# Photos from recent African safari(s)



## Apop (Feb 10, 2013)

Just wanted to share some pictures I took on a recent safari ( in Botswana), The camera i used had only 4fps, so there was a great deal of luck in some of the shots 

http://www.apophoto.com/ 

is where they are located

Hope you can appreciate some of them


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## dbm (Feb 10, 2013)

nice
seems like you were close to the action
we were in south africa on a reserve in november but i feel as though i had to do quite a bit more cropping for mine
here are some on my flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157632286323800/


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## Vivid Color (Feb 10, 2013)

Apop said:


> Just wanted to share some pictures I took on a recent safari ( in Botswana), The camera i used had only 4fps, so there was a great deal of luck in some of the shots
> 
> http://www.apophoto.com/
> 
> ...



Nice! What gear did you bring and what did you mostly use? I'm going on my first photo safari to Tanzania (with a tour company) in August and would be interested in any advice you may have. Thanks!


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## picturesbyme (Feb 10, 2013)

I like them too, the only thing I would mention is the website itself...
I think it would be beneficial for you (sales) and to your viewers (better v. experience) if it would show larger images.


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## Apop (Feb 10, 2013)

thanks for the responses and advice !, the website is something to try out, and i wasn't sure on how to ''protect'' images, or how image size would affect loading times, but i will take your suggestions into consideration.

The gear I brought was not canon, sorry, I only recently moved to canon...

d800(with grip for increased battery life and fps in dx mode)
Nikon v1 with ft1 adapter ( but i didnt use it to take pictures at all, only video)
14-24 2.8
70-200 2.8 vrII
200-400 f4 vrII
2x teleconverter ( also hardly used)


I would advise to take two DSLR bodies if possible, the zoom lens was great ,but i sometimes missed reach with 400 on a full frame, and it was too dark at other times for f4.
Also a high fps body next to a 'slower' one , 4-6 fps on the d800 was quite low, and 8-10 fps would have been really desirable for those short lasting 'once in a lifetime' moments..

Advise on a lens is really hard, it depends on where you are going and what type of safari you are going to have.
If you are allowed to do off roading, 400mm on a full frame is often more then enough, otherwise i would go with the longest lens you can carry/rent/buy. 
I saw some people with canon, they had a 7d with 100-400 or 300 2.8, others used 1d bodies with 400 f2.8

Some disadvantages of the 200-400 : it is f4 on 200 and 300 mm, which can be quite slow
: the transmission value is around 5 (closer to a f5 then f4 lens)
: the feel of the focus ring was not solid.
: auto focus slightly less fast then primes




I moved to canon and purchased a 500 f4, 300 f4, 1dmkiv and 1.4 converter for now, when i go back i hope to complement it with a 5dIII/successor of the 7d, and a 70-200 2.8 and some short lens.

If budget would have allowed it , it would have been a 1dx 400 f2.8 1dmkiv 600 f4 , 5d3 70-200

Dreaming never hurts


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## Vivid Color (Feb 10, 2013)

Thank you for your suggestions. I do plan to take 2 DSLR bodies. I also have a question about cards: Because of a 33 pound weight limit for all of my gear (including carryon) during the safari itself, I'm thinking of not taking a laptop or other backup device and maybe just take lots of cards. This seems to be counter to a lot of what I've read, but on the other hand, to date, I've never lost a card or lost images on a card. Both bodies I plan to use (T1i and 6D) take SD cards (although I understand the T1i does not take all types of SD cards). Any thoughts in general or suggestions for card size, type, and or organization?


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## picturesbyme (Feb 10, 2013)

Apop said:


> thanks for the responses and advice !, the website is something to try out, and i wasn't sure on how to ''protect'' images, or how image size would affect loading times, but i will take your suggestions into consideration.


Doubt that there is a perfect solution, but I'm happy with Zenfolio.
http://www.zenfolio.com/zf/examples.aspx
If you don't use it yet, it worth a look. For $100/yr you get hosting, and basically a full eCommerce website with hundreds of items, interactive framing etc... that you can customize whatever way you want. (my ref code 56Y-ABC-XTM saves you 10%)


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## Apop (Feb 10, 2013)

thanks for the link! ,


On the SD carrds, i tested a scandisk 16g cf card 60mb/s vs a scandisk 32g 95mb/s sd card, they were about as fast in my d800, I am not sure what the speed limit on SD cards is with canon 6d ( i know the 1dmkiv cannot utilize the fastest sd cards),

You should find that out before you purchase really expensive sd cards, also depending on if you shoot jpg/raw you might not need many cards, being able to backup during the trip is quite useful, the cards shouldn't fail but you never know


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## Vivid Color (Feb 10, 2013)

Thank you, Apop.


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## Apop (Feb 11, 2013)

No problem, i hope you can make your choice !, and enjoy the trip


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## bycostello (Feb 11, 2013)

great shots


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## Apop (Feb 11, 2013)

Thanks for the response, i'd like to see some other people's shots! especially some nice action photographs of hunting raptors


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## bradchatellier (Feb 11, 2013)

Great shots! I'm not totally sure but I think your tortoise is some type of turtle. I've been on 8 east African safaris in the past and have only seen leopard tortoises. Great find.


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## tpatana (Feb 11, 2013)

Shots look nice, as far as you can tell from such small pictures with such huge watermark.

Make them bigger, and make the copyright way less intrusive. Then I can tell if they look really nice.

Or you have paying client who owns the pictures and they don't allow you to post better pics without the copyright?


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