Question by Max F: What camera should I purchase for my upcoming safari?
I’m going to eastern Africa on March 19 and am looking for a good camera to take on my safari. I have no experience with photography, however am willing to put in some time to learn how to use a quality camera if it is necessary. I’m a 20 year old student at a university so I can learn and pick things up relatively quickly. My budget is about $ 1000. Again, the main purpose for this camera is to take pictures of animals on a safari. I’ve done a little research comparing ultra zoom cameras with dslr cameras, so I understand some of the lingo, but I’m definitely still a beginner and having trouble making a decision. Any help would be greatly appreciated and if you guys have any suggestions on what features to look for or even specific cameras and accessories that you think I could use that would be great. The more specific the better!
Best answer:
Answer by EE dude
The ultra zoom variety of camera are convenient and reasonably compact, making them less cumbersome to carry around. A DSLR will give you the ability to use multiple lenses aimed more at your specific need, as well as offer a vastly superior image quality. Some of the higher power lenses used by professional wildlife photographers can run thousands of dollars each, but that is outside the scope of your needs. I personally shoot with the Nikon D90 and find it to be a camera of excellent quality. If I were going on your trip, I’d take my D90 with my 70-300mm G series lens. The lens will give good reach without the outrageous price tag of a more pro-grade lens. You probably still won’t be able to get close enough for some subjects, but any shortcoming will be offset by your ability to enlarge the image due to the higher quality sensor.
Add your own answer in the comments!
i recommend any of the proffesonal nikon’s they have the best lenses i recommend the d40 or d60 because those are the cheaper ones but the are quality cameras! i have one myself and i take the most amazing photos of nature and animals and my family! cannon’s or canon idk are good 2 but nikons are basically the best!
get the pentax k-x
up to 1600iso and still get large print(for low light)
hd movie
live view
4.7 fps continuos shooting
very reliable exposure bracketing
9 in image quality by dpreview
9 in features
and it is only 525grams
plus it is only $ 525 here
http://www.tristatecamera.com/lookat.php?refid=279&sku=PENKX1855KWE
here is a review
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxkx/page29.asp
For your purposes, you should spend less on the camera and more on the lens.
You don’t need a professional SLR. An entry level SLR (like a canon eos rebel or a nikon d40 or d50) will work fine. Or if you can spend a little more a midrange or “prosumer” camera.
A zoom lens in the range of 70-300 is good. It won’t get you close like professional lenses (for example, 60mm zooms), but it won’t make you broke either. You can also purchase a teleconverter to give you more reach. Try to go for the fastest lens you can afford (the lowest f-stop you can afford) – it’s worth the extra money.
On an unrelated note, don’t assume just because you are young that you can pick things up any faster than someone older (don’t knock us older people, who can be pretty sharp).
to get the maximum for your budget, and maximum quality, then buy a film camera like a Nikon F5 or an F100 along with a big 400mm lens.