Zoom telephoto choices for safari

[tbar23]

Hi all - I’m a new forum member and a pretty new photographer. I purchased an EOS RP last summer and have mostly used it for astrophotography photos.
This summer I have the good fortune to go on safari.
I’m thinking about Canon RF 100-400 (the $650 version) or the 100-500 (~$2900, I think) and maybe even one of the Sigma 150-600 (or similar) lens with a converter.

Given the travel aspect and outdoor shooting, I am pulled towards the inexpensive Canon lens. That said, I can afford the more expensive lenses, and am looking for inputs from the experts on what types of things I should be taking into consideration.

 

[dmiller68]

Well I have the Sigma 150-600 but it is heavy and you have to use an adapter. However, the big plus is the extra reach. I think having as much reach as possible would be important on a Safari as you are probably going to not be very close. I shot bears in Alaska last year and having that reach is very nice. The other pro is that it is more then half the price of the 100-500. The 100-500 would be my second choice again because of the reach. You can get a teleconverter for both of them to give you even a little more reach but at the cost of some sharpness. Here is a picture at 600mm as you can see sharp all the way to the edges even in the corners.

By the way I used to use it on the Canon RP as well. Also the Canon R... Been through a few cameras at this point.

• Canon EOS R5
• 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary 015
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/7.1
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 400