# 2 lenses to bring on a gorilla safari in the Congo



## paulrobinson87 (Dec 2, 2015)

Hey all, I am going on a gorilla trek to the congo and will be bringing my 5d III. I need to pack light so I can only bring 2 lenses but dont know which ones to choose.

I have:

16-35 2.8 L II
24-70 2.8 L
70-200 2.8 IS L
100-400 4.5-5.6 IS L II

I would like to bring one wide and one tele but just don't know which would be best. I am leaning towards 24-70 and 100-400. thanks!


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## expatinasia (Dec 2, 2015)

At first I was going to suggest you take the 70-200 but then I noticed that it is Mark I, so I would probably go with the 16-35 (though I would be tempted to sell it and get the new 16-35 f/4) and if you have any left over possibly an extender to go with your 100-400 4.5-5.6 IS L II.

I have not used the 100-400 4.5-5.6 IS L II but reports seem to be good.

Have a great trip.


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## Visarend (Dec 2, 2015)

Would go with the following two and maybe a 1.4 converter?
16-35 2.8 L II OR 24-70 2.8 L, for general/landscapes but do not forget, you might get close to the gorillas thus leaning to the 24-70.
100-400 4.5-5.6 IS L II.


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## Maximilian (Dec 2, 2015)

Hi Paul! 

I hope you're going to have a great trip. 
Does Congo mean mountain gorillas or lowland gorilla or both?

I would vote against the 100-400 because i suggest that you're going into dense vegetation. 
Therefore 400 mm reach is not usefull. 

I'd tend to lean towards the 24-70 and 70-200 (although beeing V1).
Think about rain and humidity. Think about drying your equipment in field and over night. 
And think about changing lenses in field to be not recommendable because of humidity and dirt.

Again, I hope you're going to have a great trip.
Give us a report here and some photos


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## axtstern (Dec 2, 2015)

Advice from a GAS infected:

If you are Shooting Gorillas in the forrest you will want to catch as much light as possible. The lower part of a forrest can be very dark Gorillas can be pictured in two ways: As huge mountains of furr or as animals with character. In the latter case you want to isolate them from the bushes and trees arround. Your 70-200 at 2.8 will be a very good friend here.

If you believe to take your Pictures in the open go for the reach of your 100-400


Now considering that such a trip costs Money and that gear might look cheap in comparrison to the trip:

The Gentlemen here do not like the 28-300 L very much but for me the humidity and the requirements to be flexibe would shout for me exactly to use this lens. I would not want to fumble with lenses once I get Close to them. The 28-300 would be my failsafe Option and the 2nd lens I would bring should be a specialist. The 85 1.2 or the 135 2.0 maybe.

2nd consideration: Play safe. This is the excuse to buy an M or M3 with the EF Adapter and the 11-22mm lens.
First you have a backup in case the 5D3 is not available. Second you would have a Body with the alternative lens already mounted with you. Third the EOS M with the 11-22 still takes less real estate in your bag than any fullframe wide lenses you have listed.

Like always please forgive the spelling mistakes, Whatever I type in English goes through a forced German spell checker


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## Hjalmarg1 (Dec 2, 2015)

paulrobinson87 said:


> Hey all, I am going on a gorilla trek to the congo and will be bringing my 5d III. I need to pack light so I can only bring 2 lenses but dont know which ones to choose.
> 
> I have:
> 
> ...


I'd take the 24-70 2.8L and the 100-400 4.5-5.6 IS L II. You won't miss the 70-100mm FL and don't forget the 77mm polarizer filter


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## Maiaibing (Dec 2, 2015)

paulrobinson87 said:


> I need to pack light so I can only bring 2 lenses



You should absolutely bring a fast prime due to the low light you will be struggling with. Personally I would go for the 85mm f/1.2 - but its a guess because it may turn out to be too long at times and you could be better off with the 50mm f/1.4 (which is light weight and a solid performer in its own right) or splash with the 50mm f/1.2.

That and a medium tele. I'd take the 70-200 f/2.8 IS L II myself, also due to the light requirements.

(BTW You can bring more than 2 lenses if you choose accordingly.) 

Good luck with your choice.

PS: Let me suggest you consider bringing a color checker - its challenging getting the colors right.


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## sanj (Dec 2, 2015)

24-70 + 70-200


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## Maximilian (Dec 2, 2015)

dilbert said:


> paulrobinson87 said:
> 
> 
> > 24-70 2.8 L
> ...


Dilbert, do you know how many gorillas live in the savane, where you'll need reach?
And how many live in the rain forest where you can only see the chlorophyll of the green leaves at 400 mm?
(in dim light)

Really depends on the style of safari and where you'll travel to.


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## MrFotoFool (Dec 2, 2015)

Yes it is impossible to make recommendation without knowing the type of safari. Mountain gorillas (which have troops habituated to people) are the most common type of gorilla safari. Based on the firsthand experience of my brother and photos posted on other photo forums, the 24-70 2_8 is ideal for this. If it is lowland gorillas, they are far away and very difficult to see and you would probably need a 500 or 600 lens.


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## Ozarker (Dec 2, 2015)

24-70 and rent a 135 f/2L and 1.4 extender. Technically this is three lenses, but still very light weight.

This makes the 135 f/2L into a 189mm f/2.8L, I think. Two lenses in one and still quite fast.


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## FEBS (Dec 2, 2015)

Hi,

I did visit the mountain gorillas in Uganda last September. I can't speak about low-land gorillas, but if you visit mountain gorillas, the conditions will be the same as Uganda, because they only live in that part of Africa where Uganda, Rwanda and Congo border. You can find some of my photos of them on following post:
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=12203.msg559098#msg559098

Now, over there I did not shoot any photo on the 24-70 II 2.8. I used the 70-200 II 2.8 (23 photos) and the 300 II 2.8 (45 photos). We were really able to come as close as 2 to 3m, you may not come closer then 5 to 7m, But if you aren't ill and they approach you then you are lucky and can have much shorter distances like 2 to 3m.

*So my advice is reach and big apertures. 2.8 lenses are almost a must, below 100mm forget it. *

So if I really needed to shoot with your lenses and your 5D3 (so not renting anything else), I would only take the 100-400 II. Then I have the reach, and that lens can be shot wide open. The 5D3 can be used easily till 3200iso. If you would take your 70-200 and need to crop a lot, a lot of detail might be gone. Changing lenses is hard to do at that moment. I used 2 cameras during my visit of the mountain gorillas.

Of course you will also visit other areas in Congo, so I would not leave the 16-35 at home. The lenses I used on my Uganda trip (landscape, gorillas, chimps, birds and mammals) were following: 16-35 f4, 27-70 II 2.8, 70-200 II 2.8, 300 II 2.8 and 600 II and 1.4 extender. if I need to choose from your lenses for total visit in Congo it would be the 16-35 and the 100-400.

About polarizers: yes take them with you for Congo but not in the forest. The light is really very low there.


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## Canon Rumors Guy (Dec 2, 2015)

I'm going to Rwanda and Uganda in June for mountain gorillas and chimpanzees with Andy Biggs. He says a 70-200 is all you need. Throw in a 135 for some light weight redundancy.

A friend of mine just did the same trip, all he used was a the 70-200 2.8L IS II.


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## scottkinfw (Dec 2, 2015)

My 2 cents- 24-70 2.8L, and the 70-200 (if you can get the F4L IS, that would be lighter, without sacrifice).

You really should Ask Andy how close you will be to the gorillas, and that should help.

Sek



Canon Rumors said:


> I'm going to Rwanda and Uganda in June for mountain gorillas and chimpanzees with Andy Biggs. He says a 70-200 is all you need. Throw in a 135 for some light weight redundancy.
> 
> A friend of mine just did the same trip, all he used was a the 70-200 2.8L IS II.


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## hopegrad08 (Dec 2, 2015)

Canon Rumors said:


> I'm going to Rwanda and Uganda in June for mountain gorillas and chimpanzees with Andy Biggs. He says a 70-200 is all you need. Throw in a 135 for some light weight redundancy.
> 
> A friend of mine just did the same trip, all he used was a the 70-200 2.8L IS II.



+1. I went gorilla trekking last year at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda and all I used was my 70-200 f/2.8 mk ii on my 5D3. This was for mountain gorillas in a fairly dense forest. Regulations required that I stay a minimum of 7 meters away from the gorillas and will probably be similar for you. That meant that I had little use for wide focal lengths. Most of the time, I was about 7-10 meters from them.

It is an incredible experience. Easily one of my top 5 travel experiences. Enjoy and hope you get some great shots!


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## paulrobinson87 (Dec 3, 2015)

thanks so much all for the responses! I have decided that going light weight probably is not an option. I also realize changing lenses out there is not that good of an idea so I will bring my 6D as well so i can have a tele and a wide angle on at all times and not have to switch out in those harsh conditions. Unfortunately all of my primes are zeiss cf.2's with the canon adapter. I mainly do video on the c100 II so my primes are all cine modded manual focus. I may bring the 85 1.4 with me even though i wont have auto focus as an option.

Thanks for the input on bringing a 1.4x extender! 

I think I am going to sell my 70-200 version I and get the new one asap!


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## paulrobinson87 (Dec 3, 2015)

Maximilian said:


> Hi Paul!
> 
> I hope you're going to have a great trip.
> Does Congo mean mountain gorillas or lowland gorilla or both?
> ...



sorry for not mentioning. it is a mountain gorilla trek!


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## martti (Dec 10, 2015)

A 500mm _mirror lense_ to get great selfies from a safe distance? 8)

A bit more seriously, what could go wrong with the 24-70 and the 70-200 setup especially having the two attached to two different bodies. (To avoid changing lenses in 100% humidity and drizzle)


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