Lenses for a trip to Africa (Safari)

edited April 2012 Posted in » Canon Lens Talk
Hi, I am looking at buying a DSLR and am thinking about a 60D? What I would like to know is what lenses are good for this camera. I want to purchase good lenses from the start so that I am not replacing them. I was looking at a 24-105 f/4 L lens to take away on holiday with me. Would that be a good choice for an all round lens on a cropped sensor? Thanks!

Comments

  • Howdy @Bernie - I'd be glad to help. What types of subjects and scenes interest you most? Also, what's your ballpark budget? This will help me point you in the right direction. Happy shooting! :)
  • edited April 2012
    Hi @Moose - Thanks for the prompt response. I thought you might ask me that. We are off to Africa for three weeks at the end of June, so plenty of time. Going on a safari and visiting schools, etc...

    I am more interested in photographing people as opposed to animals, but I will do that as well. I will also be doing some landscape shots as well.

    My budget, well, since you are asking me and not my husband...it is perhaps not in the range of thousands of $, but I am prepared to get a couple of L lenses should they be better. Thanks...I hope this helps. I think I have done too much research and just need a decision made.
  • edited April 2012
    @Bernie - Oh you lucky dog, sounds like a great trip! Well, based on your comment it sounds like portraits are your first priority, with animals and landscapes taking a back seat. I'm going to throw out two lenses...

    For portraits and landscapes, the Canon 17-40mm f/4L USM (see here). This lens is wide enough for capturing sweeping plains and vistas, while also giving you the ability to zoom in for portraits and candids when walking about. This lens is widely regarded as one of the best value "L" lenses on the market, based on price, performance and overall sharpness.

    For wildlife, the Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (see here) is a lightweight solution to the big and heavy "L" quality telephoto zoom's. It's equipped with USM, which will give you fast and silent autofocus...a definite plus when photographing wildlife. There will be situations where you'll want twice the zoom power.

    You're options are to attach a 2x teleconverter or buy a longer lens. Teleconverters will result in a one or two stop loss of light which means the lowest aperture you can use will be around f/8 to f/11. Higher aperture f/numbers lengthen the depth of field and also make it hard to get sharp shots of distant wildlife. If you decide to purchase a longer lens, you'll have to get used to lugging around a much heavier and larger lens.

    Hope that all makes sense and happy shooting! :)
  • edited April 2012
    Hi @Moose - Thank you very much. I must say I love this forum...it is so informative. I have learnt so much reading it. I am looking forward to learning a lot about my camera. Thanks, Bernie
  • @Bernie - Glad I could help! It's great to have wonderful forum members like you. Happy shooting! :)
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