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does anyone know where you can hire a lens? and prices etc? i have a Nikon D5000. also can anyone please explain to me what a tele-converter is and how does it work? i currently have a 55-200mm lens. what would the next step be for me in terms of wildlife photography?
thanks

Outdoorphoto has a rental section.

You don't say for which wildlife photography you need a lens... So:
Macro (insects and such) asks for a 100mm macro lens.
Walking around in many parks you could work your 55-200mm.
Kruger, KTP and many other parks, where distances are greater you should think of a 400~500 mm lens.
Birding... Well, the longest you can get.

A teleconverter is a bit of glass you put between the lens and the camera. Depending on brand and type you get a 1.3 to 2.0 times longer lens. This is not without penalty though, it will cost you one to two stops of light, and may degrade the quality of the photos.
The light is the largest problem, the smaller converters cost you one stop, so a f/5.6 lens will become f/8, the 2x converter costs 2 stops.
On your camera you can not get autofocus with a lens slower than f/4 + a small converter.

thank you soo much. sorry about that. wildlife (game) photography in Kruger. what would you recommend to me, so that i can start researching it

If you do a quick search with Google you will also find places like RentALens and LensRental - compare prices and insurance between the 3. Of course it depends on your budget what you want / can rent, but I would recomend the Nikon 200 - 400mm F4 lens with a 1.4 TeleConverter. That lens has NO rival!!

That is a perfect lens for Kruger yes. And on the backup body a nice wide lens for landscapes.

thanks people. thats why i love you guys soo much!

There is also a place called wild-eye that rent out. Spk to a guy called Gerry he will help.
info@wild-eye.co.za

I am beginning to think that I should start a lens-rental company with outlets in the main Kruger camps. Any comments on this idea?

I wouldn't talk too loud about this until your shop is up and running already - someone may just steal your idea!!

Is there a place in Nelspruit and surrounding area where one can rent lenses i.e. Canon 100 - 400 / 200 - 400 L?

I do have a Canon 300 and Sigma 500, but would like to use the Canon 400 with my other camera.
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Wildernis Ebb & Flo- June'12
Kruger south to north and back- Dec'12

There is a place in Nelspruit where you can rent lenses. I will see if I can get the the detail of the shop.

The shop is Outdoorphotoshop. It is at the Value centre across the road from the The Grove centre. The photoshop is at the back of the centre.

Thank you KTM KWAGGA.

Will google it for rates.
I guess it will be a consideraing whether to save up and buy the lens yourself rather than renting it for a number of days. Good to have options available to consider.
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