Shooting Kilimanjaro Safari

[jann1033]

hippo spray is one you really want to look out for...picture recycled hippo food flung (via the posterior) in all directions..saw this once at the zoo and we had to run to the other side of the exhibit to avoid smelling like recycled hippo food all day

id like to do that ( the tour, not the spray ) as well but wish they had a photo specific tour,that would be really great!

 

[dipin]

Hello, everyone
I am going on the wanyama (sunset) safari at the AKL in a few weeks and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of what lens to take. Specifically, how close to the animals you usually get and etc.

I have an olympus e-510, a 70-300mm f4-5.6 and a 14-54 f2.8-3.5 lens. As you can imagine, the 14-54 (28-108mm in 35mm equivalency) is quite a bit better, so it is a matter of faster+sharper lens vs. longer. I dont want the stress and extra weight of carrying another lens and constantly changing them.

I am leaning towards the 14-54, but I would like to hear from those who've done this before.

thanks.

 

[AndrewWG]

Hello, everyone
I am going on the wanyama (sunset) safari at the AKL in a few weeks and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of what lens to take. Specifically, how close to the animals you usually get and etc.

I have an olympus e-510, a 70-300mm f4-5.6 and a 14-54 f2.8-3.5 lens. As you can imagine, the 14-54 (28-108mm in 35mm equivalency) is quite a bit better, so it is a matter of faster+sharper lens vs. longer. I dont want the stress and extra weight of carrying another lens and constantly changing them.

I am leaning towards the 14-54, but I would like to hear from those who've done this before.

thanks.

I would tend to think that the 14-54 would be quite a bit short for the safari. I am not sure about the sunset safari, but when I went on one mid morning a couple weeks ago, I used the Canon 70-200mm with a 1.4x converter and found it to be nearly perfect for the ride. It is f2.8 though, so it is fast. The sunset safari may have much lower light than I had so you may be better taking the lens that is the fastest (lowest f stop number) that you have.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

You don't have the Zuiko 40-150mm? That might be a good compromise. Personally, I think I'd try to use the 70-300 - that lens gets very good reviews, though I've never used it myself.

Did you know there is an Olympus thread here? There are others who have that lens there, maybe they can help.

 

[dipin]

I do have it, but since its a f4.0-f5.6 as well, it has less reach than the 70-300 and at the same time is slower at the same apertures.

I've seen a few pics taken at this safari (which, to make it clear, is the akl sunset one, not the ride at AK) and in some the animals were pretty close to the vehicle. If that is normal for the safari, Ill that the shorter and faster lens. But if that was a fluke, then Ill need all the reach I can get.

But thanks for the replies so far.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

From what I've seen on a few reports it does seem that the animals get pretty close to the vehicles so I'd go for wider rather than longer for my first choice in this instance. BUT - considering the cost of the safari I'd also deal with the hassel of bringing a longer lens as well just in case the animals don't cooperate.

I'm hoping to go on this in May so I can't comment from personal experience yet - just the research I've done.

 

[EnnEss]

Im not familiar with your camera, but it crops it to 2x? So you'd be shooting 140 - 600 equiv with the other lens?

Gosh I dont know thats tough. The shots with the wide angle are going to be pretty distant on a lot of the animals. The animals get closer because they stop, its not a constant go go thing like the regular ride. I'd really take the 40 - 150mm if you're cropping 2x, thats still 80 - 300 which is plenty. Even with the slower lens, its probably still going to be preferrable. I dont know that the very slight up in aperature is going to be that noticeable.

I think I'd forgo the guessing though and just bring the initial two lense you mentioned, with the 70 - 300mm on the camera. You'll know really quick if you have to change it, and just do it once to the smaller if necessary and then you'll be happy. I'd be quite sad if i had the wrong lens.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'd really take the 40 - 150mm if you're cropping 2x, thats still 80 - 300 which is plenty. Even with the slower lens, its probably still going to be preferrable. I dont know that the very slight up in aperature is going to be that noticeable.

Actually, I find that lens to be quite responsive. I use it a lot.

I think I'd forgo the guessing though and just bring the initial two lense you mentioned, with the 70 - 300mm on the camera. You'll know really quick if you have to change it, and just do it once to the smaller if necessary and then you'll be happy. I'd be quite sad if i had the wrong lens.

 

[senecabeach]

Hello, everyone
I am going on the wanyama (sunset) safari at the AKL in a few weeks and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of what lens to take. Specifically, how close to the animals you usually get and etc.

I have an olympus e-510, a 70-300mm f4-5.6 and a 14-54 f2.8-3.5 lens. As you can imagine, the 14-54 (28-108mm in 35mm equivalency) is quite a bit better, so it is a matter of faster+sharper lens vs. longer. I dont want the stress and extra weight of carrying another lens and constantly changing them.

I am leaning towards the 14-54, but I would like to hear from those who've done this before.

thanks.

I took the Specialty Day Safari for consierge guests in May. You will find that the truck doesn't go on the regular road except for a few minutes and "stops" at particular animal spots...unlike the regular safari ....and gives you time to get that shot. I took my 70-300 and it worked fine !!

Here's some shots...

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

The Sunset Safari goes around the savanna of the Lodge, not inside the park. My friend went on the Sunset Safari last summer and the giraffes were poking their heads inside the vehicle. She got some EXTREME close-ups. Even the zebras and cattle and such were not that far away.

I don't take pics so I don't know anything about lenses, but I do know the animals are very close during that particular excursion.

 

[dipin]

thanks for the replies, and great pics, but as the above poster indicated, the safari I am referring to is in another area, within the resort itself.

And great to know that the animals do come up close. I will use the 14-54, and see what kind of purse my wife will be using to decide whether to take the 70-300 or not.

 

[MassJester]

Going to pop down to WDW in a few weeks. I've never been satisfied with the photos I've managed on the AK Safari attraction. I was thinking about taking my Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM -- but am worried that it might not be fast enough to support the shutter speed I'll need (it's a bumpy ride). Any thoughts?

 

[jfinke]

I was fine with my 70-200 f/4 L IS.

If you are worried about shutter speed you can always kick up your ISO a bit. I would also let it shoot as fast as possible (not single shot), that way you can take a bunch in a row and hopefully something will turn out.

I did much better this time around with my 40d + L vs my 350d + sigma 70-300 apo. Part of that was equipment and part of that was knowledge and experience. Having good equipment certainly helps on that ride.

When I did the bird show, I ended up at 1600 ISO to get a fast shutter speed to catch the birds wings. Even then, I still got some blurs on the tips.

 

[zackiedawg]

You should be fine, as long as your settings and technique are good. I used an 18-250 F3.5-6.3...the key is to make sure your shutter speeds are at 1/250 at the minimum, which may require shooting at ISO400 or 800 at times - or if your camera can specify an ISO range in auto ISO, you can set it up to 800 or so. A good steady hold, with some flexibility of your body to absorb the bumps and moves, should help the minor movements when the truck slows down a bit more. Continuous mode will help alot, as you can hold the shutter down and rattle off a few bursts of shots - one of them may catch the animal between bumps and give you the shot you need. I find spot or center focus to be best in those situations, as you can put the animal in the crosshairs and fire and not get focus on nearby branches or rocks.

My camera has in-body IS which helps a bit, but with the extreme movement of the safari vehicles, it's more about shutter speed, higher ISO, and good body movement and damping with a good solid grip!

 

[barrie]

Also, the closer you sit to the front of the vehicle, the less bounce you will get. I sat in the back seat once and although I got some great unobstructed views looking backwards, it was so bumpy back there that I barely got any shots at all.

 

[RCDisneyFan]

I got some GREAT pictures last time sitting in the back, on the left side. I used the Nikon 18-200, which is not much faster than your lens. I cranked up the ISO and shutter speed...

 

[sdshutterbug]

I'm going to WDW for the first time with a DSLR and I have a pretty good idea of what lenses I'll be using where, but one ride I'm a little torn about is Kilimanjaro Safaris. I have a 100mm f/2 lens that I think would be good since it's fast, but it might limit my perspective. I also have an 18-270 by Tamron with vibration compensation, but I am afraid I might miss many shots due to the slowness of that lens and the lack of superfast AF. Any suggestions? Should I do a little of each during the ride?

 

[disneyboy2003]

I'm going to WDW for the first time with a DSLR and I have a pretty good idea of what lenses I'll be using where, but one ride I'm a little torn about is Kilimanjaro Safaris. I have a 100mm f/2 lens that I think would be good since it's fast, but it might limit my perspective. I also have an 18-270 by Tamron with vibration compensation, but I am afraid I might miss many shots due to the slowness of that lens and the lack of superfast AF. Any suggestions? Should I do a little of each during the ride?

I'd probably go with the 100mm f/2 lens. For Kilimanjaro Safaris, you'll need a very fast lens because (1) the vehicle doesn't stop for photos, and (2) the ride is extremely bumpy! As a result, you should try to shoot for very fast shutter speeds, like 1/2000 sec to counteract the bumpy ride.

Because this ride is so bumpy, image stabilization (IS) / vibration reduction (VR) will have zero help on your photos, so it's okay that your 100mm lens doesn't have IS / VR.

I think 100mm is probably just enough focal length that you can capture a great majority of the animals without worrying about the lack of zoom.

That's why I'd recommend the f/2 lens.

The ride goes by fast, so I probably wouldn't switch lenses mid-way through the ride. If you're really concerned, try getting a Fast Pass first before going on Kilimanjaro Safaris. That way, you can ride it twice in-a-row, and you can try out each lens on separate rides.

Hope that helps! Let us know what you end up deciding.

 

[mainstreet1997]

Ive ridden KS with my Canon 55-250 mm and gotten some pretty decent shots. Who knows - get a fastpass and ride it twice! Once with each!

 

[Groucho]

I love primes, but...............

That is a ride where I think a zoom - even a slower one - is going to be the way to go. Chances are that all your photos will be bright outdoor photos so shutter speeds should not be an issue - you may want to shoot in Tv mode and select a faster-than-usual speed and let the ISO and aperture automatically adjust to match.

Since the animals are all over the place, the extra reach of your zoom may come in very handy - otherwise you'd be forced to do a lot of cropping. Also, if you did shoot as a larger aperture, your DoF might get so small (especially with F2 @ 100) that by the time the camera focuses, you've moved enough that what you're shooting moves out of the DoF range!

Now, if you are able to make everything come together, I would suspect that you could get some pretty great shots with the 100mm, but a lot fewer of them overall. Best solution is to ride it twice, once with each lens! (And try to sit on the left side!)