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I've used Canon digital SLRs (the original Rebel SLR and the 40D) and EOS lenses.  I've had good results with the 75-300 mm IS lens, the 70-200 mm F/4 IS L lens (with and without a 1.4 extender) and with the 100-400 mm IS L lens (a rental from lensprotogo.com, whom I recommend).  A bean bag will help steady cameras.  They are hard to find, but you can fashion yourself.  It's a good idea to bring along a blower brush---it often gets dusty on safaris and the blower will help gently remove dust from the lens.

I'd go with these three (in no particular order):  Londolozi in South Africa, and Grumeti River Lodge and Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania.  Londolozi has great accommodations, service and food; wildlife viewing is great, with a particular emphasis on leopards.  The Grumeti River Lodge is a true African experience, a tented camp situated next to a hippo pool.  Most of the day you're serenaded with grunts/groans/snorts, while at night you can hear hippos moving about.  In the western Serengeti, the lodge offers outstanding wildlife viewing (saw a cheetah hunt here).  The Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is luxurious from dining facilities to the rooms.  It may seem a bit more like a swanky hotel than an African camp, but the zebra roaming the grounds and the distant roar of lions lessen that.  Wildlife viewing was quiet when I was there, but the lodge and location on the crater rim make this a 5+ star venue.