African Safari Camera?

[Bmosbacker]

I will be going to Africa and hope to include a safari while there. I don't plan to hunt game but I do want to take pictures. I am an armature but can learn quickly. I need advice on a good camera.

1. Price--willing to spend 1,000-1,200
2. Will need ability to take telephoto shots
3. Rugged but not too big as I must travel with it.
4. When I return, I will use it for typical home/sports use
5. The safari not withstanding, I actually like taking close-ups more than telephoto
6. Desire high quality photos
7. Quick shutter and auto-shoot capability is important

Any suggestions? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Frog]

I'd go with Nikon d80 or canon xti which should leave you enough for a fairly decent zoom lens. Or step down to the Nikon d40x and spend more on the lens. Since you seem to want auto settings most , it might be best to go with d40x and a bit better glass. The glass is the most important.

[Bmosbacker]

I'd go with Nikon d80 or canon xti which should leave you enough for a fairly decent zoom lens. Or step down to the Nikon d40x and spend more on the lens. Since you seem to want auto settings most , it might be best to go with d40x and a bit better glass. The glass is the most important.

---
Thanks for the tips. Actually, I have advised that I should not use auto-focus so I will rely more on manual focus. You bring up an important point--should I spend more on the camera of the lenses? How does one make that decision?

[Frog]

Who told you not to use auto-focus? I've never been on safari but I'd think that many of your pic opportunities will be brief. If you know how to control your depth of field and can pick an adequate aperture for it with enough light for the fast shutter speeds, I see no reason not to auto focus. My auto focus lenses are much faster than I am.
The only time I advise against auto-focus is for macro work.

[gil ab ca]

I would take a serious look at the Panasonic FZ50 Point and Shoot. The 12X lens is superb, and it rates as one of the best wildlife cameras out there.
Regards
Gil
Pana FZ20, FZ50 Schneider K 1.4 tele, Raynox DCR2020 tele, Red Dot

[Bmosbacker]

Thank you for the tips. Today I looked at the Nikon D80 and the Canon equivalent. I'm leaning toward the Nikon. It seems to have better build quality and the guys at Wolf camera recommended it over the Canon. Any thoughts on the differences between the Nikon and the Canon? It was suggested that the higher end lenses are better on the Nikon. I am an amateur so any advice will be appreciated. I am able to spend approx. 2,500 for camera and lenses. I've increased what I'm willing to spend. :-) Thanks.

[Manic]

The D80 is a great camera; however, is more expensive than the XTi, only by a little bit. Money you can save and spend on a better lens.
I have an XTi myself, i love that camera, but if i could do it all over again i would go for the D80. Now i have lenses at gear for a canon, so i guess im a canon fun now.
Ultimately is your decision, whichever camera you pick, you should be more than satified.

[Frog]

If I had the money and was going on a safari I'd want the d80 as it feels better in my hands but some think the xti is ok and others don't. Point being I've never heard any one saying the d80 feels wrong in their hands. Then I'd slap on a sigma 50-500....$900 but from what I've read its quite a good lens. If I still had some bucks left I'd get a 18-55 or some smaller zoom hopefully with vr.
Let us know what you decide and bring back pics.

[Asmarlak]

I'd go with the Nikon D40x, its an entry level DSLR, small, and affordable and takes as good images as the more expensive D80. Include one of these lenses (18-55mm, 18-70mm, or 18-135mm) + Nikon 70-300mm VR AFS lens for telephoto shots. The whole package might cost $1100.00

[fx101]

Whichever camera you buy (a Nikon of course ) get the 18-200mm VR lens. It costs about $700 but gives you razor sharp images at nearly all focal lengths and is super compact (for the range). It will cover just about every image you will want to snap with ease. Plus, the vibration reduction helps if shooting from, say, a truck. A definite buy. Personally, I have the D80 and I love it. The extra money you will spend for the D80 combo is quite justified, as you will be able to grow with your camera, and it does everything you could want and more. I would NOT go for the 70-300mm as this lens is plagued with heavy distortion, and you would need two lenses (twice the bulk) to cover everything you want to do. Go for the 18-200 and you don't have to switch lenses, which contributes to dust (which there is a lot of in the savanah and dessert regions). Hope this helps.!

[AlbertHurwood]

Whatever you buy spend a lot of time and learn it as thoroughly as you can BEFORE you go.
Taking a camera you've only just bought on a holiday then trying to learn it as you go can lead to many missed shots.
And I'd personally pick a camera with a CF card as they are fairly cheap and depending on the shots you intend to take at one time, at least 2-3 gig capacity in 512 or 1 gig cards.
AND run a check on the cards to make sure they are OK.
And for the best quality shoot in RAW.
AND a UV filter to protect the lens - MUCH cheaper than replacing a lens!

[Asmarlak]

I"m going on a safari trip too to Kenya and Tanzania in December and got my Nikon D40x. Its an easy to use entry level DSLR, small, light weight, affordable and takes as good images as the more expensive D80. Mine has the 18-135mm + 70-300mm VR and costed US$1345.00 incl. shipping.
The 18-200mm VR is great lens but I think you need more than 200mm for a safari shoot besides the 70-300mm VR has similar quality optics of the 18-200mm VR lens and costs almost half the price.
Sample photos for D40x:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4025891...n/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tim-nikond40x/

Sample photos for 70-300mm VR Lens:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheltie...kkor70300mmvr/

[ipokkel]

Hi Asmarlak, I'm a amateur photographer from Africa and we have a very active photography community (online) here that is dedicated to outdoor photography (http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/forum). I suggest you join the community and post the same question there as you will get advice from guys who shoot often in those conditions that you will soon experience. That said, this community has given you sound and solid advice:thumbsup: !

Regarding the camera go for either Nikon D40/D80 or Canon Rebel XTi/40D. You also need to investigate which camera is better sealed against dust (Canon a good option here, most african wildlife photographers go for them - my personal choice would be the 40D, but that is my personal preference) cause you'll experience plenty of dust during your game drives. Second thing to consider about your camera choice is how many shots per second can it achieve during continuous shooting. You'll want to get the most possible shots in if you are privileged enough to witness a lion hunt and kill.

Before you decide talk to knowledgeable and experienced photographers and make sure you pick a camera model, regardless of brand, that will best satisfy your type of photography for the next 5 years.

Your most important investment will be your glass. Camera's will get upgraded often but your glass is a lifetime investment if you care for it. For wildlife photography I suggest lenses with a Image Stabilizer (IS - Canon) or Vibration Reduction (VR - Nikon) as the opportunity to shoot from a tri/mono-pod will be close to non-existent. Also invest in a camera rest to support your camera body and lens when taking shots from the vehicle, see these two links:
http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/cms/node/51
http://www.outdoorphotoshop.co.za/Pr...ductid=BUSHBAG

If you use these bags rather use mica beads as a filler instead of plastic beads as they are much lighter and just as effective. Ask your tour operator to organize the beads for you at your destination cause they will add to your baggage weight, especially the plastic ones, when flying.

Zoom Lens wise try to include a lens in your budget that has at least a 400mm zoom with a f/Stop Range of 4 or below (2.8 ideal) and get yourself a 1.4 or 1.7(nikon only) tele-converter to extend your range.

One last thing, be sure to take enough storage memory for your camera with you. You're camera will have a field day and you don't want to run out of space.

Hope this is somewhat helpful and I'm sure you will enjoy Africa , it's a continent with raw natural beauty.

[Asmarlak]

Thanks ipokkel for the advice, I have been to Southern Africa twice in the past (South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Namibia). Camera wise, I returned the Nikon 40x for a refund because I didn't like the image quality especially the overly saturated colors and the reddish color cast in images. I'm back to my 10x Olympus C-770 and The TCON-17 converter lens which together give me 646mm. I think it takes an expensive camera to realize that the small, cheap, and capable camera that you already own is all you need.

[mwfanelli2]

Whichever camera you buy (a Nikon of course ) get the 18-200mm VR lens. It costs about $700 but gives you razor sharp images at nearly all focal lengths and is super compact (for the range). It will cover just about every image you will want to snap with ease.

The 200mm upper limit won't be enough. The very minimum is 300mm with 400mm a better idea.