[ovrexposed]

Spent over $2000 on photography equipment in a once-in-a-lifetime trip to South Africa . Purchased the 50 to 500 mm sigma bigma lens. The Pentax 1.4 converter adapter . The Dolica DS 570 travel tripod . A Crumpler backpack . Two Eddie Bauer travel vests two different colors . Traveling with 15 family members staying four days of Londolozi Safari. Spent two months practicing taking pictures of birds my local area. Taking two camera bodies the Pentax K3 and the Pentax KR. My daughters is going on the trip and she's got a Pentax K 30 my thoughts were to let her borrow the 1.4 converter and the 55 to 300 mm zoom. Most of the other family members are going to be point-and-shoot photographers .

The lens that I packed in the backpack are the following . The Pentax 12 to 24 wide angle lens . Pentax 55 to 300 zoom lens . The Pentax plastic 35mm . The kit lens I got with my KR the 18-55 mm of zoom. The trip is six months in the making .

The purpose of this post is to get some feedback on some suggestions something you may think I want to do on this trip. Photography speaking . Thanks for any comments be back in 10 days .

[alamo5000]

How long will you be in SA?

Are you mainly and only wanting to shoot pictures of animals?

What other activities are you looking to get into?

Are you going to any other parts of SA?

[MarkJerling]

A few points. Enjoy your trip - I'm sure you'll have fun with that Sigma lens - it will let you get closer to the animals. Take some cleaning swabs, solution, etc. The fine African sand can get in everywhere. Do not get out of your vehicle to photograph lions lazing under a tree. They may look lazy and slow to you, but to them, you look lazy, slow and like lunch. I'm not joking - happened to the son of a friend of my dad. He went closer and closer for a better photo and they ate him.

In South Africa, you may experience something called "African Taxes". Basically, remember to hold onto your stuff. Someone at the airport may offer to help you carry your stuff - if that person and your stuff disappears - that's African Taxes. Many people are dirt poor and a few are not honest. Do not leave gear in a car - African Taxes. Do not keep your wallet in your back pocket - African Taxes. If you do lose anything this way - don't be upset. Think of it as your contribution to the poor and less fortunate than yourself.

Check with the locals which roads are safe in the day time and at night. If you can, avoid driving unfamiliar routes at night, especially. Remember that they drive on the other side of the road, so that can be a challenge if you're not used to it. Always keep an eye out for anyone acting suspiously. It goes without saying that you will find most people keep their car doors locked, windows closed and if you are in a minor fender bender - beware - that may simpy be a ruse to get you to stop and get out of your vehicle. If you feel the situation seems suspicious, then drive on to a Police station and report the accident there.

Of course, it's not all doom and gloom. It's cheap if you're paying dollars and you'll have a great time. Most people are friendly and treat tourists well. Have fun and take lots of photos, as I'm sure you will!

[biz-engineer]

Have you thought about using a trolley to carry all of this. Recently in a national park I saw a Canon photographer carrying his heavy gear with the trolley in the woods.

[Bob from Aus]

Have you thought about using a trolley to carry all of this. Recently in a national park I saw a Canon photographer carrying his heavy gear with the trolley in the woods.

Ha ha - lions don't eat trolleys so your trolley at least will be safe. However you are not allowed to feed the wildlife, so in most places which are truly wild you are not allowed out of your car. Probably the most troublesome animal are baboons - not to be messed with and they have really good brains.

I think the 50-300 on your daughter's camera on its own will be fine. Most the time you drive up to what you want to photograph and shoot. My first SA trip I used the 50-500. I got some great results. The two bodies will work well for you. Depending how and where you travel, you may do some damage to someone's head with the big sigma.

Hope you have plenty of cards or backup hard drive. last trip 22,000 pics.

In SA the safest places to be are in the parks. You won't find anyone creating trouble there. I'm sure your family will have a great time.

[Neville]

Most of your wildlife shooting will be from a safari vehicle, so your tripod will be of no use there.

I suggest that you also pack a beanbag to support your long lenses while you shoot from the vehicle, although I am not too sure that will work either, as I am used to self-driving in our game reserves and I can rest my beanbag on the top of my open window, whereas the safari vehicles don't have windows...

Otherwise, you seem to have all the bases covered, photography-wise.

Enjoy it!

Just to inspire you, here is a link to some photos that I took on my annual trip to Kruger National Park in April.

[BakDinitzen]

Maybe you already thought of this, but it might be a good idea to think of a way to back up your memory cards!! They are small, and if you carry them in some sort of wallet, someone could think of it as a way to cover the 'taxes'!!

[narual]

Too late now, but something like this would probably have come in handy:
Porter Case - /main/product_info.php?products_id=73

I have two of them (slightly different models from the link), a full size one and a smaller one. My last few short trips, I've taken the photo liner stuff out (except for the foam pad on the bottom) of the larger one, and used it as a small suitcase. My wife packs for the weekend with roughly the amount of stuff you're probably taking to Africa, and being able to pile up the bags is really nice. I've carried two quite large suitcases, a carryon, and my normal camera bag strapped to it with less hassle than taking just my normal suitcase (except it does take a moment to convert to cart mode and load all the bags up).

Have a great trip, and be safe!

[Not a Number]

I stayed at/did the Londolozi Safari. Wonderful venue. They used open vehicles rather than the pop top van/mini bus that are popular with other safari operators so sometimes they may not get as close to the animals as they do in the vans. You should have plenty of reach with the focal lengths + TC that you are packing. I did ok with a film camera and an 80-200mm zoom + 2x TC. I rarely used the TC.

Do a night safari - they use spotlights so you should be able to get some shots. If they offer a walking safari definitely do that too.

Take plenty of memory cards, spare batteries, and charger (with plug converter) and have a wonderful time.