ChecheB

Hi all,

I've been reading through the forum and getting more and more excited for our upcoming trip to Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania next month. The one outstanding question I have relates to cameras... I have an older 2010 Canon EOS Rebel T1i that a younger sibling just returned to me after a lengthy (!) loan. The continuous shooting rate is about 3.4 fps. It seems like I have two options:

• 1) use this camera and potentially rent a telephoto zoom lens (maybe 100-400mm) in order to get better safari shots
  • Pros: cheaper option
  • Cons: low fps, might miss out on shots
• 2) buy a new setup with a higher fps, that comes with a decent zoom lens. I took a trip to the camera shop nearby and they had a kit (camera body and lens) for about $1100. I'm blanking on the model, because frankly I felt a bit like an imposter in the store - so was a bit overwhelmed. I
  • Pros: excellent photo quality and capture ability
  • Cons: expensive, rushed decision

Other consideration: I love to travel and keep detailed notebooks of all my trips. Thus far, however, I've been taking photos with my phone. I wouldn't mind upgrading to something more powerful, but I worry that in a rush to get a new camera that fits my safari needs, I might end up with a camera that doesn't take into account other considerations and use cases (e.g. weight, capabilities, upcoming hiking trip of the Kumano Kodo trail in Japan)

Your advice is much appreciated... my poor bf has had to listen to me mull through this repeatedly.

CB

amyb

I’ll be honest, I can count on two fingers the number of times I’ve taken rapid fire shots or action shots that took advantage of a high FPS on safari. Those speeding cheetah shots 1) don’t happen often and 2) when they do, I’m not skilled enough or close enough to them to catch them. Those pros with the 20 pound 2 foot lenses do that. I would not let your FPS force you to purchase a new camera if it otherwise works well for you. I also worry that you won’t have time to learn a new camera sufficiently and will end up missing shots from not knowing how to use it or mess up settings. If you’re familiar with your current camera and it still works, I’d stick with it.

I would not count on any camera to produce wonderful images without the know-how behind it. Ansel Adams didn’t take amazing photos because he had a good camera, he had the skills to get the shots out of the camera he had.

Because I’m anxious about things like this, I would take your newly returned camera out and ensure it works the way you remember it did. My sibling doesn’t always take care of things the way I do….I wouldn’t want you to find that out mid-safari.

AJPeabody

Amyb has it right. Go out and test the returned camera. Any lens flaws? Autofocus/auto-exposure failures? Is the flash functioning well? Software glitches? Problems writing to a near full card? Do you have spare high quality cards? Does the battery hold a charge well enough to take a day's photos? Does the charger work? Does the spare battery work? (You have one, right?) If you will be away from electricity for a while, do you have a battery solution? Maybe you want to have set up and test online photo storage to backup what you have taken.

Any failures of the camera may mean buying a new one just a few weeks before your trip.

Gardyloo

I'd probably look at a "bridge" camera with a fixed zoom lens and a big sensor. Most current models (or even those from a few years ago) offer extensive video capability, usually 4K, and the ability to select single frames from the video for treatment as a still photo. But the real advantage of these cameras (in my book) is that they generally perform very well in low light situations, which are often the case in morning or evening safari drives or walks. Most of them have autofocus systems that are excellent, and by having a fixed lens (a) you don't have to fumble around changing lenses while the animal bounds into the thicket, and (b) the camera weighs half as much as a comparable DSLR+zoom lens setup.

My current camera is a Panasonic DMC FZ1000, which you can get from various sources for around US$600-$800 or so, depending on the year manufactured. It has a one-inch 21mp sensor, and a terrific Leica lens that has a big zoom range (16x - 20x) which means that even if the subject of the image isn't all that big, there's enough detail available to enlarge the image in post processing and still have it suitable for printing or sharing on line. It also has excellent video capabilities. Here's a review if interested: Review: The Panasonic FZ1000 II combines versatility and value: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

There are comparable camera offered by other manufacturers including Nikon, Canon, Sony and others, as well as smaller "travel" cameras that are very portable, if lacking some of the capabilities of the larger "bridge" ones. I'd have a look at the range, and be mindful of what you plan to do with the images after you come home.