I am contemplating the purchase of a Canon Digital Rebel XTi for this year's safari. I can purchase a body and use the lens from my old film Canon. The old 28-105 will become the equivalent of a digital 45-168.

Will this work OK, or will I need more wide-angle for photos of myself and the game I hopefully take?

Thanks

I really like the effect of the equivalent of a 20mm lens in 35mm film format for trophy pictures. The photographer has to lie down in the dirt in front of the trophy to get the right perspective but the trophy looms large that way. For me, the wider the better, up to a 35mm lens is OK though.

You might consider buying one of the 28-200 or 28-300 lenses made by Tamron, Sigma etc. as a general lense.

We have been using these for years, and love them.

They are very small, and cover most of the occasions you might wish to take a photo.

Saeed makes an excellent point, the size and weight of the lense is quite important on a camera you're going to carry all day. The worst thing you can do to your trophy photos is leave the camera in the truck or back at camp because you don't feel like carrying it.

My advice is get the camera and practice some mock trophy shots with the lense before you go. That will give you some ideas on the distance you need to be to properly frame the shots. You may also need to adjust this distance if at the lowest focal range you get some distortion you don't like. The longer the distance the more intervening vegetation has to be cleared. I highly recommend you at least bring a small desktop style tripod with you and learn to use the auto-timed shutter. That way you can frame the shot yourself, get in the picture and have the camera snap a few poses happily alone on it's own. Even your PH and tracker can get in the shot. It's worth the effort. Using the LCD to review the shots and frame them you will know exactly what you are getting.

Don't forget to keep the sun at your back and use fill flash even in bright sunlight.

I understand you may be trying to save a little by not obsoleting some of the accessories you already have. IMO, this approach may cost you. Check out Canon's G7 and S3 IS.

Since you are sans camera as of now, I would sufggest you lok at the next higher level camera. A d30 or nikon n80. The sensor in the Rebel is small and the next higher level cameras will give you a much better picture. The Nikon d200 is afantastic camera. The d200 is what I would get weere I a digital guy but I still shoot (and prefer) film.

_BAxter

I very much appreciate the excellent comments. It is certainly making me rethink trying to use the old lens.

I will look at the higher level Canon and Nikon too.

I had good luck in Namibia this fall with a Nikon D50 with a sigma 28-300. This allowed good trophy shots as well as long enough for animal photos (giraffe etc). It also avoided the need for lens changes-the sensors on digital cameras can easily get dust on them.

Hi Oldcoyote,
Having just returned from a photo Safari I guess you would call it. I found the Cannon S3IS to be a great camera. I was unfortunate to have a problem with mine on the trip but after asking at every photo store across Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia it seems the S3 is usually a problem free camera.
The S3 has a 10 times optical zoom which is equivelent to a 432 mm lens but it all comes in a relativally small package. You can also get a 1.5 multiplier lens that would move you up to 18 times optical zoom. The camera also has a stich mode where you can take three or four pictures and join them together. This is a nice feature. I think you will find being able to pull things in from a distance will be a good feature. You will always be able to take the close in trophy pictures with the S3 also. Here is a link to some of the photos where the S3 was used.
http://www.470mbogo.com/AfricanWildlife/
Take good care and have a great trip,
Dave

OC,

I shoot N80's right now and am in the same market for the Digital.

I read the reviews on the XTi, and was really impressed with it until I picked up the camera. The body was just to small for my hand. Its not like I have huge hands either, its just a small body.

I talked with a couple of shops and they recommended the Pentax K10, it has a image stabilizer built into the body, so while the body is expensive the lenses are cheap since you don't need that image stabilizer system in the lenses when they get up in the 200mm+ range. Camera handles great and I will probably get that.

Just my .02.

Very nice photos 470mbogo. The stitching mode allows you to take photos of almost unlimited width. The S3 takes very nice video clips in a pinch. They eat up card storage in a hurry but they are not a joke like they are on many other point and shoots. If you have extra cards and a laptop for storage back at camp the S3 can double as a video camera.

As Camarillo pointed out changing lenses on an SLR exposes the sensor to dust and the environment. Beware. This is why most SLR manufacturers recommend SLRs be professionally cleaned on at least an annual basis. (Work that into your cost of ownership.)

SB45

Here is last page of a K10 test (and other tests are nearby).

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk10d/page25.asp

They complained about the in-camera image processor but mention a firmware 1.1 upgrade which may help.

Based on the comments above and some research, the Nikon 18-200 lens with vibration reduction looks good on either a D80 or D200. This lens is hard to find and so is the D200. Beach Camera is the only place I see them.

try Adorama.com or Ritzcamera.com

Check out Pricegrabber.

Gives you links to the best prices.

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Nikon_D200_SLR_Digital_C...13321369/search=d200

Pricegrabber worked whereas others I tried did not. Thank you SB45. B&H had the D200 with 18-200 VR Nikkor lens so I ordered it.

The camera is huge and heavy.

What an upgrade! I could have purchased a nice rifle for this much.

Yep, very very nice camera for sure. It is quite heavy though at almost 2lbs.

I took my Canon Digital Rebel XT, the predecessor of the camera you mentioned, with an 18-200 mm Sigma lens and a 70-300 Canon lens. I had the entire focal range bracketed.

A couple bits of advice: Use one of the program modes, and program the camera to focus on the center point, rather than letting it choose between any of the points. I got several pics of elephant and buff with the foliage in the foreground in great focus and the animal blurred. Also, buy the lens with the lowest f stop spec you can afford, particularly the telephoto lens. f4 is better than f5.6, because it allows a faster shutter speed and a better chance of a sharp picture. Even better are the Canon IS (Image Stabilizer) lenses, which give you sharper results at low shutter speeds. They make them in 70-200 mm, in f4.0 (very good, and ~$1100) or f2.8 (even better, and ~$`600).

Take several 2 Gig memory cards, or even better, 4 or 8 Gig. A 2 Gig with my 8mp camera was good for ~500 pictures; that will probably be no more than ~400 with the 10 mp camera.

Clarence

My working kit consists of two SLR bodies, four lenses and assorted paraphernalia, including strobes, filters and light diffusers.

The SLR's used to be Nikon F5's, but are now D200's.

My go-to lens for years has been the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 telephoto. I take 80% of everything with it when street shooting. The rest is taken with three others. I use the widest-angle zoom lens the least, FWIW. This assortment covers all contingencies up to long-distance and sports telephoto shooting where you really need the 300mm's and bigger guns.

60mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor (for close-up and tabletop photography)

17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Zoom-Nikkor (landscapes and crowd shots)

28-70mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S Zoom-Nikkor (my game shot choice)

80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor (portraiture and general shooting)

That said, the 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor has become the go-to lens of all of the new VR (Vibration Reduction) digital lenses of the last few years.

You could probably shoot 90% of anything you'd encounter in the field with one. Pair it with a new Nikon D200 and travel light.

Thanks for the info. You guys are way ahead of me.

I do plan on leaving the new heavy camera in the Land Cruiser and carrying a very small camera with me while hunting. Thoughts?

IMO, Good "hero" shots require:

1. Readiness: You actually have the camera with you.
2. Scene Preparation: You take the time to set up the animal, clear the vegetation and mind the sun direction.
3. Equipment: You have a camera capable of taking a quality photo. A good camera can't turn a poor setup into gold and a great set up isn't done justice by a poor camera.

In a small lighweight digital Camera look for one with a large diameter lense. High MP compacts with little lenses don't take nearly as nice photos as lower MP cameras with big quality lenses.

IMO, pay for the optics not the electronics

Its not even the MP's, its the sensor size. Get one with as big a sensor as possible. IF you look at the specvs you will see that your pro digital cameras have sensors approaching 24x36 mm size while lower end cameras, even very very good ones like the D200 have smaller sensors. 5 or 6 years from now, all decent cameras will have big sensors.

Still I like film, provia or reala or tmax B&W (lab, not C41)

A friend bought the new Nikon D40X camera, and brought it here for us to try - I have a number of Nikon lenses, so before he buys any he wanted to try mine on our animals in the backyard.

I was VERY impressed with the quality of the photos he took, and the camera is very small and light.

In fact, I liked it so much I have ordered one myself. I should get mine in a day or two, and will take some photos and post samples here.

Of the none SLR zoom cameras available, I have tried a number of them.

Including the Canon S3 IS, Sony H5, Olympus 550 UZ, Panasonic FZ8 and FZ50.

Without any doubt, the Panasonics are heads and shoulder above the rest. Followed closely by the Canon S3 IS. The rest cannot even compare in either quality of results, or ease and practicality of use.

The manual zoom found on the lense barrel is years is so far ahead in practicality than any of the electronic zooms the rest of the cameras have.

Of the small pocket type cameras, my current favourite is the Canon Ixus 850 IS.

If you look at the latest photo album I have added on our Phto Album Forum, you will see some of the photos taken by these cameras.

I'm looking to pick up a D80 with either an 18-125 or an 18-200.

Talking to a professional photographer mate of mine he said that Cannon and Nikon are the best of the SLR's by far. However the Nikon is apparently les complicated to use, and also it has a steel body to the cannons plastic body so is much more robust. That in itself made my decision as it will mainly be used out hunting or in places where it wil get manhandled..

Rgds,
FB

Here is a review from someone who uses both Nikons - the D200 and the D40. He says that each has advantages.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/d200-d80-d70-d50-d40-5d-xti.htm

Gentlemen,

As promised, here are some photoes I have taken this afternoon with the Nikon 40X and a Nikon 70-300mm VR lense.

The light was not as good as I had hoped - left it a bit too late.

Beautiful!

What kind of photo software do ya'll use?

If you go the Canon route, the EF 70-200mm f4/L USM lens gets almost invariably rave reviews. $580 for a US lens (warranty!) at Adorama. Its on my list for "lens after next". If somebody gave me tickets to Africa tomorrow, I'd have one mailordered ASAP. Folks seem to get decent results from tele-extenders, at least one web page did a careful comparison and concluded that an extender is better than electronic zoom/interpolation.

I'm also considering an EF 24mm f/2.8 for my next lens, since most of my photography is landscapes and such.

Saeed, those are some incredible pictures - the resolution on that camera is outstanding.

Seeing that, I think that digital cameras have now made it to the resolution level of the best 35mm cameras. I have a Contax N1, and, assuming the lighting were the same, I think that I would have a hard time telling side by side pictures apart.

Saeed,
How important do you think the VR lens is for photos like the pink parrot?

Allen,

The VR seems to work very well. In fact, this has become one of the important points I take into consideration when buying a camera or lense

Some cameras have it built into them, others have it built into the lense.

Also, you might bear in mind that some manufacturers tend to lie about this.

This normally happen with their point-and-shoot small cameras.

What they do is increase the ISO settings - and claim it as "electronic" image stabilization.

For those who prefer to have a non SLR zoom camera on their hunts, I would recommend the Panasonic FZ7 or FZ8 and the FZ30 or FZ50.

These handle like small SLRs, and take very good quality photos and have 12X optical zoom.

he Canon S3 IS is also very good, but I personally prefer the manual zoom on the Panasonics to the electronic zoom ob the Canon.

The advantage of these to an SLR is that they all take very good video as well - better quality than VHS, although one has to have a very high capacity memory card to be able to record video in any sort of decent length.

I have tried the Sony H2 and H5, and the Olympus 550 UZ. All take very good quality photos, but do handle as well as the Panasonics.

Saeed, Did you get the fax I sent you this week re: shipment?
Better tomorrows!

I've been a camera bug all my life and basically used Hasselblads and Leicas. When I took my first trip to Africa I looked for a camera you could have with you at ALL times with the premise if you don't have it with you you can't take the picture. At that time (over 10 years ago) I settled on the Canon ELPH for 2 reasons. It fit perfectly in a shirt pocket and it was APS with the attendent high capacity film cartridges. I carried thru with ths concept for the ensuing 8 safaris upgrading to the digital ELPH when it came out. Now I believe Iwould forego the interchangeable lense digital cameras for the fixed lense models such as the Lumix DMC-FZ50 I currentl have. This is the same camera as the equivalent Leica ut about $400 cheaper. Same Leica Vario-Elmarit lense. It has all the basically required bells and whistles,vibration control,wide to long tele,since it has a nonremovable lense it is much better sealed for dust entry. It's a single compact unit which with luggage requirements such as they are becoming is in it's favor. Memory cards are LARGE capacity and small. Batteries are reasonable and charge quickly. It's not a full blown professional camera but I'm not a full blown professional photographer and have found I can't really hunt and take serious pictures at the same time. Some probably can more power to them but my object is to capture memories and I manage to do that fairly well. If your prints are not greater than 11x14's It does a pretty good job. It just gives you another option to consider.

Hasselblads and Leicas and not a fullblown pro photographer?

I can't figure out why the lens is round but the pictures are square.

Take a look at the Nikon 8700 digital as it has a fixed lens that will zoom to 320MM if memory serves me. It is light weight and a pleasure to carry.

quote:

Originally posted by rolexfan:
Take a look at the Nikon 8700 digital as it has a fixed lens that will zoom to 320MM if memory serves me. It is light weight and a pleasure to carry.

I did try the 8700, and was not impressed with it all.

It is extremely slow between shots.

I have a Rebel XT and love it. When I bought the camera I was considering the Canon 20D but when I picked up the Rebel I loved the feel of it so I bought it. Pick up a few cameras and see which one feels right for you. As for a lens I bought a Canon 75-300. A great lens but I am now selling it because I bought the identical lens with image stabelizer. 3X the money but well worth it in my opinion. If you're interested in my regular 75-300 send me an email because I will probably put it on ebay next week. If you're going to do much freehand shooting I stronly recomend the image stabelizer though. (not a good salesman am I) I don't know how to put pictures up here so send me an email and I can send you a few shots I took. I will also try to post some. Any hints to post pics will be appreciated.
Mike
mdesrosi@mts.net