-105 and 70-200).  Even at 240 f6.3 you can still get an adequate amount of background blur behind your subject.  

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.7.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, +RF 1.4x TC, +Canon Control Ring, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve ~Windows11 Pro ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8
~CarePaks Are Worth It

ddronron
Apprentice

Thanks so much for your thorough advice.  Given your experience, would the 100-400 mm Canon lens  be the best to take on safari (90% usage )if I don't want to change lenses   I'm thinking my phone can take any shots needed that are close.  

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