Beginner on Safari in Kenya

[FLIGHTMEDIC]

Going to Kenya and I have a Nikon D40 which I guess is a reasonable camera for a novice. I would like a zoom, probably to 300mm but I am looking for some advice. Since I do not use the camera often a 2.8 lens seems quite pricey. I see a number of 70 - 300 lenses out there. Should these be sufficient??

 

[gian133]

i myself dont use my zoom too much. well i havent had many oppurtunities yet, but i have the sigma 70-300. its nice enough for what i use it for and untill i want to upgrade my gear eventually. i have the nikon d40 also and it works with it (internal motor). it is a bit loud when focusing but that dosent bother me. i would look into that if i were you. i got mine at b&h for about 130 ish.

check it out
hope that helped
gian

o yea and have fun. kenya safari would be an awsome trip.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

I see a number of 70 - 300 lenses out there. Should these be sufficient??

These are usually the 'entry' or 'beginner' level lenses, and as such, the are designed to be cheap rather than optically great. But they can still get good results in the right circumstances.

The main problem with them is that the max aperture is rather small. When you are zoomed out to 300mm, the max aperture is only F5.6, which might make it hard to get shutter speeds fast enough to keep the images sharp. In bright light, it should work fine, but shooting at dawn or dusk may be very challenging unless you are shooting landscapes and using a tripod.

Also, these lenses are typically a lot worse at 300mm than they are at say, 250mm...probably due to the cheap design.

If you can afford it, I'd recommend the 70-300 VR over the ones without VR. It will certainly help get sharper shots when the light is failing, as long as your subjects aren't moving too much.

Don't be afraid to crank up the ISO if you can't get your shutter speeds high enough for sharp shots. This will introduce noise into the images, but noise is often better than blurry shots.

 

[djacobox372]

For a trip like that I'd buy a used telephoto off ebay, then sell it when you get back.

Doing this is much cheaper then renting.

 

[wgp1987]

invest in a prime lens with a wide aperature. like i have a 50mm f1.8. you can take decent action photos, and when taking photos get great DOF. and that 50mm 1.8 should be around $100 ithink. i dont have much knowledge of nikon lenses. but if you do buy a prime lens for a d40, make sure it has the AF motor built in.

 

[wgp1987]

Nikon | AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens | 2183 | B&H Photo Video

Sigma | 28-70mm f/2.8-4 Compact High Speed Zoom AF Lens | 634306

Nikon | Normal AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D Autofocus Lens | 2137 | B&H

that sigma might be your best bet under $300 ... of course there are more available at a higher price


o i forgot y u originally posted this, only buy a lens with vr. like the 55-200vr

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/486717-USA/Nikon_2166_55_200mm_f_4_5_6G_ED_AF_S.html

 

[FLIGHTMEDIC]

Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Whatever I get I will make sure it is AF and has VR. I was thinking of a 70-300 and I don't need to purchase the least expensive lens but I was hoping to keep it under about $500.

 

[Steph]

Nikon | AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens | 2183 | B&H Photo Video

Sigma | 28-70mm f/2.8-4 Compact High Speed Zoom AF Lens | 634306

Nikon | Normal AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D Autofocus Lens | 2137 | B&H

Those might be a bit short for a Safari in Kenya. Shooting a close-up of a lion with those might be interesting.