Photography Equipment

Written By Adrian Dawson

You may be interested in the equipment I use on a safari trip, this is my setup, everyone will have something different, but this works for me and provides a balance between cost, weight and quality.

I have a dual-body setup using a Nikon z8 and Nikon z6III that covers the necessary focal range from wide landscapes to distant wildlife while minimizing lens changes in dusty environments.

  • Bodies (Z8 & Z6III):

    • Nikon Z8: Its 45.7MP high-resolution sensor allows for image cropping, effectively extending my reach when animals are far away. The stacked sensor also provides blackout-free shooting for fast action.

    • Nikon Z6III: Is excellent for low-light situations (dawn/dusk drives) due to its 24MP sensor's cleaner high-ISO performance. Its bright EVF and 8-stop IBIS are superior for handheld shooting in low light.

  • Lenses:

    • 100-400mm + 1.4x TC: This is my primary wildlife workhorse. With the 1.4x TC, it becomes a 140-560mm f/8 lens, which is ample reach for mammals and most birds.

    • 70-200mm f/2.8: Vital for the "blue hour" or when subjects are close to the vehicle/boat. The f/2.8 aperture is a lifesaver in the dim light of early morning or late afternoon.

    • 24-120mm f/4: Essential for the wide-angle "face-on" views, for environmental wildlife portraits and use around the camp.

The Best Setup

To maximize my efficiency and protect my sensors from dust, I keep one lens "married" to each body.

Nikon Z8 with100-400mm (+ 1.4x TC if needed) for distant wildlife. 100-400mm for birds and crocodiles on the banks.

Nikon Z6III with 70-200mm f/2.8 for closer subjects and low light and tighter shots people, animals drinking near the boat.

The 24-120mm is kept close by in my camera bag.

Technical Tips

  • Cropping vs. TC: If light levels drop, I remove the 1.4x TC from the 100-400mm. You are often better off shooting at f/5.6 on the Z8 and cropping in post-processing than shooting at f/8 with a TC.

  • AF Modes: I use Animal Subject Detection (or Bird AF on the Z8). For the boat, I keep my shutter speed at 1/1600s or faster to counteract the boat's vibration and movement.

Dust Management: Game drives are extremely dusty. I keep the cameras in bags between sightings and avoid changing lenses while in a vehicle. I use the Z8's sensor shield feature.

Notes: Yes, I would like a z400mm f2.8, but I don’t have £12k spare. I know the z180-600mm could serve me well, but I owned one of those and I couldn’t get sharp images over 500mm, so sold it. Yes, a 600mm f6.3 prime is nice and lightweight, but not as versatile as a zoom and the Nikon S line zooms are very good.

Adrian Dawson