This is an excerpt we got from James over at Eyesonafrica.net for taking the perfect pictures when your on Safari in Africa.
Courtesy of Eyes On Africa:
Camera: I strongly encourage anyone interested in taking quality wildlife images on your African safari to invest in a digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera. I do not recommend point-and-shoots. However, that said, many of the new “all-in-one” (ie, no removable lens) digital cameras will get you some excellent shots, as the animals are often within close enough range of the vehicle for these cameras to capture good images.
My next suggestion may be impractical for most but here it is anyway: bring 2 cameras. Even if you bring a smaller, less functional backup, if something happens to your ONLY camera on your African safari, you will lose out on some of your enjoyment. At least if you have some backup with you, you can still record images. The best is to have two good cameras – put a lens on each and use them both! This is my suggestion and is really just insurance for most people.
Camera Support: I have taken tens of thousands of images on African safaris and my techniques for getting the best shots have changed slightly over the years. However, my main goal (and struggle) has always been the same – to find the most effective way of taking sharp, well exposed images. The main problem any guest will face in the photographic sense is finding the best way to steady your camera. The problem becomes more pronounced when using longer focal-length lenses.
I have used all conceivable techniques (I believe), including home-made mounts that affixed to the side of the Land Rovers consisting of a big C-clamp, a length of teak wood, a window mount, and an Arca-Swiss ball head. I used this for several years. Lately I have gotten more simplistic. Today, I stick with a good beanbag (I take my own but the vehicles usually have extras) and a tripod. I set the tripod up on the floor in front of me and, with the attached ball head (which pans and adjusts to any angle); this gives me a wider range of sight than the fixed door mount. It works well. I also used to sit in the front seat next to the driver which limits your angle of view in that you are lower down.
For anyone not using a very large lens (ie, if you can hand-hold your camera without struggling from the weight) a beanbag will usually suffice. I encourage you to bring a beanbag (empty – you can fill it with sand when you arrive in the camp) or two. If you are using a small point and shoot, most of this does not apply – again, I urge you to bring an SLR camera if you can afford one or borrow one.
Image Stabilization Lenses: If you’re considering purchasing a new lens, I would strongly advise you to consider one which offers image stabilization. Both Canon and Nikon offer image stabilization lenses covering a wide range of focal lengths.
Typically, the use of some solid form of support (tripod, beanbag, etc) is essential to hold the camera completely still while you take your shot (especially with larger/heavier lenses); otherwise you risk the blurred images that are all too common when hand-holding a camera. The rule of thumb when hand-holding a camera is to use a shutter speed that is at least as fast as one over the focal length of the lens. For example, if you are trying to handhold a camera with a 200mm lens, you will need to have the shutter speed set for 1/200 or faster in order to maintain sharp focus.
Using an image-stabilized lens (Nikon calls their version Vibration Reduction) permits safe hand-holding (ie, no tripod or other support needed) at up to two full f/stops (Nikon claims three) slower shutter speeds than would otherwise be possible, and since they make hand-holding so practical, it’s easy to shoot quickly and follow rapidly moving subjects. What this really means is that images which would otherwise turn out blurred or slightly out of focus can be captured in perfect focus using these lenses. My top recommendations for an IS/VR lens on an African safari would be the Nikon AF VR Zoom-Nikkor ED 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D and the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM. Neither is inexpensive, but both offer a wide range of focal length and are great if you want to bring just one lens.
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