Tanzania Africa, D600 and... ?

[Chura]

Hi,

We're planning a trip to Tanzania-Zanzibar and as you probably guessed, Safari involved.

I have a Nikon D600 and 24-120f4 as my primary glass. (+50mm, 16-35mm)

Since 120 wont be enough, especially on FX i'm looking for other options:

1. Loan 70-200 + TC-20E-III - Big con is the weight, especially since my wife is the main photographer...

2. Use the TC-20E-III on my 24-120 (I'm not sure if its compatible), or buy one that fits.

3. Buy new lens, not too expensive, something like 70-300 ? if so, Nikkor ? Tamron ?

Thanks!

Chura

 

[AikenMooney]

Enjoy Tanzania & Zanzibar as they are great places to visit. We have been to Tanzania several times but Zanzibar only once.

You will get as many different answers as replies. I have a 24-120 which is great but I have never tried TC & don't think you can even mount TC on the lens.

1 70-200 is not long enough and really not good with TC 2 anyway, not great with any TC actually. Great lens just not for most wildlife.

2 Take 24-120 but no TC on it.

3. 70-300 is a choice if you want to purchase but still short on FX.

My suggestion.

Carry your D 600 & 24-120.

Rent 80-400 and D7100. Great lens & I consider 2nd body essential. I would also rent 12-24 or some other wide lens but you Samyang could work.

On safari I usually have D3s, 80-400 (was 200-400), D7100 & 24-120. I can mix & match FX & DX as required for light or focal length. My wife has a D300 (will there ever be a D400 or whatever) & 18-300. Please don't sell the 18-300 short as ours is a very good lens. We go more with field results than reviews & test targets. I have a 12-24 in my vest & when needed it really produces on the D7100. Actually it can be used at certain F/L's on the D3s but I have not had to resort to that yet.

Most important, have a great time.

Will interesting to read other suggestions, especially from people who have been. Am sure they will suggest something that I missed.

 

[vbuhay]

I just recenly purchased the Tamron SP 150-600 after trying it out at the LA Photoshow in May. I have been very pleased with it so far using D800e +D7100. I would think that it would be perfect for a safari lens. I have been even been able to use my Sigma 1.4TC with excellent results in adequate lighting.

One issue you might have is availability - it is backordered since its introduction. I will post some samples in my gallery for your reference. Good luck and post some pics when you get back. I am interested in an African Safari, let me know your experience.

 

[Chura]

Thanks!

Renting another D7100 is not an option, We're hobbiest photographers and taking extra camera is just too much.

That Tamron looks very nice, I have very good experience from my previous camera which was Canon 450D with Tamron 18-280. however how sharp is the 150-600 ? will it fit FX ?

 

[starman1969]

Thanks!

Renting another D7100 is not an option, We're hobbiest photographers and taking extra camera is just too much.

That Tamron looks very nice, I have very good experience from my previous camera which was Canon 450D with Tamron 18-280. however how sharp is the 150-600 ? will it fit FX ?

The sharpness on the Tammy 150-600mm is pretty respectable, at least up to 400mm. I don't think a converter will fit a 24-120mm, so the more powerful tele zoom is a better option.

 

[AikenMooney]

I really disagree on 2nd camera body. You are investing at least 10-14 days or more. There is air fare, tour costs, etc, etc, etc. One drop of camera (yes it happens), stolen camera, faulty shutter or whatever. I have been on photo trips of 6-10 photographers & usually at least one camera has a problem. These were pro bodies from Canon's & Nikon's as that is what you see 95% of the time.

On one trip it was very rough in the safari vehicle & our D3 got away from my wife after going thru a water hole. Nikon had to replace the lens mount when we got home. We had a spare & both of us could continue to shoot. I broke the flash foot off of it while here in the states but had a 2nd body to continue. Needless to say that body made several trips to Nikon Svc.

Just something to think about.

 

[RBFresno]

Enjoy Tanzania & Zanzibar as they are great places to visit. We have been to Tanzania several times but Zanzibar only once.

You will get as many different answers as replies. I have a 24-120 which is great but I have never tried TC & don't think you can even mount TC on the lens.

1 70-200 is not long enough and really not good with TC 2 anyway, not great with any TC actually. Great lens just not for most wildlife.

2 Take 24-120 but no TC on it.

3. 70-300 is a choice if you want to purchase but still short on FX.

My suggestion.

Carry your D 600 & 24-120.

Rent 80-400 and D7100. Great lens & I consider 2nd body essential.

"Yes and Yes"!

I would also rent 12-24 or some other wide lens but you Samyang could work.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

In Tanzania, there tend to be many times where you want all the reach that you can get. Many times, I would have liked more reach than the 700mm of the 500VR/1.4TC on an FX body.

And if photography is one of the primary reasons a person is going to Africa, I'd consider taking a second body essential. If you don't mind the possibility of your camera going out and coming home with no pictures, then forget a second body ;-)

I spoke with a couple of folks when I was in Tanzania, including one in my vehicle, that had camera problems. The conditions can be rough, and sometimes it doesn't take much to render a camera non functional in those conditions, even "pro" DSLR's like the D3/3s/4/4s.

If your camera goes out, Camera stores or Fed Ex drop offs are very few, and very far between! Plus, having two bodies minimizes lens changes and the subsequent sensor-seeking dust bunnies.

As far as wide lenses go, I decided to leave my 14-24 behind and never missed it, though I did bring along the much smaller 10.5 fisheye. A second body like a D7100 doesn't take up much more room in a bag than a 14-24.

Here's a link to a post of mine right after returning from Tanzania:

2012 Tanzania Post

And some more Tanzania pics if you are interested:

Tanzania pBase Gallery

On safari I usually have D3s, 80-400 (was 200-400), D7100 & 24-120. I can mix & match FX & DX as required for light or focal length. My wife has a D300 (will there ever be a D400 or whatever) & 18-300. Please don't sell the 18-300 short as ours is a very good lens. We go more with field results than reviews & test targets. I have a 12-24 in my vest & when needed it really produces on the D7100. Actually it can be used at certain F/L's on the D3s but I have not had to resort to that yet.

I was able to get a fair amount of camera gear into one bag, and was lucky enough to be in a vehicle with three empty seats!:

On one seat is an SB900 Flash, binoculars, 70-200VR, Zeiss 100/2, 1.4 and 2x TC's; on the other seat, a 500VR mounted on a D4, resting on a bean bag.

Missing from the picture is the D3 and 10.5 fisheye that I'm using to take the picture, and a 24-70 zoom.

Most important, have a great time.

Absolutely!

Will interesting to read other suggestions, especially from people who have been. Am sure they will suggest something that I missed.

RB

--
http://www.dpreview.com/members/2305099006/challenges
http://www.pbase.com/rbfresno/profile

 

[RBFresno]

I really disagree on 2nd camera body. You are investing at least 10-14 days or more. There is air fare, tour costs, etc, etc, etc. One drop of camera (yes it happens), stolen camera, faulty shutter or whatever. I have been on photo trips of 6-10 photographers & usually at least one camera has a problem. These were pro bodies from Canon's & Nikon's as that is what you see 95% of the time.

On one trip it was very rough in the safari vehicle & our D3 got away from my wife after going thru a water hole. Nikon had to replace the lens mount when we got home. We had a spare & both of us could continue to shoot. I broke the flash foot off of it while here in the states but had a 2nd body to continue. Needless to say that body made several trips to Nikon Svc.

Just something to think about.

1+ (See my post above).

RB

 

[Jerry Fisher]

I used a 300 f4 on FX and occasionally switched to DX ( also had a D90 with me that I occaisonally switched the 300mm lens to and used my 70-200 on the FX body. The 24-120 saw minimal use with the animals. If I could do it again , I would have at least a 400 mm tele with me.

I took my own bean bag. Sometime 2 were helpful.

 

[Phathom]

I've read a lot of good things about that Tamron. I think it sounds right up your alley for this trip.

 

[GVansteelant]

Back 2 weeks from a 15 day trip to Tanzania. Still sorting through the 8000+ pictures we took.

I had the 70-200 F/2.8 on the D800 and a Sigma 50-500 on the D3s. Turned out to be a great combo. The D800 and 70-200 gave fantastic results when we were in the middle of the migration or could get close enough to the lions, leopards, elephants, ... and the D3s with Bigma had the reach for when we couldn't get close enough.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Sigma by the way. Bought it second hand because I have no use for this long a lens in my professional photographic endeavours (portrait & wedding) and I'm glad I spent the EUR 750. Not good enough for the D800 when handholding or using a bean bag but gave very good results on the D3s.

Also had my 14-24 with me for shots of the breath taking landscapes. Recommended if you plan on going to the Ngorongoro crater and Lake Natron.

I'm sure you'll have a blast in Tanzania. We sure did.

 

[RBFresno]

Back 2 weeks from a 15 day trip to Tanzania. Still sorting through the 8000+ pictures we took.

I had the 70-200 F/2.8 on the D800 and a Sigma 50-500 on the D3s. Turned out to be a great combo. The D800 and 70-200 gave fantastic results when we were in the middle of the migration or could get close enough to the lions, leopards, elephants, ... and the D3s with Bigma had the reach for when we couldn't get close enough.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Sigma by the way. Bought it second hand because I have no use for this long a lens in my professional photographic endeavours (portrait & wedding) and I'm glad I spent the EUR 750. Not good enough for the D800 when handholding or using a bean bag but gave very good results on the D3s.

Also had my 14-24 with me for shots of the breath taking landscapes. Recommended if you plan on going to the Ngorongoro crater and Lake Natron.

I'm sure you'll have a blast in Tanzania. We sure did.

Hi!

Glad you had a great time!

I note that you are another two-body traveler. Hope that the OP notices how many of us are recommending a second body! When you think of it, a D7100 doesn't take up a whole lot of space in one's camera bag.

As I mentioned above, I had reluctantly left my 14-24 behind and somewhat to my surprise, didn't seem to miss it much, even for landscapes. But I recognize that we all have different ways that we like to capture things!:



(These were all taken with a 100mm lens)

Ngorongoro Crater:

Nikon D4 ,Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF
1/640s f/11.0 at 100.0mm iso800

Nikon D3 ,Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF
1/500s f/8.0 at 100.0mm iso250

Nikon D3 ,Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF
1/1600s f/5.6 at 100.0mm iso3200

Nikon D3 ,Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF
1/640s f/8.0 at 100.0mm iso250

RB

http://www.dpreview.com/members/2305099006/challenges

pbase Artist rbfresno

 

[GVansteelant]

Indeed wonderful landscape pictures. I have to admit, I automatically grab for my 14-24 when thinking of landscape pictures except when I want to compress the view to accentuate the 'fall off' in mountainous or hilly landscapes but your pictures show I should keep an open mind as to focal length.

On our trip, I also had the 90 mm Tamron macro and 50 f/1.4 with me so all the lenses, together with a Macbook Pro in the same back pack made for a very heavy load. Still would pack the same for the next trip.

Cheers,

Gus

 

[vbuhay]

The Tamron is quite sharp, just below the 400 f2.8 VR but you will have the versatility of 150-600. See below:


tamron 150-600@600 +Sigma 1.4 with D7100 - 640 ISO, 1/800, f6.3 no sharpening.


tamron 150-600@600 +Sigma 1.4 with D800e - 200 ISO, 1/400, f6.3 no sharpening


tamron 150-600@150mm +Sigma 1.4 with D7100 -800 ISO, 1/30, f7.1 Moon Light only no sharpening.


tamron 150-600@600 +Sigma 1.4 with D800e - 200 ISO, 1/160, f6.3 No sharpening.

 

[Chura]

Hi,

First thank you all for this comments, everything taken into consideration.

Renting here is not very popular so I'm not sure about it. also, We're kind og amateurs so taking 2 bodies really sounds like overkill. Yes, I agree that there's a reasonable chance i'll have problem with the body but its a consciously risk.

The 150-600 looks promising, and its on stock here (some benefits of living far away ). Its double the budget I have so i'm still thinking. I wonder if the TC-20e III will work on it too.

 

[vbuhay]

Its in stock??? where? some one in Honduras is looking for one. Its been backordered in the US. I have the TC-20eIII, and it does not work with it at all (I cannot even mount it). I did work well enough with the Sigma TC 1.4 EX I have. It auto focuses if used with the single middle focus. I would get one before it is gone if I were you.

Good luck.

 

[starman1969]

Whilst you are there you might want to try a quick photo of the night sky in Tanzania, using the Samyang 14mm f/2.8. With the right settings you should get an amazing shot because the sky should be very clear. That is another bonus of being in such a remote place.

 

[PSCL1]

To the OP: You need a second body, maybe DX to extend your reach, to protect against dust and other disasters.

Buy the longest lens you can afford, whether Nikkor or off-brand.

 

[kayaker353]

My vast experience (one trip to northern Tanzania in 2009) says that two cameras and continuous coverage of relevant focal lengths is a good way to go. That way, you are always ready when an opportunity arrives. No delay to analyze the scene and choose appropriate equipment. Scenes are sometimes fleeting. No need to be concerned about protection from dust. All that I had was a Canon G10 and D300 with the old 80 to 400 lens. This is not an excessive amount to gear to carry for two weeks. I got some great shots and was quite happy with the results. I think that 400 mm is long enough, although the Tamron makes 600mm appealing. The extra length could provide more opportunities, especially for birds. Long shots or large animals with a 600 (or 400) will likely be degraded by atmospheric haze. What the appropriate focal length range is for you is something for you to work out and there many choices of body and lens that will meet your needs. You should also consider the nature of your tour. We had an entire car to ourselves, so could spread out without imposing on anyone. If you are going on a tour in a somewhat crowded vehicle, you should consider your fellow travelers and the flexibility you will need to take photos when choosing equipment.