Guys,

Just bought my first ever DSLR camera and I am very excited to take it with me this year to Zim. I wish I had taken way more photos last time I went and really intend to capture the whole experience this time vs just some candid shots between trophy pictures. Being that a DSLR camer is a bit bigger than the point I shoot I brought last time, it has raised some questions.

Curious to get some opinions on what has worked and what hasn’t worked for carrying your DSLR camera along with all your other gear. For the purpose of these questions, I’m interested in folks hunting alone without their wife/kid/friend there able to carry stuff. It will be just me, the PH, and trackers.

1. What do you put your DSLR camera in when you head out on a stalk?

2. When headed out to stalk, do you leave the camera in your answer to question 1, or do you keep it out to grab candid photos. I would like to grab candid photos as we stalk, but am a bit baffled how to comfortably accommodate binoculars, rifle, backpack and camera while chasing elephant. Seems like a lot of stuff hanging off my person.

Appreciate the input and interested to hear what has worked and what has not.

Often the tracker or game scout will carry this for you in a separate rucksack. Ask your PH and he will come up with a plan.

There is an old saying:

"You are either hunting with your rifle or your camera but you can't do both"

That being said, you want to try which is perfectly fine.

So, assuming that the DSLR is the "fixed" piece of equipment and you want it on your person and not with the tracker because photo ops can be fleeting:

1) Consider going to compact binoculars and wearing a shirt with bellowed chest pockets
and use a light strap and drop the compact binos into your chest pockect. How much trophy judging will you be doing that you will need 8 or 10 x40s, that's the PH's job.

2) If small binos are not an option or your preference, put the binos on an elastic chest harness first and wear the camera on a longer strap slung cross shoulder and under your weak arm and over the bino chest harness. You will be able to live the binos ad the camera strap will just lift up.

Each is a compromise and both is more equipment than no camera at all but you are looking for a solution as opposed to being told don't do it.

I have done both and they worked fine. I did not feel shorted with 8x20 binos when I sued them.

I carry two cameras.

A small pocket model that goes wherever I go.

The larger one stays in the truck.

What Saeed said. You'll take far more pix if you have that pocket camera with you all the time.

Mark

If you look at the photos in my hunt reports, you will see photos mostly taken with small pocket cameras.

I third this, especially on a tuskless hunt. You don’t want a lot of stuff hanging around your neck. I ended up ditching a lot of my gear on my hunt. A lot of walking and it can get hot in the Zambezi Valley.

Who are you going with and when?

I carry my own rifle.

Never let anyone else carry it, regardless how long or hard the going is.

I carry a small pocket camera with a good optical zoom.

I do not carry any binoculars.

I have no need for them at all.

My PH does.

When we see something, I look through the rifle scope, and we decide whether to shoot or not.

Check bhphotovideo.com . There are a number of holster-like options for carrying a camera. Choose a 70-200 zoom and shoot away. I have been lucky on our trips, my wife shoots while I hunt. During breaks or in down time we both walk with cameras. The result is over 3000 photos per trip.

A quality smart phone takes great pictures and you can download a GPS app and other interesting stuff.

It is generally not practical to use your dslr while actually on a stalk. I second the advice of carrying a compact camera on your belt for quick use. However, it is really simple to place your large camera in a backpack and have one of the guys carry it while you’re out of the vehicle. That’s what I do.

I do what Saeed said. I have a backpack that generally stays in the truck that the DSLR is in. I also have a Nikon Coolpix which is a compact that is in my fanny pack that goes everywhere I go.

I carry a Nikon Coolpix. It's smaller than my cell phone and takes better pictures. It's also faster to get into action.

Dave

It can easily be done. You will need to use the Binocular harness & a neck strap. Decide which one you want on the chest, I would recommend the heaver of the two. You will be loaded down, but it's double if you are in fairly good condition for walking miles loaded down.

Me too. I carry a camera that fits in my shirt pocket and leave the DSLR in the truck.

ON my last trip, one of the trackers started using my backpack to carry water. After a couple of days where no DSLR photos were needed, I discovered he had the DSLR in the backpack with all the water. A great opportunity to drown a camera, but fortunately there were no leaks. I used a 70-300 zoom on the DSLR and the Panasonic Lumix ZS60 in my pocket.

Check out theoffroader.com for their modular camera backpack. Very nice canvas and leather with a build in rain fly. I like to focus on the hunt and leave my camera in the day pack on the rack while carrying my rifle. Some of my best photos came off my cell phone and a pocket point and shoot. Also enjoy the days I spend hunting with my brother, when I can carry my camera. Normally use a bino-harness to hold binoculars against chest with camera slung under off shoulder and gun over the other. I always take a few with my cell phone. Makes it easy to send trophy and scenery photos home on WhatsApp.

Give the tracker or scout something and ask them to carry the bag. I have a indestructible rug sack from HPRC with my lenses and camera.( even driven it over with my defender).

Everyone has covered it pretty well. P&S in pocket all the time, DSLR and lenses in pack. Have someone carry that or leave in truck.

One thing that I'll add is to double wrap your gear. The dust in Africa gets everywhere.

I put my lenses in their own small ultralight dry sacks, and the camera w/lens goes in its own. I usually leave a 70-200 F2.8 on the camera, and take a 400 F4 and 17-50 F2.8. Add a 1.4X extender and that covers almost anything I want to shoot without killing the carrier.

Last couple of years, though, I started to build an Olympus system to complement my Canon gear and it is really nice size and weight wise.

Jeremy

Like Saeed and others said P& S in left pocket for trophy shots and scenics. I m a keen photographer but if hunting I leave my Nikon 810 with 1.4 converter and 70-210 zoom in the truck. If somebody else is hunting, I carry it and a wide angle zoom in my thigh pocket. Only then do I carry a binocular but I keep a 8x high quality range finder on my belt that serves as a reasonable scope when hunting.inrely on the PH for checking with his binos. I rarely use it while hunting unless essential for longer shots. Remember to turn off the sound of the shutter if you can.. can ruin a stalk! Also, when on foot, some big fellas may not like you stepping forward with a shiny camera.. I was chased by a black rhino for my cheek.

quote:

I carry two cameras.

A small pocket model that goes wherever I go.

The larger one stays in the truck

THIS!!!

I brought a DSLR on all my hunts but left it in a bag in the truck.Once I brought a small camera with me in the bush but I wasn't crazy about that as I hate carrying stuff and there is little time to stop.Next time in the bush I will bring a small, light pair of binocs as I hunt with open sights and a small, light flashlight
Having the hunt filmed is what I do.Next time out I've opted for a simple photographic package to go along with the video.The cameraman will carry a quality small camera and take pictures of the natural wonders.

Saeed:

What pocket camera are you recommending these days? My Olympus Tough died the other day.....

If you are hunting hard for a certain species or a trophy of a certain size, the PH is under a lot of pressure to produce. You will (hopefully) see a lot of game while on the road from one area to another, but the PH is often driving as fast as possible to get to that area. It would definitely eat up a lot of hunting time, if you have him slow down or stop for good photos of animals encountered on these trips.

I always take a pocket camera, but I seldom get really great shots while hunting, because I focus on the hunt first.

JMO

BH63

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I carry two cameras.

A small pocket model that goes wherever I go.

The larger one stays in the truck.

^^^ this! ^^^

I keep a small, 16MP camera in my pocket. I usually have my phone on me as well which has a decent camera.

I keep the DSLR in the truck..

If after an animal is taken, and the truck pulls up to help recover the animal, I'll get the DSLR out and try to take pictures of the surrounding area, the animal, have pics of myself and the hunting party taken, etc..

But there is no place for it on my person, and no use for it on the stalk (IMO)..

For the most part my DSLR gets used around camp, or out on non hunting related excursions.. and only rarely gets any use on a hunt..

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I carry two cameras.

A small pocket model that goes wherever I go.

The larger one stays in the truck.

This is what i do. however i have spare batteries in my camera pouch.

if taking binoculars take a small compact model.

As my PH said, your job is to shoot, my job is to find animals for you to hunt.

Hire a good videographer/photographer and leave your cameras at home. Worth every penny IMHO.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Mitchell:
Saeed:

What pocket camera are you recommending these days? My Olympus Tough died the other day.....

Right now there is nothing to compete with the Panasonic TZ or SZ series.

They the same, but marked different for different countries.

I am sitting right now having breakfast on the beach in the Maldives and one is sitting right in front of me

Takes great pictures, and great 4K video too.

If you take a video of something, and like to extract a photo from it, the pictures are great when extracted from 4K.

Yiu need a free software called VLC, which you can download from the Net.

While playing the video, hit the E key when you come to the frame you wish to save as a photo.

The video will stop. You can go forward one frame at a time if you wish by repeatedly pressing E.

Once you got to the frame you like, go to the top menu, video, save picture.

The photos are absolutely great.

quote:

Originally posted by drj:
Hire a good videographer/photographer and leave your cameras at home. Worth every penny IMHO.

Great on the videographer.

But, never, ever, leave your camera at home!

Wife, yes, camera?

Never!

In Zimbabwe, apprentice PHs and Guides have to pass a 5-stage shooting test to get their licenses.

What the hell does this have to do with carrying a DSLR camera on a hunt, you are probably asking.

Well, just this: candidates on the shooting proficiency were coming to the range, obviously, dressed as comfortably as possible. Shorts, t-shirts, flip-flops, but we eventually insisted that they dress for the examination as they would be dressed when conducting a safari - binos, hydration systems, belt kit, the whole 9.

So you may want to carry the DSLR as some have suggested, or carry a smaller camera and leave the DSLR in the vehicle. If you carry it, get onto the range with all your kit, as you will be on the hunt, and just play. See if you're comfortable carrying a big, bulky camera, and work out where works best for you. Do some live fire drills with it.

Other options, of course, would be a hat-mounted Go-Pro, or maybe a smaller DSLR "bridge" camera. The digital choices are almost endless.

By all means take all the junk your heart desires but when on track or stalk in the field, try to be as light and without too much unwanted stuff on your belt and person as possible; let the trackers carry all the odds and sods as they are only useful when the quarry is down and time is on your side.

Zim PHs I have known and shared camp with many, but yet to find one dressed and decorated like a Xmas tree!

One particular chap (whom a good number of forum members know) would walk the entire hunt barefoot if it were not for acceptable limits on dress-code etiquette.

I have many times posted pictures taken on hunts on this forum, but I may not be the example to follow since I'm pretty dedicated when it comes to photography, wherever I go. Sometimes I even have three cameras with me. But a couple things I do are:

1) I never carry a DSLR on me when I hunt. That doesn't work, at all. I leave the DSLR in a very protective case, which I then put in a plastic bag to minimize dust (ziplock type), and have a tracker carry it. A tracker probably knows nothing about your camera, its value or its fragility. Hence the protective case and a large ziplock bag to put it in. If the tracker is also carrying water in his pack, then you've added an additional risk to protecting the overpriced gadget.

2) If you have a pocket sized camera you can leave that in an appropriate pocket (a pocket with a flap so that it cannot possibly fall out) on your person. Don't also take binoculars, just another weight and the PH or guide or trackers will have binoculars anyway.

3) Don't try to do animal photography when you are hunting, it doesn't work. The DSLR is for trophy pictures, OR, when you are out in the field but not hunting. Maybe your quota is filled for the day, maybe you're taking a siesta, maybe the truck has a flat or is stuck in the mud, but those are the only times you go to the trouble of taking it out of the tracker's pack.

4) Trophy photography, in my experience, is more easily accomplished with an extra-wide zoom lens. That doesn't mean you can't do it with another lens, it's just what I prefer. But a wide to short telephoto zoom can be a better all around choice if you might end up doing some classic live animal photography as well. If you really want to do animal photography then the longer focal length the better, meaning a long lens in a SEPARATE protective lens case. Changing lenses under field conditions almost always results in dust on the sensor, unless you're extremely careful.

5) Take lots of pictures, some may turn out OK. Keep the sun on your back. It's amazing how many people don't follow this simple rule, meaning that they need some very good photography skills to get a good picture into the sun or backlit.


I'm basically saying the same things that have already been said above. So there is a pretty good consensus on this advice.

In my experience, binos can be surplus equipment when hunting elephant. Maybe the camera goes into a bino harness instead of the binos. That's what my wife does. Always has the camera at the ready that way.

Personally, I usually carry a pocket camera with me and a large camera in the truck.

You have a camp full of staff..It won't be a problem and its been done many times..African hunts are well managed to suit even the most particular of clients. They know their stuff.

The comment Saeed made in regard to Binocs and not needing them as his job was to look through the scope reminds me of the number of times I've had a client looking through their binocs when he should have been shooting. To hunt in this manner requires a lot of trust in your own judement or if guided on your guides judgment. Saeed and Roy have been a team for many decades if Roy or his son says "shoot" the 375/404 is going to bark.

I can well remember a very big 215 type non typical Mule deer 100 yards below us that saw me about the same time I spotted it as we eased into view over the lip of a bench. The clock had started When I whispered "shoot him" and for the next 5-6 seconds I was riveted on the buck with my glasses waiting for the sound of gun fire. This was going to be a pretty easy off hand shot, no sticks, no bipods, no gear, no shit just shoot.

The buck finally had enough and bounced into the aspens never to be seen again. I lowered my glasses and looked to my left to see my hunter still removing the lens covers from his mega sized binocs, finally untethered he looked up and softly said "where is he now ?

The walk back to the truck was a long and quiet one as it was his last day and this was the only real bruiser we had found in 5 long days.

I am not suggesting you should leave your binocs in the truck or at camp all the time. A lot of terrain is best viewed by everyone along and not having any optics can make one bored as hell as the guide pics apart the landscape looking for game for hours at a time.

But when creeping along in game rich terrain put the glasses in your pack or slung diagonally over your chest out of the way and be ready to act when the time comes. This last fall I was hunting in Kansas. Some of the time elevated and some of the time on foot still hunting and rattling as I went as the property was plenty large enough to allow it. I snuck up on and rattled in quite a few bucks in the 8 days I was there. Rarely did I have time to reach for the glasses while tippy toeing through the osage orange and oak trees bottoms.

The last day I could hunt the landowner and I slipped through a series of hills and pockets with me banging the horns every 300 to 500 yards or so when we found a likely area to do so. We had the wind perfect that morning and were creeping along a low ridge above a prime bedding area. The 4th buck that came in that morning was a mature tank looking for a fight and Bill shot him at 12 steps before he could run us over. The cover was tight I never saw the buck at all from my side of the cedar tree. There was no time at all for Bill to even consider reaching for his Leica's, he had 3 seconds to raise the rifle and fire as the buck broke into the broom grass opening with his ears pinned back and eyes rolling around like soccer balls.

My Zeiss were hanging on my hip under my left arm. I hadn't even finished rattling when Bill's 270 went off. No time for looking it's was time to be shooting.

I have hunted with people carrying binoculars.

They look at the animal with them, them when they go to their rifl, they cannot see it anymore!

With Roy and Alan it goes even further.

Once an animal is picked out, I keep my eye on it through the rifle scope, and when it is clear I pull the trigger.

When I am hunting with an open sight rifle and there is a shot to be made through some branches or at 50+yds in the shade, binocs will show me exactly where to hold the front sight.My best buff was taken this way.There is no way I would have made the shot without my small binocs.Come to think of it I had to use the binocs on a couple of other buff.On my first buff I used my PH's binocs.Ofcourse if I used a scope rifle I would not need binocs but scoped rifles are for leopards and even then.