Packing My Gear Bag for a Wildlife Photography Safari
I am an underwater photographer, so any trip where I do not have to bring bulky drysuits, fins, scuba regulators, underwater housings, and strobe arms seems like packing light.
I travel with a 7 year old LowePro camera backpack (Computrekker plus AW) which fits all of my camera and computer equipment and does not shout “expensive stuff within”. The pack gets heavy but I employ several techniques to make sure I do not get stopped by the baggage police such as filling my vest or coat with the heavy stuff. I always bring lots small zipper bags and a daypack so I can bring a lot or a little with me on the day’s activities.
I bring my Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS lens with some teleconverters when needed extra reach. The 100-400mm f/4.5 -5.6 is one I would consider bringing. On my wish list would be the 500mm F/4 IS. I upgraded a few years ago from a 300mm lens that had no stabilization and life has been sweeter ever since. We stop the vehicle engine when we see a good animal, but sometimes it is just not possible to cut the engine and vibration. I use a monopod to help with this in the vehicle and to support the camera system when in the field. It is much easier to run from an angry elephant with a monopod in your hands than a tripod. This year I will be trying out a beanbag system that sits on the vehicle door/window.
My other lens is a Canon 70 -200 F/2.8 IS. This is one of my favorite lens, it’s tack sharp, great in low light, a real work horse. . I also carry a Canon 17– 40mm F/4 lens and a Sigma 50mm f/2.8 macro (which is light weight and great for portraits). My two camera bodies are the Canon 5D MK2 and Canon 5D. I have some Nikons at home, but over the years have found that I prefer smaller and more lightweight cameras especially when swimming after dolphins and hiking into the bush, so they stay home this safari trip. My Nikon would comprise of: Nikon D3x, D3 and a D300 cameras. The lenses would be: 200-400mm f/4 VR, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR, 24-70mm f/2.8, 17-35mm f/2.8, 1.4x and 1.7x teleconverters and two SB800 speedlights
I carry a Canon 580 EX2 speedlight and a Better Beamer as artificial light extender for after dark and improving lighting on a distant subject.
I bring at least 2 LaCie rugged USB drives for backup, my Epson viewer (which often replaces my laptop on trips), several USB cords, only as many of those heavy bulky charges as I minimally need (labeled and tested before I leave!), sometimes my iPod for added storage, mini flash drives for sharing data with people, and extra batteries and media cards. I bring lots of adapters as well since they can go bad too.
My only Nikon equipment this trip will be my Monarch Binoculars (10x42). I carry polarizers and some filters and like to have these on the lenses because they protect the expensive lens glass from injury and keep out the dust. Cleaning equipment, plastic bags for rain and dust protection round out my lean and mean safari photography kit.
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