Quote:
Originally Posted by HowlinWolf  You make a good point here, Paul. I don't know if mhc-art is intending to shoot game, but game drives in national parks are very hard on camera equipment, and there is the possibility that dust would present a major problem.
I've added a link to some safari shooting tips. I hope it helps him make a more informed decision.
HW Digital Safari Equipment Tips |
Id definitely agree with that - i've no safaried but shooting anything from a moving vehicle in a dusty environment is hard on your gear.
on the camera front ( I can only advise on canon - but nikon have equally good gear)unless you can afford pro spec gear I'd tend to go with the new 40D which has the better build of the 30D family but also features the active dust removal of the 400D. - you might also want to get a 400D or secondhand 20D/30D/350D etc as a backup body.
Shooting from a moving vehicle with limited space I would definitely sugest you get an image stabilised lens - and also one with a good zoom range cos you dont want to be changing lenses willy nilly.
on canon this will mean either the canon 100-400 IS , or the sigma 80-400 OS . If you chose nikon you have a chioice of the nikon 80-400 VR , or the sigma.
If your budget wont stretch to these you could go with something like the 70-300 IS but i would tend towards 400 rather than 300mm if you can stretch to it.
Whatever lens you buy stick a high quality UV filter on the front to protect the optics from grit , and also invest in a decent sensor and lens cleaning kit to use each night.
Also make sure you have plenty of memory cards , and batteries as I guess you wont be able to download or recharge until the evening. Both of these can be bopught cheaply from outlets like 7 day shop.
And finally get a decent quality camera bag to take your kit and protect it when not being used - plus possibly a waistcoat or belt kit to take your cards etc as you need to lay hands on them quickly.
Also if you want to gen up on the camera and using it in the field I'd reccomend the "wildlife photographers year" and "Digital SLR handbook" both by Andy Rouse
hope all that helps