What lenses to bring to night safari?

[captnj]

Hi guys, i have the unenviable job of brininng some corporate client/visitors to night safari...(waste of a night) on the + side ill try to take some nice shots...I have a minolta 5d with a 17-35/2.8-4, 28-75/2.8, 70-200/2.8 and a 50/1.7 what should i bring? i have never been there to take photos before and (duh) it will be night also i have a 5600HSd flash. What should i bring?
who has gone before? what worked? what didnt?
thanks!

regds
jonathan

 

[nightwolf75]

erm... as long as u're flashing ONLY the homo sapiens and not the rest, any on the lenses are fine. pls pls pls... have mercy on the animals and DON'T use ur flash on them? its very cruel, IMO...:embrass:

 

[Fluorite]

I dun think flash is allowed. I saw an inconsiderate photographer at the safari flashing during the tram ride. But he did not gain much... The tram stopped and the night safari admins gave him a harsh warning. In fact, even shining the torches on the animals earned me glares from some of the public. And I believe, I was wrong.

Good choice of lens there. What about considering a tripod?

 

[dragos]

just up the ISO speed and i think you are done...oh ya, bring tripod..

 

[captnj]

just up the ISO speed and i think you are done...oh ya, bring tripod..

haha ok thanks for all the answers so far... ok flash is out...

 

[slaam]

I won't bother with a tripod as well.. haha
really even though i tot the silly hippo would stay still for my shot.. he didn't so i got a blurry mass and funny green lights from the long exposure of the surrounding grass ..
so high iso
preferably IS or VR lens.. (urs is the minolta with antishake?)
and lens with fast aperture..
that's my two cents for shooting the animals ..

 

[captnj]

yup... got AS ... is the 50mm prime too short to be of any use?

 

[ricohflex]

nocturnal animals have eyes that are adapted to the night and magnify light intensity many times. if you flash them, you may be in effect blinding them permanently. or at least causing some pain or distress to the animals.

 

[sehsuan]

a fast, fast lens would be ideal. f1.4 should be a sweet spot.

 

[azul123]

Bring Video camera instead...

../azul123

 

[+evenstar]

I think there's no point shooting in the night safari. It's too dark to get any decent shots even at ISO 3200 without flash..just enjoy yourself there..

 

[catchlights]

Please don't use flash on animals, anyway you can't get a good shots of animals with or without flash in Night Safari, if anyone try to use flash to photograph, despite the advice or warning from the staffs of Night Safari, they may ask the offender to leave the park immediately or escort the offender out of the park by the security. The Night Safari is very strict about using flash to photograph animals, as what the reasons have already explain by other CSers.

But if you use flash to photograph your guests in any other area like the restaurant, tram stations, main entrance and not at the animals enclosures /exhibits, or the amphitheater during the creatures of the night show, it is allow.

You may buy some post cards of animals sell in DSF gifts shop for your guests, instead of let them using flash to photograph the animals.

Hope this help

 

[Wai]

Bring Video camera instead...

../azul123

got to get those with nightshot mode :think: