Packing for a Photo Safari (Wildlife Photography Gear, Backpack, and more!)

[@SS-sh6ww]

Humble Review unlike the SMARTASS Photographers which we see all the time.. Appreciate it Bro.. Keep it up !

[@ViewfinderMastery]

Thanks for your encouragement SS!

[@fun3000able]

5:40 first plug is likely to be the R16 type Europe->ZA adaptor.

[@ViewfinderMastery]

thanks 👍

[@HeatherMoran]

That was a really good explanation of what to bring on safari. Well done!

[@ViewfinderMastery]

So glad you found it helpful Heather! please consider subscribing for more great content!

[@tysonator5433]

Only 6 memory cards, I would take at least 20 ! I have a mixture of new and older cards, as a slow card is better than no card ! Lol I also take power packs and usb camera battery cradles so I can charge batteries out in the field, off course I can charge tablet, smartphones and AA Panasonic rechargeable batteries as well. The British power plug is called UK 3 pin power plug, IMO the best plug in the world ! Lol

[@ViewfinderMastery]

yeah, the more remote you go, the more power (and memory cards) will need careful thought. For camping off grid, I'd throw in a coupe more camera batteries and add some cards or else some kind of card copying device. good points! 👍

[@paulthiel5145]

And you still keep all of that gear and clothes etc under the 20kg weight limit? 🤔

[@ViewfinderMastery]

@@paulthiel5145 Yes, easily! My clothing is very minimal and I'm wearing most of it when I board the plane anyway. You don't need much in Southern Africa. Just a couple shirts, a jumper, hat, etc. Next time I'll probably leave the tripod at home, then the load will be even lighter. 😉

[@musicklvr8ify]

Great info.. I'm going to make a trip to Africa finally.

[@mickmckean7378]

Great tips and info there , thanks Matt.

[@ViewfinderMastery]

Thanks for the feedback Mick!

[@wolfiblock]

Very interesting...THX 😎

[@ViewfinderMastery]

glad you enjoyed it! 👍

[@cysix4939]

Headed to Tanzania/Kenya soon and much appreciate the advice.

[@MoonbeameSmith]

How does one transfer [hotos frim the camera to your hard drive?

[@ViewfinderMastery]

usually with a laptop or tablet, but there are also dedicated devices for copying memory cards over directly. But most people like to have a look at their shots while traveling, so consider using a device that at least allows you to browse your shots in the evening.

[@redauwg911]

Always always take lots of memory cards... Do not erase anything ... SD cards are cheap

[@cosmo1972]

Other than rain covers, not too much different from what I take to the rainforest. My crop body for wildlife and full frame for macro and landscapes. I still haven't quite dialed in my perfect traveling macro rig though. Macro flash rigs are always awkward to pack unfortunately.

[@fmadrid91]

What brand is your safari shirt?

[@ViewfinderMastery]

I think it's from Cragghoppers. 👍

[@fmadrid91]

Thank you😇

[@fmadrid91]

What bug spray would you recommend

[@NachiketM]

It would be gr8 if you can post the links to your gear ...

[@ViewfinderMastery]

Thanks, we'll try to do that next time.

[@robinbregman]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I learned a lot! We are going on a family trip next July to Africa. What countries would you recommend I research for that time of year? We are 6 people (all adults and in good shape). Thanks for any suggestions you may have.

[@ViewfinderMastery]

they are all good, but you probably want to speak with a travel agent.

[@egis7908]

btw - I noted with curiosity that you did not travel with a tripod. Is that true?

[@ViewfinderMastery]

Hi Louis, in fact we both traveled with Gitzo "Traveler" tripods (model 2545T) which are very well suited for our micro four thirds kits and quite comfortable to work with. Depending on the stabilization situation with your longest lens, you could get away without a tripod. On the other hand, if you're doing any serious landscape photography on your trip (or night shooting) then the tripod with get some use. Enjoy your trip!

[@CayetanoenJapon1980]

I am currently living in the "Heaven of Photography", does mean, Japan, and i am heading to Africa for a Safari(Kenya,Uganda,S.Africa,Namibia,Zimbabwe and Bostawana), but i have NO IDEA about photography, i am a really begginer, but i want to take really nice photos in this incredible journey. I bought a Nikon d7500, and they gave me a lens 70-300mm(is around 400usd the original price here in Japan), but they told me i need to buy a better one and they recommend me to buy this options: 1-Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM. I 2-SIGMA Telephoto zoom lens Contemporary 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM 3-Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 VC USD SLR Black Please HELP ME, i have no idea, and i guess all the people here are professional photographers and people that really loves pictures, so could you tell me if you were me, and the money wasn't the problem, which one you will buy for you??? Thank you a lot.

[@ViewfinderMastery]

We did a complete video on this topic, so take a look on our channel. have a great trip! 🐘🦏🐆

[@egis7908]

what size soft duffel do you use? also what size camera bag? Going to Botswana soon and your tips are the best I have found relative to the countries I plan on visiting. thanks

[@ViewfinderMastery]

Hi again Louis, I think our duffels were about 25 or 35 liters in volume. Basically like a medium sized gym bag. Since we didn't take tons of clothing (or accessories - besides photographic-related stuff), we didn't need anything bigger. If you're flying on small airplanes then don't take any luggage with wheels or hard sides. The pilots hate those things because they're hard to pack in the luggage hold of their Cessna airplanes. Our luggage had to be under 20KG total (camera/computer/clothing, etc.). So we were pretty careful about each item we brought with.

[@mwoo3938]

Do you need to use bean bag or monopod when you were shooting with this set of Olympus gear on the safari jeep?

[@ViewfinderMastery]

Hi Michelle, actually I didn't use a monopod or bean-bag any more. That was useful with my dSLR gear, but these Olympus cameras and lenses are light enough to comfortably hand-hold and the internal stabilisation (especially with the 300mm) is just incredible! I hope that helps. Are you going on safari soon? If so, where to?

[@mwoo3938]

Viewfinder Center thank you for your prompt reply. i am hoping i could visit botswana

[@jjualvare]

What brand and where can you purchase the shirt you're wearing?

[@ViewfinderMastery]

Thats a "Cragghoppers" shirt.

[@jjualvare]

@@ViewfinderMastery Thanks.

[@joliettraveler]

Great tips. I have a Canon 24-105 and 100-400 zooms. Do you suggest a second camera body? Also I assume you checked the Leatherman tool. How close did you get to the weight limit with all those lenses and bodies? Wouldn't a 64G memory card be sufficient, and not pack a separate hard drive.

[@ViewfinderMastery]

Hi Jolie, thanks for your questions. Actually I think your two lenses will be perfect. You could probably shave weight by using an alternative to my lacie drive, but 64 GB cards fill up pretty quickly if you have some full days of shooting. That's just a question of how much data you typically create on an active day. For me it wouldn't work if I just brought memory cards (or it would get a little ridiculous $$$). We were on the weight limit, but not over it. That's actually pretty remarkable, considering that everything we were traveling with weighed 20KG. Yes, the leatherman went in my checked bag.

[@eatingoverthesink2811]

What brand backpack is that?

[@ViewfinderMastery]

It's an F-stop pack. (Tilopa model). We both have them and are quite happy with them.

[@aubreymuswema9183]

You have a curious visitor in the background, wearing a dark suit and hoping around! Nice review, thanks

[@ViewfinderMastery]

ha ha, yes I see him too. 😉👍