Safari Camera Gear

Makalolo Camp by vacationtechnician.com

Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no ones expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoilt gem in the purest sense.

Botswana Safari Field Reports
Meet our expert Safari Guides

" best guides = best safaris ~ a bad guide in the best camp will ruin your safari."

For product details on the following recommendations: Check out our Digital strategy posted recently to Amazon.com

* For Better Pictures: Start with better equipment. Choose a camera that will not limit your creative genius in just 2 years because of its limititations technically. I use this type only as a back up 'Canon PowerShot S400 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom' .

What is my primary camera of choice on safari these days?

Glad you asked: after years of honing my skill and gaining insight into the actual value of the multitude of camera choices constantly emerging, my primary shooting has been with the following kit.

'Canon EOS-10D 6.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)'
'Canon C21-9931 EF 28-135MM f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Zoom Lens for Canon SLR'
'Canon BG-ED3 Battery Grip for the Canon D60, D30, EOS 10D'
'Canon Speedlite 420EX Flash for Canon EOS SLR Cameras'

* Think First then Shoot:
Its so instinctive to point and click isn't it? However, most of the best shots require that you seek unexpected views, times, and angles. For an unfamiliar shot of the Taj Mahal, you could go to nearby Agra Fort and frame the image through a carved stone window. To photograph England's ancient Stonehenge, go at a significant time - perhaps with a full moon rising, to suggest a feeling of timelessness. Rather than shoot Disneyland's Cinderella castle at noon, wait for sunset, when tower pennants flying against a golden sky lend a fairy-tale atmosphere of romance. In Venice, forget the trite photo of pigeons in St. Mark's Square; instead, climb the clock tower and focus on the statue of the bell-ringer, which seems to float above the domed roofs of the city.

* Use different lenses. Wide-angle and telephoto lenses can entirely alter the look of a scene. 'Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX RF HSM Lens for Canon-AF Camera'
'Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX Diagonal Fisheye Lens for Canon-AF Camera'
'Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM SLR Lens'
'Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM Autofocus Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras'
'Canon 70mm-200mm / f2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon SLR'
'Sigma 14mm F2.8 EX Aspherical HSM Lens for Canon-AF Camera'
'Sigma 300mm F2.8 EX APO HSM Lens for Canon-AF Camera'
'Sigma 2.0X APO Tele Converter for Canon-AF Camera.'
'TAMRON A06 AF28-300MM F/3.5-6.3 XR Ultra Zoom Lens for CANON'
'Canon 75-300 F/4.0-5.6 III USM Lens for Canon-AF Camera'

A wide-angle skews the perspective so that nearby things appear larger and closer, while more distant things look oddly smaller and farther away. Through a telephoto, objects at successive distances appear nearer to each other -- a useful feature when you want to "stack" repeated design elements, such as Victorian houses on a city block in San Francisco.

Find the good in bad weather. A wash of rain adds an appealing glisten to almost any subject. It causes bright colors (reds, yellows, blues) to "pop" from their drab surroundings and makes everyday scenes resemble paintings.

Observe the ways people adapt to wet weather. A Paris street becomes a gleaming river of umbrellas. During the Asian monsoon, people sit at home with water up to their waists, as if nothing unusual were going on.

The technically minded can try putting the camera on a bean bag, using a small lens aperture and a neutral dark gray filter (2.0)'Tiffen 72mm Photo Essentials Filter Kit' and exposing for several seconds. Passing people will just be faint blurs.

Clear the area. To photograph popular tourist sights without tourists in them, arrive at sunrise, before other people show up. (A word of caution: If the light is behind you, be sure your own shadow doesn't creep into the picture!)

If there are crowds when you visit, try screening off other tourists behind something, such as a massive stone block below the Parthenon.

* Other items you will need At 2 x 512kb 'SimpleTech STI-CF/512 512MB CompactFlash Card' memory cards. Buy one larger one and you will be hating yourself when you get the error message "Memory Card Failure" while on safari in Botswana!

OK, so you just witnessed the most amazing Cheetah Hunt seen at Lebala Camp in Botswana and got 222 stunning pictures when you realize that your first memory card is practically full and the other is kaputt due to a dust overdose.

What to do now?!
BTW, Your guide has told you there is a pack of Wild Dogs hunting and to reload your cameras QUICKLY!!!! Shaken but not stirred you remove your 'Archos 500512 Video AV120 with Digital Video Recorder 100 Module' and upload the cheetah shots in 20 seconds. As you format the 'SimpleTech STI-CF/512 512MB CompactFlash Card' in your 'Canon EOS-10D 6.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)' while your wife/husband smiles confidently that you have secured the digital masterwork next to the # MP3 sound music collection, the near-DVD quality MPEG-4 video movie collection, and the back up of your fabled 2004 tax returns 'TurboTax Deluxe 2003' on the 120GB # digital wallet, and date storage device! Finally, you need a discreet 'Lowepro CompuTrekker AW All Weather Photo Backpack with Compartment for Notebook Computer, Black.' to stash all this magic gear so the thieves on Las Ramblas don't make a statistic out of you right?!

* Details Details Details... 'Canon DR-400 DC-Coupler for Canon EOS D30, D60, & 10D Cameras'
'Canon CA-PS400 Ac Adapter/charger'
'Digital Concepts 1200 MAH Replacement Battery for Canon BP-511'

* Please don't forget to edit your pix and make a webs site so that we can link to each other and have fun telling tall tales and swapping digpix!
'Adobe Photoshop 7.0 [Replaced by Photoshop CS]'
'Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 Plus Photoshop Album 2.0 Bundle'
'Dreamweaver 4/Fireworks 4 Studio'

* Overseas without one of these? Do Not Fugetaboutit! 'REMINGTON TL-265BP Foreign AC converter'
'Digipower 350 Watt Power Inverter (DP-IN350I)'
'Recoton 64164 PC Accessories 1600 Watt Travel Converter w/Pouch & 5 Adapters'

Scheduled Wilderness Itineraries

Custom Itineraries: Inspired Ideas

Earth's Climate & You...Click for Facts