I have a Nikon 401X that has not been used for more than a year. I should let it go but every time I get set to buy a halfway decent digital (we use a cheapie for taking photos in a light box), the goalposts move. I was impressed with the pictures a friend of ours have done with a Pansonic Lumix FZ5. It seems to be one of the fastest cameras available in any price range and the image stabilisation is also tops. The new model is the FZ7. How do you guys rate it?

I just bought a midpriced Sony digital camera and it's well worth taking a look at for anyone looking for a camera in this range. It is a Sony Cybershot DSC-H2 6MP with 12x Optical zoom.

For sure if you are travelling in a group it is more easy to have a forfait on the weight at the airport, beeing alone or in two people is not the same.

Some year ago, when I was hot passioned for diving I made a trip in Egypt, to dive in Red Sea. We were a group 10 or 12 people, well I had all my personal diving equipment, where the many items were double or triple, my clothes but, moreover, I had a video camera, the underwater lights and case for the camera, of course with all the spare batteries, battery chargers, the alluminium boxes etc. etc. - more than 50 - 55 Kilos in four or five bags&boxes. Well I did not have any problems except for the lead batteries that were x-ray opaque and I had to show them.

If I had to bring with me a Pc last year, I was overweight with the luggage, and I probably have to pay a good amount. I brought with me a X-drive pro VP-3310 by Vosonic, that is a external 40 Gb HD with 4/5 slots to manage all types of memory cards: Compactflash, IBM Microdrive, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Secure Digital, and MultiMediaCard.

It is user friendly because once that you have plugged in the FMC (flash memory card) it is necesary only to turn on the X-drive, at at the end of the initialization and then touch the key copy. It make a new dir on the hd and then upload all the photo by the FMC. It works also as mp3 reader, even if it does not have a long duration batteries.

I had a pair of 256Mb flash memory cards and another on of 64Mb, and I uploaded all the photos on the portable hd. The only thing that I could not do was to prepare a DVD or a cd for Johan, the outfitter, but I saved also all the photos made by him.

I know this is an old thread, I was curious if people had new recommendations for new Point and Shoot digital cameras. I have a Pentax Optio that is probably 5 years old. I hate it and I'm looking to replace it.

My Canon G9 is a pretty impressive package. It is pricey for a point and shoot, but is a very nice camera, 12 MP, 6X optical zoom, takes both JPEG and RAW, larger sensor, etc.

I hadn't had any coffee when I posted this morning. I should have given a little more info. I want a waterproof/water resistant camera. That is why I got the Optio WR. What I hate about it is there is a long time between when you push the trigger and when the camera takes the picture. This means I miss a lot of pictures.

check out the olympus waterproof pocket model.

I beleive it is an 8 megapixel and shutter delay is almost nil.

Try the canon SD1000 ELF. Fits in a shirt pocket, easy to operate, takes good photos,and most important--has an optical viewfinder. Think small and light. Frankly, I have shot more bullets than photos in Africa. Perhaps focusing more on hunting and less on a camera may make for a better safari. My 2 cents.

I usually take two digitals, a small Sony and a bigger one with all of the bells and whistles. (Just in case one falls off of the truck and rolls into a watering hole by mistake)

which makes the sony a bad choice as it is not waterproof, nor is the canon sd1000. I'm a canaon fan, of their big stuff, but for compact waterproof, fast shutter, the oly is very hard to beat.

I think #404 is taking the correct kit. I would take as much photo stuff in my kit as possible and leave some other things home that you will probably not need. YOU WILL TAKE PHOTOS. Dr.C

quote:

Perhaps focusing more on hunting and less on a camera may make for a better safari. My 2 cents

I doubt that very much.

I enjoy taking photos just as I enjoy hunting.

I carry a small digital in my pocket at all times while hunting. And have managed to take photoes where it would not have been possible if I did not have it with me.

The past 5 years, I have been using various Canon IXUS range cameras - the latest one I use is the 860IS. It is absolutely great. It takes great photoes, and great video clips too.

We just came back from the Maldives. We had numerous cameras with us, that include:

Nikon D300 with an 18-200 VR lense, and a 70-300 VR lense.
A Canon G9 with an underwater housing.
Canon Ixus 860IS
2 Sony copact cameras I am not sure of the model numbers.
Olympus 795 water proof camera - up to 10 feet.

The Nikon 300 was absolutley great.
The Canon G9 took very good photos underwater.
The Olympus took reasonably good photos under water, but no where as good as the Canon G9.

The Sony did reasonably well. But looking at the the photoes from them one realise the much better quality frm the canon 860IS.

Of all the digital compact cameras, Canon is without doubt makes the best, followed by Panasonic.

The rest of the manufacturers seem to concentrate on too many gimicks.

SLR choice is really only between Canon and Nikon. And I personally prefer Nikon, after having tried practically everything around.

Yesterday I got the new Nikon D3. The results from this cameras are absolutely stunning! Sadly, it is quite big. So for my travells at least,I will stick to the D300.

The low light performance of the D3 has to be seen to be appreciated.

A good D-SLR helps capture the memories of the adventure and really has an effect on my friends and family or are not fortunate enough to make it afield.

Don't forget you can rent lenses that woudl cost thousands to own....my Nikon D-80 will take stunning images in good light...but there is alot of hunting to be done in not so good light....for that you need very fast and expensive lenses....f2.8 kinda fast.

http://www.pictureline.com/products/12418/Nikon_70-200_...S_day_rental/?rent=1

http://www.lensrentals.com/category/nikon-supertelephoto

I snaped these with my stock lense on my D-80 when it was brand new to me....hopefully when I get a chance at the real thing next summer.....my camera will capture stunning images that will stir memories for a lifetime.

I think digitals are neat, and in our safari to SA and Nam last May we had four hunters, three with nice little Canon and Nikon digitals, and me with a pair of old fashioned film eating Nikon N90s models. I followed all the measures Saeed mentions in the first part of this thread, spare film by the boxful and spare batteries, plus lenses. By the time the hunt was half over, my Nikon N90s were the only cameras standing. Two went down and out when their owner's ran out of memory cards and the third died because of battery/electrical problems, so the call went out "Larry take a picture please", and I became official photographer, thank goodness for lots of film.

The meat of my message is this, digital cameras are wonderful inventions, but you have to care for them just like a film camera with spare memory cards instead of extra film, plus batteries and a power converter to make them run. Pictures of the hunt make priceless treasures for years to come!

LLS

I have been using digital cameras since 1999, and must have tried so many, and have never had one break.

I fell into a mud hole in Tanzania a couple of years ago, and I had a Canon Ixus in my shirt pocket. It got soked wett, and stopped working.

Half an hour later it was functioning as if nothing has happened to it.

A few weeks ago inthe Maldives, my daughter had an Olympus 795 camera.

The lense cover on it would not open. I found that it had some sand stuck in it. And once that was removed, everything functioned perfectly.

Don't ask me how may cameras Walter has broken.

In fact, he can break one by just looking at it!

If I may share a hard lesson concerning digital cameras on safari. I took a Canon Powershot and a 80 gig backup unit and downloaded my photos several times. While back in Dar Es Salaam, our room was broken into and all my electronic gear was stolen. If I had taken the camera chip out and kept it with me like my passport and money, I'd have all my pictures. Just a suggestion for protecting your pictures.

That's good advice on keeping the memory cards in a safe location (assuming you don't have them downloaded and wiped clean). It's not as convenient to carry a hard drive around but some of the memory cards are getting to be very large and with a handful of them, you would be in good shape.

quote:

Originally posted by nkonka:
check out the olympus waterproof pocket model.

I beleive it is an 8 megapixel and shutter delay is almost nil.

Do you mean the 790?

link

Hi there, I have a Canon 400D, AKA Digital Rebel XT. I have the normal 18-55mm lens that goes with it and a Tamron 55-200mm with a 'macro' which I bought for it's macro capability, but afterwards found that it was not really a 'macro' lens at all....oh well! My prize lens is a Sigma 50-500mm, which is around 4 lbs in weight, but is very slow indeed (F6.3)!

I think that having 2 cameras on a hunt would be ideal, one, a small compact when hunting and secondly a good SLR and range of lenses, and good tripod for when you want to take serious photos, and don't want to carry a 10 lb rifle and camera and tripod that weigh another 10 lb! The same goes for anything involving long walks, I find I use my old light fuji Finepix most of the time, because it weighs nothing and although it doesnt always have the reach that you need, a camera in the hand and in the bush is worth two in the cupboard!

hey that Sigma (or Bigma as I call it) is one lense I am considering...I thought it woudl be good on long shots of grazing game etc....tell me how you like it and what it does well.

Hi Gooseblitz, the Bigma is a super lens and the one that stays on my camera the most, mainly because I am taking long shots of animals and birds, and need as much reach as I can get, and I can go right down to 50mm in no time without changing lenses, which can be pretty useful sometimes with wildlife photography.

I have no problems with the lens, and think that it is great. It is very quiet, which I like. It is very slow, and one thing I don't like about it is that here in the UK, it is often overcast and that results in under-exposure and dark shots. By comparison, on sunny-days it can produce some real stunners. Forget trying to track and shoot birds flying on high magnification....I have given up! I love the manual focus ring though. You can not blur backgrounds out like faster lenses, but at F8 it does seem to produce nice clear and crisp shots.

I would recommend it, I would prefer a Canon L-series IS 500 or 600mm F2.8 prime lens for most of my shots here in low-light, but hey, I don't have a budget for one now and I would probably never spend £4-5 grand on a lens unless I was going professional. This lens was the most I was willing to fork out for a big telephoto. There are other alternatives out there though like the Tokina and Tamron.

If you are doing wildlife shots, especially birds or animals at distance you probably want around 500mm at least. I have heard that the prime Canon L-series 400mm F5.6 is a really good lens for a similar price. So much choice! I would try as many lenses as possible if possible and choose the one you think is for you.

quote:

Originally posted by gooseblitz22:
hey that Sigma (or Bigma as I call it) is one lense I am considering...I thought it woudl be good on long shots of grazing game etc....tell me how you like it and what it does well.

The Nikon 80-400mm lense is much better than the 50-500 Sigma. I have tried them both, and decided to use only the Nikon. The Vibration reduction does work, and especially needed at the longer zoom range.

Gooseblitz, I would probably agree with Saeed on this one, I have not tried the Nikon, but think that either the Canon or Nikon lenses would be a better choice than Sigma, not to say Sigma EX's are bad by any means, I just think that the quality of glass is probably a step up with the top-end Canon and Nikon lenses. The L-series lenses from Canon are fantastic, but they are on the expensive side. At the end of they day though, you probably get what you pay for. I have not tried the vibration reduction systems on the better lenses, but have heard that they work well. I would think that they would be very useful on a large telephoto lens, and although you can take fair shots on max zoom with the Bigma without a tripod, you could probably do with one, or at least an image stabilizer would be great for a lens like this.

Thanks alot guys...always like to get first hand info from guys who have the lenses! Veru mcuh appreciated.