Fost,
For your Africa trip, IS/VR is your friend! If you do a photo drive in Kruger, you are basically not allowed to leave the vehicle. So tripods/monopods are of little use(not to mention a pain to transport on the flight. What I got the most use of, is a Bush Hawk shoulder stock, and a bean bag. As with a rifle, if you rest the shoulder stock on something, coupled with IS/VR, you can get some really sharp shots with long glass. Take an empty bean bag, and fill it over there. Set on wound down car window, and rest your lens just like a rifle on sandbags...works really well. If you use 3 legged shooting sticks, they make a passable support for a long lens, in a pinch! You'll definitely want your 100-400 at least. If you can go longer do it.
Also take a full compliment of gleaning gear. A good dust bulb is a must, and it would be a real good idea to have a means to clean your sensor. It can be damn dusty.
We're going back in 2 weeks and can't wait! Hope you have a great trip!
Jeff
