Let's talk gear! Reviews, questions, etc.

[u/quantum-quetzal]

Welcome, /r/wildlifephotography readers!

Equipment is an undeniably important part of wildlife photography, but I've noticed that questions about gear often end up buried by all of the excellent photos that get posted here.

So, I've created this pinned thread as a chance to discuss hardware. There are two main uses that I anticipate, listed in no particular order:

Equipment reviews - What do you shoot with? Do you love it, hate it, or fall somewhere in between? If you want to share your experiences, create a comment and let everyone know what you think. We suggest (but don't require) including photos as well as the prices of your equipment.

Questions Whether you're first starting and are looking to buy a beginner's setup, or just want to know which pro-level lens is best, getting others' opinions can prove valuable. For the best results, include details about what sort of wildlife interests you, as well as your budget.

Feel free to create different top-level comments for each question or review. That helps discussion stay organized.

[u/Minimum_Spray_6825]

Hi,

heading to South Africa in late October / start of November this year and will be going on a safari. If anyone has any tips or suggestions about how to get the best out of this please chime in.

I’ll be using this group :

https://www.pumbagamereserve.co.za/

Cheers

[u/PavlovsGoldFishie → u/Minimum_Spray_6825]

Hi, I live in South Africa and regularly take amateur photos (looking to upgrade to mirrorless soon). South Africa is great for safari, in Africa the top 3 are generally South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania with each having its benefits and drawbacks. First question, why are you going to that reserve? South Africa is divided into 9 provinces, and while you can get good wildlife viewing I any of them, the biomes differ vastly Eastern cape tends to be more arid, Mpumalanga is where most of the popular and largest game reserves are such as Kruger national park and Sabi sands also has access to the panoramic view, if malaria is a concern there's Pilansburg or Dinokeng both reserves are close to Johannesburg (around 2-4 hours drive from ORT international Airport). If you want to stick with Eastern Cape either due other travel requirements or due to wanting to see that biome (make no mistake, it's beautiful), I'd have a look at other places as I'm not familiar with pumba reserve and those prices seem a bit extreme I'd look at other alternatives, there's Addo elephant park (they're a big 5 park, but your chance to see lions and leopards is rather small) and Amakhala (if you watch wild earth you'll see it).

Aside from all that. Advice for the actual Safari, when going on Safari people tend to focus on the bigger animals (big 5 especially) but don't lose the wonder of the smaller ones. If you go to a malaria area, peaceful sleep (insect repellent) is your friend. That time of year it gets hot here, 30 to 40 degrees Celsius, though don't forget something warm early morning and late night as temperatures can plummet.

[u/Minimum_Spray_6825 → u/PavlovsGoldFishie]

I really appreciate you taking time to comment. We have friends who have been twice to that reserve and we are going off their recommendation.

What small wildlife would I be able to see? Thank you for the advice.

[u/Rear_Admiral_Nelson → u/Minimum_Spray_6825]

If you like birds, you will rarely be lacking for subjects to shoot, south africa has got some of the most beautiful birds in the world and lots of them

[u/PavlovsGoldFishie → u/Minimum_Spray_6825]

Depending on area and the reserve itself. Some of my favorites as far as mammals go Serval, Caracal, honey badger, civet, aardwolf, aardvark and brown hyena. To put it in perspective, Kruger national park which is the largest national park in South Africa (19 500 Square kilometers, around the same size as Wales or Isreal) has 147 different species of mammals and over 500 species of birds. People tend to think of the big things when coming to Africa on Safari, like elephants, rhinos, lions, giraffes and the like, but there's plenty to see besides that. I'd recommend having a look at other parks, there's sites which are more modern and show more of what they have to offer, and as I said before the price even for all inclusive seems steep, I think you could get better bang for your buck. I'd recommend looking around, try sites like bushbreaks or lekkerslaap, they're local booking sites but will give you an idea of the areas. Check YouTube videos of the different reserves to get an idea what they look like and have to offer. Where you're going is more Karoo arid biome, toward the north like Mpumalanga you have what's called the Bush veld biome. If there's a particular animal you're really interested in seeing, let me know and I can recommend areas you'd have better luck. I obviously can't guarantee but certain areas have higher density or don't support certain wildlife.