Going on safari, but what do I need?

In 3 months time am off to Namibia for a 3 week trip. So far I plan on taking;Samsung 12-24, Sigma 24-70 f2.8, DA*50-135, DA 55-300, AF 1.7x.

The trip is a mixture of desert, coast, and 8 days safari.
Questions are,

Will the DA55-300 with teleconverter when required be good enough for the safari?

I assume the 24-70 and 50-135 will be good enough for other situations?

The 12-24 will probably be used for Dune and skeleton coast shots, do I need to cover the 24-50 gap in my lens selection?

Weight is not an issue on this trip, budget is secondary, should I get something longer or faster than the DA55-300?

For those of you with safari experience;
What would you recommend?

Davex.

I would say you need a second body, changing lenses outside in those conditions could be a disaster.

While i can always justify a new lens, a second body seems too much of a luxury. Besides, SWMBO would notice 2 cameras

Davex.

WHile I have no experience of safari I have some of the 55-300mm and the 1.7x. Not a good match, especially for something as important as this.

Okay I haven't got any safari or widlife shooting experience at all so don't take my comment too seriously but I'll put in my thoughts.
The set up makes sense, I'm not sure if you'll be going through cities but even if you are, I'm probably thinking that the 24-70 will be slightly redundant and you'd end up shooting with either the 12-24mm or the 50-135mm, the range you lose between 24-50 you could probably live with cropping them from the wider lens? When I was in Morocco over the summer I found the 17-70mm being used at either ends, but not much in between.
I've got no idea about the tele end for animals, but if you have a tokina 500mm as it says in your footer, would it be useful to bring it along as that'd give you more reach for the animals on the safari?

I have heard that you can actually get away with a much shorter lens than you'd think, but I suspect it depends on the wildlife, the guides, and the park you're visiting. I've heard tales of lionesses coming up to sniff the vehicle tyres and crocodiles within 20m of the hotel balcony, although obviously your situation may vary. Maybe have a look around for photos taken by previous guests of the company you're booking with and see what kit they used?

300mm would be the minimum I would take for game shots. My wife used the 55-300 and I used the f*300 (Great rugged lens), when we went to Kenya last year. Rocket blower IS a must for getting the dust off, as well as a soft camel hair brush for a clean up of kit at the end of the day. I did take a 50mm macro for insects etc - but that's just me. The lens also doubled up for the general shots. The second camera body could be for SWMBO!

It need'nt be an expensive body, SRS have an istD in for £179, they're small and easily slipped into the camera bag as a back up, and for once in a lifetime holidays like this you should be taking a back up camera, not just a compact slipped into a pocket but one that will take all your lenses too.

On the other hand you could cover that range and add the facility for shooting in adverse conditions by adding an 18-55 WR to the bag.

A friend of mine got excellent wildlife shots with a Canon 70-300mm in South Africa - even some amazing shots of humpback whales shot from the clifftops! Jammy git!!! But A) he was lucky and B) his girlfriend had family out there who basically ran a hunting lodge and knew how to get close to the wildlife. Here's his set... bear in mind he's not an amazingly keen photographer, and only had a Canon 400D and two kit zooms. link

Mike,
This is one of the main areas I am struggling with, a lot of the wildlife shots will be taken in the region of waterholes, not a great distance away so I expect that either cropping the 50-135 or even a straight 55-300 will do.
But suppose in terms of lenses required what I am asking is do i need your 60-250 or Siggy 100-300 f4?
Or indeed maybe something else? a bigma is too big and heavy for me.

Fatspider;
It`s a good idea, but for other reasons I can only manage one body at a time.

Think if i add the 100mm macro then i can take insects just like mayday. Nearly got a 300mm prime but decided it would be to limited


Davex.

I would take the Sigma 100-300mm f4 and 1.4x teleconverter.

Again, this is where Pentax needs something like Canons 100-400mm.

Spanner in the works time, have you thought about a super zoom like the Pentax 18-250?

I use the Tamron version when touring and find it suitable for nearly all occasions.

One lens would save on baggage, cut he chance of dust and give you the excuse to buy a new one.

I did HG, long and hard, problem is a lot of the action takes place at dusk, superzooms just to slow.

Davex.

Ah, it was just a thought.

My Tammy handles most situations, but I haven't tried low light.

The only thought on that is rellying on SR or get a tripod.

Never mind, enjoy the trip with whatever you take.

My experience is from Botswana. I suggest that the 12-24 is likely to be used less than you might think in the vastness of Africa, but I'd definitely take your Sigma 24-70. Apart from anything else, it's fast aperture will help at Dawn and dusk or for night safaris (where I used Voiglander Nokton f1.4 lens and got much better results than others with big White lenses..). 24-70 will cover a useful range too.

I took the 55-300 and it was good for mammals; less so for birds. Focus speed at longer lengths was problematic on occasion - it can be very slow. I would not bother pairing it with a teleconverter.

I also took a Tamron 500mm mirror lens and used it much more than I expected. Results were good enough to get into PPG. I would suggest you take the Sigma, 50-135 and supplement with another longer zoom to get you to 4-500mm. Or take your Tokina! Also a grip to double your battery life.

If you do take the mirror, consider taking a monopod too. If you use that and keep SR on, the 'keeper-rate' rises exponentially.

Enjoy the trip - we loved ours and are busy saving for a return visit in a few years.

Jon