The couple of weeks I have had to unpack, catch up and repack since I returned from the Nature Festival in Finland has quickly come and gone and very early tomorrow I am heading back to the airport to start the trek over to Africa for my 2018 Namibia Desert Fire Safari. It has been two years since I was last in Africa and I am very much looking forward to returning to the oldest desert in the world and the fantastic and diverse opportunities that Namibia always presents.
On this safari we are going to visiting the ghost town of Kolmonskop, the giant sand dues of Sossusvlei (and of course the iconic Deadvlei), the spectacular skeleton coast and the wildlife rich region of Etosha. On top of this we have many other stop off locations planned along our journey. This year we will be kicking off our safari by flying down to Luderitz from the capital city of Windhoek. Flying saves us two days on the road and gives us even more time for photography in the field.
This safari is a combination of both landscape and wildlife and as such I am packing both wide angle and super-telephoto lenses. All of this will pack into my F-Stop Lightroom Roller which I will use to get the equipment through the transit stage of my travels. I will then re-pack it on location into my F-stop backpack.
F- Stop Lightroom Roller Camera Bag:
- 2 x Canon EOS 1DX MKII
- 2 X Canon EOS 1DX MKII Spare Batteries
- 1 x Canon 16-35mm F4L
- 1 x Canon 24mm F3.5L TSE
- 1 x Canon 24-70mm F4L IS
- 1 x Canon 70-200mm F2.8L IS MKII (I am unsure if I will upgrade to the MKIII at this stage)
- 1 x Canon 400mm F2.8L IS MKII
- 1 x Canon 1.4 TC MKIII Teleconverter
In my checked luggage I am bringing the following:
- 1 x Sachtler Flowtech Carbon Fire Tripod (the new model I have absolutely fallen in love with)
- 1 x Arca Swiss Geared Tripod head
- 1 x Canon 1DX MKII Battery Charger and Lens Cleaning Kit
Why No Canon Mirrorless R?
I will have more to say about the new Canon mirrorless camera (and many of the other new cameras recently announced) in a new series of posts I am calling ‘Master the Craft’. I hope to publish the first of this new series while I am on the road.
Post Script – An update on the torn lateral tendon in my right elbow for those of you who kindly emailed me to see how it is progressing. After very intensive physiotherapy over the last few months I have turned the corner and can again lift my camera without pain and discomfort. I am hopeful that this Namibia safari will be the first trip since Antarctica last year that I can work freely without pain in my right arm.
See you in Africa!
www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com 