[jddwoods]

I have both the 55-300 PLM and the DA*300. For all practical purposes, I use my 55-300 PLM as a 55-280 mm lens since it jumps from f5.6 at 280mm to f6.3 at 300 mm. So which do I use: Both! if I do not need 300mm or more, the light weight and fast focus of the PLM is a huge advantage. But if I need reach 300 and more I use the DA*300 with and without the 1.4TC. The PLM is very sharp up to about 280mm but no question head to head at 300mm the DA* shows why it costs so much more. Also the TC pairs very well with the DA* 300, giving 420mm but it does not work as well on the PLM. Good luck, from what you are looking forward to, the DA* 300 may be a good alternative for you since it is very sharp and is hand holdable.

[UncleVanya]

I would suggest the DA18-270 if you have only one body. A giraffe or elephant needs wide, a lion needs tele...
A DA300 on a 2nd body would be nice...

Seb

My step dad tried an 18-300 on his Nikon D5300 and it wasn't long enough. This is where a compact high quality superzoom like a Nikon p900 might be the best option paired with the dslr.

[Cthulhugan]

My Sigma 150-500 performed MUCH better after doing focus calibration. Try that before replacing it. It’s also pretty good with the DA 1.4x teleconverter (700 mm, 1050 mm equivalent).

[aslyfox]

I was on Safari in Tanzania last August. . . . When I was on Safari, we were in Land Cruisers shooting from their open tops. There was no place to use a tripod or monopod on Safari. . . .

when we were in Tazania we were in an extended Toyota Land Cruiser just the two of us and the guide with pop up top

our guide provided bean bags for camera support ( turn off the engine to kill vibration ) and I found that if you had a back pack, you could add that to add height.

blankets and/or jackets could work too

however from what I have seen from photos, different types of vehicles are used in S. A.

check with your safari advisor to find out

[jrpower10]

I did a safari with nothing but a DA 18-250 and got some terrific shots. I'd second the advice re not swapping lenses a lot. There were rarely times when 250 wasn't enough reach but plenty of times where I needed the wide end. You'll wind up closer to animals than you think. To your original question, I think the 60-250 is worth every penny. After picking one up I sold my 55-300 and my 50-135.

[swanlefitte]

At chobe and kreuger i was mostly in bush so line of sight was limited 90% to less than 100 meters. Savanah is wide open. That can influence your choice a lot.

[aslyfox]

At chobe and kreuger i was mostly in bush so line of sight was limited 90% to less than 100 meters. Savanah is wide open. That can influence your choice a lot.

very nice

that sort of local knowledge is invaluable

[MrMojo]

It depends.
I've been lucky enough to go to Kenya twice on safari with film cameras, and a Cosina 100-300 was plenty long enough. The drivers were good and the wildlife plentiful, I can't remember ever needing more reach.
Your safari however could be quite different. I'd absolutely take a TC, just in case.

[alamo5000]

Safari pics are tricky. Almost everything I was going to say has already been mentioned. It's really going to depend on what you are wanting to do and the environment you are in. If you are in a tour group it's one thing. If you are in your own car it's another. If you are in the open plains vs forested areas it's something else. Every experience I had in African safaris either called for really long or really short lenses and almost always zooms work best.

If I could have a 'dream setup' for that purpose I would carry 2 camera bodies with 3 or 4 zoom lenses. On one would be the standard zoom, on the other a 70-200, and the last would be the longest thing I could find with a teleconverter. I would even consider something an ultra wide zoom too. The last thing you want to be doing is swapping lenses when you are out in the bush.

As you are going along the situation for shooting can and will change in very short order. It's very dynamic. Unless you are looking for a very specific shot you will go along and say 'wow that is a beautiful panorama' that may or may not have any animals in it. 10 minutes later you might be trying to zoom in on some elusive animal. Photography wise there is such a vast array of possibilities. You might do a landscape, a photo of a unique tree, a sunset, or you might take a portrait of a lion.

If you are just wandering into the situation taking pics of what you can with no plan then it's hard to say what to take.

For me I kind of prefer to take 'safari life' photos vs pictures of just wild animals. Some people mistakenly think the ONLY option for a safari is take a portrait of an animal, but in reality there are many more options. Taking a photo of a loaded down Land Rover crossing a river, or a panorama of a valley, a wide angle shot of elephants standing near a tree are just a few options.

Really though I say if it's your first safari don't get wrapped up in trying to get that up close shot of an animal. Broaden your horizons so to speak and document your experience.

[aslyfox]

I am not sure if this is available in the OP's area or not but it made quite a stir back in February on the forum

it might be of interest

the key is how much it holds, it could be set up on the roof of a vehicle if desired and the straps could be used to secure it to a vertical support

as demonstrated in the thread

Moman Mini Tripod - Greatest $30 Purchase in Last 5 Years! - Page 4 - PentaxForums.com

[Sandy Hancock]

My brother borrowed my HD DA55-300 to use with my old K-3 for a recent trip to Uganda. He is a digital newbie, and used some strange settings - tending to stop down well into the diffraction zone, thus also forcing the ISO way too high, but the results were still pretty good.

I did all the processing for him. Click HERE for an album.

Bottom line - I suspect the 55-300 PLM will be just fine unless you're aiming for National Geographic. Personally, I'd also take my DA*300 and teleconverter, ideally on another body.

[bassek]

I did a safari with my then less than a week old K30. Most of my settings were off on the new camera, luckily my trusty K-x was along paired with the F35-105 (fast AF!) and a big hood.
The K30 did perform every now and then paired with a F70-210 plus a 1.5x tele.

Lesson learned: Get used to your equipment before carrying them around the globe. Might apply on rental lenses too.

Seb

[mcmaze]

Thanks everyone for your advice, it's pretty obvious that the 150-450mm would be the best choice, photos posted by blackcloudbrew are simply brilliant, however I can't find it for less £1900 here in UK, also renting it will cost £45 a day, and I'm travelling for two weeks. For that amount of money I would rather pay a little extra and get a da* 60-250mm or a da* 300mm with a 1.4x TC.

Sandy Hancock's album shows that the 55-300mm PLM also delivers sharp IQ, accompanied with astonishingly fast autfocus, however with a 1.4x I'm afraid it will be slow towards the end of its zoom range.

My sigma 150-500mm doesn't have a focus issue, even manually focused it's still soft even in the centre, seems like I wasn't lucky with my copy.

I will keep the 20-40mm on a separate body that's for sure.

[aslyfox]

Thanks everyone for your advice, it's pretty obvious that the 150-450mm would be the best choice, photos posted by blackcloudbrew are simply brilliant, however I can't find it for less £1900 here in UK, also renting it will cost £45 a day, and I'm travelling for two weeks. For that amount of money I would rather pay a little extra and get a da* 60-250mm or a da* 300mm with a 1.4x TC.

Sandy Hancock's album shows that the 55-300mm PLM also delivers sharp IQ, accompanied with astonishingly fast autfocus, however with a 1.4x I'm afraid it will be slow towards the end of its zoom range.

My sigma 150-500mm doesn't have a focus issue, even manually focused it's still soft even in the centre, seems like I wasn't lucky with my copy.

I will keep the 20-40mm on a separate body that's for sure.

any way you could check to see if there was any companies in SA where you are going that might be able to rent equipment to you?

I understand the issue of cost of rentals, I recently rented a Pentax spotting scope to use at an event and then the event was cancelled due to weather

did get some hands on experience with it but not the experience I rented it for.

regardless of what equipment you bring, you will have a great time but

warning

it could be habit forming

[noelcmn]

Hi Mcmaze, just cam across this post and will offer some thoughts. Just don't understand why the Sigma delivers too soft. I use a very old Sigma 170-500 and on most occasions it is fine, and when it is not, usually it will be me and my crazy settings or set-up. You really will need a longer than 300mm lens especially if you want to capture birds. One visit to the Kruger a few years ago, I left the 500mm Sigma accidently at home, and to this day I regret that mistake, as some of the best sightings were had, many of them just to far away for the Sigma 70-300 I had to use then. Definitely try, if can, to come with the 150-500. If you have the time, I would have both the camera and lens checked out. My experience of teleconverters is that you tend to lose some IQ, and that is a factor.

The Lens had pretty acceptable reviews and some of the images are quite fantastic -https://photographylife.com/bird-photography-with-sigma-150-500mm-os. There is also a review on Facebook if you want to explore that. And this article confirms you impressions, but not something that cannot be fixed with a bit of PP - Bird Photography with Sigma 150-500mm OS - Photography Life

Having said that, it is also wise to remember when it comes to places like Kruger, its a case of "right place-right time" and you can get pretty close. Safari's will be an added bonus as they operate with plenty of help from other operators, and can usually locate sightings with ease.

Hope you have a fab time.

Noel