Please advise on kit for Kilimanjaro then Safari

RFernando · Jan 23, 2019

I'll be going to Tanzania this October for our Honeymoon and are planning to climb Kilimanjaro and do a Safari afterwards.

For the Kilimanjaro hike, I was planning to bring my D850 with a 24mm F1.4 Prime (would rent) to save weight/space. Would having the fixed length be of any issue? Has anyone else hiked Kili with their DSLR and have any feedback/advice?

After the Hike we're planning a private 9-Day Safari (Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti) and the kit I'm planning on bringing is:

Nikon D850

Nikon D800

Nikon 70-200 f2.8

Nikon 200-500 f5.6

Nikon 24mm f1.4 (would have from the hike)

I'm thinking of putting the 200-500 on the D850 and the 70-200 on the D800. Is having nothing shorter than 70mm (besides the 24mm prime) going to be an issue? I've read mixed things about how "wide" you need to go on safari.

Also, I'm just a hobbyist and this as this is our honeymoon this isn't really a "photography" specific trip, but at the same time this is probably a once in a lifetime thing so I want to ensure that I come away with some good photos/memories.

Other gear I have available to bring is:

- Tamron 15-30 f2.8 - (would love to bring this for the safari portion for camps, night time but size/weight can be an issue)

- Nikon 24-70 f2.8 - (I would ideally bring this on the hike - but size/weight could be a problem)

- Nikon 50mm

I also have an Olympus OMD EM5 with a "splashproof" 12-50 kicking around that I could bring but was thinking against it as this would be brought just for the climb and I would like to travel with as little extra as possible.

Nikita66 · Jan 26, 2019

Maybe you are young and strong, but that sounds like a lot of heavy stuff to me. Unless you're a pro, I would never lug two large SLRs around on a trip. but I'm a very minimalist traveler.

I've done safari in Tanzania with only 70-200 and a 24 mm and got some great shots. Yes, sometimes It wasn't enough reach, but the guide trucks can get you close enough many times. And your high-res cameras will allow a lot of cropping.

My daughter and hubby climbed Kilimanjaro. There was some low pressure system hovering over and they could hardly breath at the top. She couldn't make it; had to sit and wait, while he made it, but like some others that day, could only walk five or ten meters at a time. I think a bunch of heavy cameras and lenses would have kept him from reaching the summit, at least on that day.

In any case, you will love this trip.

Mt Kilimanjaro

Jswell · Jan 26, 2019

I did this trip last year with an Olympus EM1 and lens coverage from 16-420mm. A friend had a d610 with combo of the same range. The 24 prime wouldn't be bad for summit day, as that will be leaving camp somewhere around 11pm or 12am for most and summit right at sunrise. Lots of options for wide shots, but I'm really happy I had a long lens as well. Weight shouldn't be a huge issue, for better and worse, you will have porters carrying most of your stuff and the hiking will be with a smaller day pack carrying lunch, water, a few extra clothes, and camera.

I think it would be worth taking a longer lens. At the least, I would do the 24-70 over only the 24 prime.

Make sure you have a good pack and rain cover, you will get rain on Kili. May be hiking in rain for hours. Tents will be humid, temps at night below freezing. Take a good handful of plastic bags and silca packets to help combat moisture build up when going in and out of tents.

For the safari, my 100-400 did well but it would not have been terrible to have more reach! At times, having something shorter would have been nice but not a deal breaker. It is really dusty, so won't want to change lenses often while on the move.

mfinley · Jan 26, 2019

RFernando said:
For the Kilimanjaro hike, I was planning to bring my D850 with a 24mm F1.4 Prime (would rent) to save weight/space. Would having the fixed length be of any issue?

It will be an issue if you want to make images other than those you can make with just a 24mm focal length lens. But, If you have to ask, the answer is always really the same- it won't be an issue for you, as you aren't going to 'see' all of the other images to be made besides those with a 24mm.

The reality is there is no such thing as a Kilimanjaro lens. I'd probably rather have the versatility of a good cell phone camera at lower image quality but more versatility than the limitations of better image quality of a D850 with a fixed 24mm on it. Are you planning on making giant wall sized prints or are you mainly going to be putting your pictures on facebook, on your computer, or other online uses where giant image quality is irrelevant to interesting images?

RFernando said:
After the Hike we're planning a private 9-Day Safari (Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti) and the kit I'm planning on bringing is:

Nikon D850

Nikon D800

Nikon 70-200 f2.8

Nikon 200-500 f5.6

Nikon 24mm f1.4 (would have from the hike)

I'm thinking of putting the 200-500 on the D850 and the 70-200 on the D800. Is having nothing shorter than 70mm (besides the 24mm prime) going to be an issue? I've read mixed things about how "wide" you need to go on safari.

Also, I'm just a hobbyist and this as this is our honeymoon this isn't really a "photography" specific trip, but at the same time this is probably a once in a lifetime thing so I want to ensure that I come away with some good photos/memories.

Good photo memories can be made with a cell phone camera. Having 2 bodies with a short and a long lens on it is ideal for someone who is dedicated to making images above everything else on this trip. For someone who said this isn't really a photography trip, it's our honeymoon, two bodies is to say it gently, a bit ridiculous. Bring a body, bring your 24-70 and your 70-200 and call it a day, make some nice images and enjoy the honeymoon.

If it was me I'd be taking that 200-500, but I would be going with images high on my priorities but you are not.

--
Thanks,
Mike
https://www.instagram.com/mikefinleyco/

rcon · Jan 27, 2019

Just came back from Tanzania and Kenya in Sept. What I found to work was a 24-105 (30% of shots) on a full frame and a 100-400 (70% of shots) on a crop sensor. I was able to abscond the back 2 seats of the pop top jeep so was able to keep both cameras ready. I did not miss an ultra wide angle ( 16-35 ) nor the ultra long (150-600 ). I packed a flash that never came out of the bag. Using the above combination there were very few times that I missed any other combinations. Beware of the weight. If you are flying on a small airline check out their carry on weight limits, I had to buy lighter camera bags to stay within their weight limits.

You will love it, my wife and I are already talking about going back.

Rob

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Please advise on kit for Kilimanjaro then Safari

RFernando

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Nikita66

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Jswell

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mfinley

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