We had set up a special drink stop for a shoot in the middle of the savanna when a herd of Cape Buffalo was stampeding across the open area a few hundred meters away.
They were chased by two male lions who took down a buffalo cow.
We quickly got everyone in vehicles and drove to the kill location. As we arrived, the buffalo herd was still very close to the large cats with their kill.
After a few growls, the herd moved off, and the lions dug into their large meal.
We watched them for a while before returning to the drink stop setup and continuing our photo shoot in the beautiful evening light.
…everyone else might get a bit bored with this post…
Recently, a few people asked me what equipment I use to create wildlife photographs, so I thought I would publish a list.
All my camera equipment is from Canon. About 20% of my published pictures and about 50% of my published clips are taken nowadays with one of my Apple iPhones. And most of my editing is now done on my iPhones as well. My drones are from DJI, and my tripods are from Manfrotto.
Here we go… let me know if you have any questions!
EQUIPMENT LIST
Cameras
– 3 x Canon EOS R6 (mirrorless)
– 1 x Canon EOS R6 Mark II (mirrorless)
– 1 x Canon EOS 6D Mark II (DSLR)
– 2 x Canon BG-R10 Battery Grips (soon to be 4, one for each of the R6s)
Lenses
8 EF lenses (all equipped with a Canon EF-EOS RF adapter) and 4 RF lenses.
– Samyang MF 14mm f/2.8 RF
– Canon EF 17-40 f/4L USM
– Canon EF 24-70 f/4L USM
– Canon RF 24-240 f/4-6.3 IS ISM
– Canon EF 50 f/1.4 USM
– Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM
– Canon EF 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM
– Canon EF 180 f/3.5 MACRO USM
– Canon EF 300 f/2.8L IS USM
– Canon EF 500 f/4L IS USM
– Canon RF 600 f/11 IS STM
– Canon RF 800 f/11 IS STM
Lens usage:
Photographic game drives with guests (24-240, 800)
Photographic game drives by myself (on my Green Mamba game viewer) (70-200, 300, 500, 800)
Photographic game drives by myself (in my Suzuki Jimny) (24-70, 600, 800)
Travel lens (when I have to travel by plane with only one and only one lens) (24-70)
Smart Devices
– Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max, 1TB
– Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 512GB (*)
– Apple iPad Pro 12.9″,256GB
(*) Will be replaced early 2025 by an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, 1TB
Drones
– DJI Mavic Mini 3 Pro
– DJI Phantom 4 Pro (now for sale, planned to be replaced by a DJI Mavic 3 Pro in 2025)
Tripods
– 3 x Manfrotto Tripods with Ball Heads
Vehicles
– Toyota Land Cruiser 79 4.0 V6 Game Viewer (Green Mamba II), used for photographic game drives on Thanda Safari with up to five guests
– Suzuki Jimny 1.5 GLX AT (Little Mamba), used for photographic game drives at Thanda Safari and trips in South Africa by myself
– Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 RB or 4×4 AT, provided by Thanda Safari or rented from AVIS Rental Cars for excursions Custom Luxury Tours with up to three guests
– Mercedes Benz Vito, rented AVIS Rental Cars for excursions and Custom Luxury Tours with up to five guests.
It does not happen often that we see a Leopard kill in a tree at Thanda Safari. So it was a very pleasant surprise to be able to get a glimpse (and a picture) of this beautiful cat feeding on an Impala carcass. A Hyena was on standby at the bottom of the tree for some drop-offs.
Using the light from the spotlights of my tracker Bheki I was able to capture this image in very low light. This was the only useable picture documenting the encounter.
Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f11/800mm | ISO 51200 | 1/60sec | ev+0 | WB AWB | AV Mode
End of last week we spotted the first new-born Impala. All the females of species, which have mating seasons (Impala, Wildebeest, Kudu, and Warthog), will give birth between now and January.
A lot of cuteness.
Have a good week!
Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f4-6.3/24-240mm | ISO 640 | 1/750sec | f6.3 | ev+0 | 240mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode
This week, I saw a Black Rhino flehmen for the first time.
The bull picked up the scent of a female, stuck his nose into the soil where the cow had urinated, and then inhaled as much air as possible towards the Jacobson’s organ (vomeronasal organ) to analyze if the lady was in estrous.
Many mammals show this behaviour, but I had never seen a Black Rhino doing it. What a sighting!
Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f11/800mm | ISO 32000 | 1/500sec | ev+0 | WB 6500K | AV Mode
This morning I captured a short video clip of one of Thanda Safari’s male Lions roaring. One of the most impressive sounds to be heard on the African savanna!
Technical data Video: Canon R6 with RF lens f11/800mm | 4K video recording | Cropped/sized to HD
Technical data Picture: Canon R6 with RF lens f11/800mm | ISO 400 | 1/60sec | ev+0 | WB 6500K | AV Mode
Sometimes work related to wildlife conservation can get very exciting.
As part of the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project one of these incredible creatures was relocated from Thanda Safari to a new home to expand the range of the species.
When the Rhino was darted it fell asleep not next to the road, as we had hoped, but a bit down a hillside. So it was decided to clean a path, partially wake it up, and then ‘rhino walk’ it up to the waiting container truck.
This is a short video showing as all hands helped, so this large mammal could get to its new home. A job well done!
Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 