Camera gear for a safari: what actually earns its weight

Short version: one camera, a telephoto zoom reaching 400 mm, a wide lens, twice as many cards and batteries as you think, and a beanbag. Anything beyond that is taste. Anything less you will regret.

Focal length

400 mm is the number. At 200 mm the lion is a smudge in the middle of the frame. At 600 mm you get the cheetah's eye and lose every picture that shows more than the animal.

What works in practice:

• 100–400 mm or 150–600 mm as the main lens. Zoom range matters more than the last stop of aperture, because the subject moves and you cannot.
• 24–70 mm for landscape, camp, and the pictures you will actually remember later.
• One body is enough. Changing lenses in the dust means you missed the moment and dirtied the sensor.

The same holds for bridge cameras: reach beats megapixels.

Dust is the real problem

Dry savannah in an open vehicle means fine dust in everything.

• Do not change lenses in the vehicle. If you must: engine off, windows up, camera pointing down.
• A large plastic bag or a camera cover over the kit while driving.
• A blower, not your breath. Moisture from breath binds dust to the glass.
• A UV or protective filter — cheaper to replace than a front element.

The beanbag

A tripod is useless in a vehicle. A beanbag over the window edge or the roof rail is the steadiest and cheapest support there is.

Bring the empty cover and fill it on arrival with rice or beans. It saves luggage weight and the filling is available anywhere.

Power and storage

• Twice as many batteries as you estimate. Camps often have power only for part of the day, and cold mornings cost capacity.
• A power bank with the right cable for your charger.
• More cards than you need, kept in different places. A burst at a river crossing fills a card faster than you would believe.
• A type G adapter for Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Rwanda uses type C.

The thing that matters most costs nothing

Where you sit decides more than what you own. A vehicle with six guests means somebody is shooting over a shoulder. A private vehicle or a small group is the single biggest lever a photographer has — bigger than any lens.

Tell your guide you are photographing. A good guide will then position the vehicle for the light rather than simply driving close, and will wait instead of moving on. That is the difference between records and pictures.

Drones

Banned in Tanzanian and Kenyan national parks without an official permit, and that permit is effectively unobtainable for private travellers. Bringing one in can trigger a customs bond. Leave it at home.

Rules on drones and photography in protected areas change; ask your operator before you travel.