In addition to our world-renowned Photo hides and the PhotoMashatu Vehicle we have at Mashatu, we also have a lens rental facility for our clients to use. The lenses we have chosen relate directly to the most frequently used focal lengths required for excellent images of Mashatu’s wildlife.

The lens rental service means that there is a fully comprehensive photographic product at Mashatu that offers visitors something no other destination in Africa can.

Read more about the lenses and how to rent them when you visit Mashatu below.

To rent a lens while you are visiting Mashatu, please contact Mashatu reservations or Minette at C4's office.

PHOTOMASHATU LENS RENTAL 

Why rent a Lens for your safari?

• The ability to rent-a-lens eliminates the worry of in-flight weight restrictions and carrying the extra load on-board. International travel weight restrictions have become stricter each year, making it difficult to travel with large amounts of camera gear; a large lens being by far the heaviest piece of camera equipment you will bring along.
• With the large cost to purchase a lens that may be used a few times a year, it makes sense to rent a lens specifically chosen to be the best for the few days in the year that you are on safari.
• We have carefully chosen a selection of lenses that are perfectly adapt for the terrain and wildlife viewing of Mashatu. The lenses we offer are suitable for the beginner enthusiast through to professional.  With the open terrain that characterizes Mashatu, it is optimal to use lenses that offer the photographer great reach in order to zoom in on your subject. This is why all our lenses exceed the standard reach of 300mm that allows you ‘fill your frame’ and eliminate excessive cropping during post image editing.
• It gives you the opportunity to “see through the eyes of a professional photographer” and capture the same type of images that professional wildlife photographers take.
• You do not need to be a professional to use the lenses. Our staff will give you a 5 minute introduction to using and caring for the lens before you start taking great images with it.

What will renting a Lens offer you?

If you don’t own or use a long reach zoom or Prime lens, then the immediate difference in your image quality when using one of our lenses will be the first noticeable effect. The lenses have been crafted for high end results offering the best in sharpness and speed.

If you already own a Lens, then the ability to rent one eliminates the need to bring along your own. Many people don’t own super zoom lenses that reach beyond 300mm. Our lenses all go beyond 300mm zoom length. This allows you to get crystal clear and close up images of your subjects. Some of our lenses extend to 600mm which allows for extreme zooming in to get images of small birds and the “eye of the elephant”.

At Mashatu, the desired zoom length for photographing wildlife is between 400 and 500mm.

Renting a lens will offer you:

• Less weight to carry while travelling
• The opportunity to experience and test out professional quality lenses while on safari
• Use lenses beyond 300mm in length, a focal range that not many travellers ever get to experience.
• Photograph Mashatu’s wildlife with the optimum range of 400-500mm and thus increasing your chance attaining of excellent images
• Use lenses that perform best in low light. A lot of animal activity accurs at dusk and this is when these lenses still work very well.
• We supply beanbags and other support for the lenses when you rent them from C4
• To see the world and take images like a professional photographer

Our selection of Lenses:

Sigma's new range of SPORT Lenses is a testament to excellent and versatile zoom lenses. The close focusing distance of 150mm and the far reaching 600mm ensure that whether you are in the photo hides or out on game drive, you can capture all the action. These lenses offer extreme versatility and flexibility, which in turn, means it is very easy for you to use and take excellent images with.

Our Canon 500mm f4 and Nikon 600mm f4 Prime Lenses offer quality that match their impressive size. A Prime Lens is a fixed focal length and thus versatility is not an option. However, it doesn’t come as a surprise that professional photographers worldwide opt for these lenses to ensure the highest quality images in terms of sharpness and clarity. A low aperture of f4 means these lenses perform exceptionally well in low light conditions. The Autofocus on these two lenses is exceptionally fast and for action or birds in flight, these lenses are outstanding.

Our rental selection:

1 x SIGMA Nikon 150 – 600mm f5.6 - 6.3

1 x SIGMA Canon 150 – 600mm f5.6 - 6.3

1 x CANON 500mm f4

1 x NIKON 600mm f4

1 x 7d Canon Body

This includes

• Hand over to the client.
• Insurance of the lens and/or camera body.
  
• Maintenance and cleaning.

To rent a lens while you are visiting Mashatu, please contact Mashatu reservations or Minette at C4's office.