Safari! Animal/Game/Bird images in Africa

ColSebastianMoran

ColSebastianMoran

( IRL Richard Karash )
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Just back from a short safari trip in South Africa. The usual game drive in vehicle, and guides who were good with animals and had varying abilities in photography.

I took the new Nikkor 300mm f/4 PF lens on a DX body. I'll post a few shots over the next few days.

I invite others to share experiences and images of safari animals in Africa.
 
Here's a starter. Guide knew where we were likely to find the cheetah, but these cats are usually sprawled out if not hunting or on a kill. This one obliged by getting up and moving around, before lying down again. D7200 and Nikkor 300 f/4 PF.

161030-Cheetah-Prowl-D727661-Scr.jpg
 
From our recent trip to Africa. Spent a week with the big animals.

Some high points:
- This lion, about 15 feet away, had just devoured a kill and didn't eat us. At this close distance, he did rise, turn to us, threaten with a growl and make a move in our direction.
- We didn't run over the cheetah
- The elephant didn't succeed in breaking through the electric fence
- And the rhino rammed the other vehicle, not ours.

#SouthAfrica #Safari Nikon d7200 with 300 f/4 PF

161030-Lion-in-Bush-D727420-EditScr.jpg
 
Yes, makes a tight portrait of the lion. Zoom would have been handy, but the 300 PF is so very compact it was an unresistable choice for this trip.
 
ColSebastianMoran said:
From our recent trip to Africa. Spent a week with the big animals.

Some high points:
- This lion, about 15 feet away, had just devoured a kill and didn't eat us. At this close distance, he did rise, turn to us, threaten with a growl and make a move in our direction.
- We didn't run over the cheetah
- The elephant didn't succeed in breaking through the electric fence
- And the rhino rammed the other vehicle, not ours.
Click to expand...

Would love to see a picture of #4!
 
ColSebastianMoran said:
This lion, about 15 feet away...

161030-Lion-in-Bush-D727420-EditScr.jpg
Click to expand...

Did you know you would be able to get so close to the lion? The reason I ask is that I probably would have been carrying a 400 or 500mm lens and would have been too close. The 300mm you were carrying seemed perfect for the distance.

What other lenses were you carrying at the time?
 
narsuitus said:
Did you know you would be able to get so close to the lion? The reason I ask is that I probably would have been carrying a 400 or 500mm lens and would have been too close. The 300mm you were carrying seemed perfect for the distance.

What other lenses were you carrying at the time?
Click to expand...

This was a limited luggage trip. I carried the D7200 with the 300 f/4 PF. Besides that, I took my trusty Sony A6000 with the small 16-50 kit lens.

That left me lacking at middle distances.

If I had more luggage room, I would have taken the 200-500. With same constraints, I would have taken a small super-zoom camera instead of the Sony.

Distances were all over the map. Yes, the drivers were generally able to get close to the cats, elephants, rhino, and other big animals. Birds not so at all.

Happy to talk with any who are planning African safari trips.
 
Weaver

Weaver

Here's another from the same trip. This is a weaver, a beautiful bird, nesting in the grasses at the water's edge in St Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Highly recommend the boat cruises from this town for hippos and some birds. Nikon D7200, Nikkor 300 f/4 PF lens.

161031-Weaver-D727807.jpg
 
Male Impala

Male Impala

A male impala in South Africa. They are in a long drought, ground is bare, animals have to work to find food. Guides make a variety of jokes about how these impala and the similar nyala are lunch for the big cats. Nikon D7200, Nikkor 300 f/4 PF.

161029-Impala-Male-D727202.jpg
 
TennesseJones said:
I don't suppose anyone would be mad enough to take a Pentax 67 on Safari?!
Asking for a friend.
Me, asking for me.
Click to expand...

Nick Brandts "on this earth", "a shadow falls", and I can't believe the third one were all with a 67 I believe. Beautiful shots, but I read somewhere he would spend weeks at a time on foot and take only a few shots
 
Wow.
Didn't know that.
Well I often spend weeks on foot and only take a few shots.
But with less chance of being eaten.

michaelwj said:
Nick Brandts "on this earth", "a shadow falls", and I can't believe the third one were all with a 67 I believe. Beautiful shots, but I read somewhere he would spend weeks at a time on foot and take only a few shots
Click to expand...
 
TennesseJones said:
I don't suppose anyone would be mad enough to take a Pentax 67 on Safari?!
Asking for a friend.
Me, asking for me.
__________________
Some pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41537236@N08/
Click to expand...

Great photos, James.

I won't try to choose your camera but my experience is you want a long lens. My 300 f/4 PF on a DX body (450mm equiv) was too long in a few instances, but in most cases I was cropping shots where my lens wasn't long enough.

It's a question of what kind of trip you are going to do. The guides I've experienced have been good on the animals/birds and only so-so on how to make a good photo. You won't be able to wait-out the animal to get the best shot, the way Brandt did, unless you set up something special.

Frankly, for most African Safaris, a super-zoom would be a pretty good choice.

Hope you go and have a great time.
 
Many thanks for your kind words and advice!

So I'm guessing as my longest lens on anything is the 105 ais I might need a rethink!

ColSebastianMoran said:
Great photos, James.

I won't try to choose your camera but my experience is you want a long lens. My 300 f/4 PF on a DX body (450mm equiv) was too long in a few instances, but in most cases I was cropping shots where my lens wasn't long enough.

It's a question of what kind of trip you are going to do. The guides I've experienced have been good on the animals/birds and only so-so on how to make a good photo. You won't be able to wait-out the animal to get the best shot, the way Brandt did, unless you set up something special.

Frankly, for most African Safaris, a super-zoom would be a pretty good choice.

Hope you go and have a great time.
Click to expand...
 
Just now come across these. Nice.
I went to Kenia in 2016 and found the guide quite observant to the needs of the photographers, but at one point we had almost the perfect view of a Cheetah, but he kept driving the car to get us in what he thought was even a better position resulting in the Cheetah to move on.... In other cases he was really good though.

Anyway, thnx for sharing!
 
Just looking

Sony A77m2 | Sony 70-400G | 400mm | f/6.3 | 1/640s | 320iso

Laughing

Sony A77m2 | Sony 70-400G | 400mm | f/6.3 | 1/500s | 320iso

Together

Sony A77m2 | Sony 70-400G | 250mm | f/6.3 | 1/400s | 200iso

Thank you for looking.
 
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