What’s in my Gear Bag – Tiger Safari.

I have just arrived in India to lead my Tiger and wildlife safari and I wanted to share what gear I will be taking and why.

There is a constant debate surrounding the quality of gear versus skill. I think it goes without saying that you must first develop a level of skill that matches your expectations, especially with wildlife photography when you are shooting in low light with unpredictable action and access. Perhaps some types of photography have more latitude for compromise, but when it comes to wildlife photography, gear MATTERS.

Here is what is in my bag –

Nikon 2 D850 camera bodies
Nikon 24-70 2.8
Nikon 70-200 2.8
Nikon 1.4 teleconverter
Nikon Adapter for the lenses to fit the Nikon Z7 mirrorless
Nikon Speedlight SB-5000

Creative option

Nikon Z7 converter to IR
Nikon Z glass 24-70 4.0

On loan

Nikon 180-400 4.0 with built-in 1.4 teleconverter
Nikon Z7

For wildlife photography, I want the best low light capabilities both in my bodies and in my glass. This is one of the reasons for my switch to Nikon, which you can read about here. This is why I have 2.8 and 4.0 fixed glass, which means when I zoom in, the F-stop does not change like in the less expensive zoom lenses where the aperture can change from 4.5-6.3 as you zoom. In low light, when a lot of the cat action takes place, a stop of light is critical!!

Since switching systems, I have not yet invested in big glass. I know the 400 2.8 is superior in sharpness, as all fixed lenses, and no one can argue the importance of 2.8 fixed, both for low light and a shallow depth of field to isolate subjects from a distracting background. Adding a 1.4 converter would make the lens a 500 at F4, which is what I shot with for 15 years of my career. However, I am tempted by the freedom of range that the 180-400 F4 provides and the built-in 1.4 converter makes it a 500 at the quick flick of a switch. Nikon has loaned me this lens to test during my 3 weeks in India. The quality of sharpness from end to end could push me in that direction, but since I have the D850 and I can crop in the camera to cover some of the 200 – 400 along with a 1.4 teleconverter, I am not yet sure if I want to compromise on the stop of light and DOF.

I will also be testing the new Z7 mirror-less. My interest is not in “lightening the load” but the technology of the focusing points from corner to corner and seeing true exposure in real time. The two main concerns are the lag time when shooting at the highest frames per second and the reaction of the AF system when using the adapter for the DSL glass with the mirror-less camera.

I had the Nikon Z7 and the 180-400 F.4 with me at the Spirit-N-Light workshop last week and the quality of sharpness from both was excellent. However, the real test will come from photographing the Tigers.