Digital camera and binoculars for safari

[vickster]

Just a thought if you have a good friend who already has a suitable camera that would let you borrow it just for the holiday. All you would need then would be a decent memory card which you would transfer the pics on your return and hand the camera back. Would save a lot of expense if it is something you may not use much in the future.

I have a feeling my brother might have a decent camera but no idea what or how old it is!
I’ve been looking vaguely at used or refurb and I can always sell on again at some point.

My current little Nikon has a zoom but can’t recall spec right now.

 

[vickster]

These are compact models (cam and video) with zoom features which you need to capture wildlife. The animals will not come close to the trail that your vehicle is using.

1. Canon IXUS 190
2. Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ90
3. Nikon Coolpix A1000
4. Sony DSCHX99

When I went to Tanzania for a friend’s wedding about 18 years ago a large lion did actually get uncomfortably close!!
Got surprisingly close to a lot of the animals especially the more ubiquitous big vegetarian ones!

 

[sheddy]

don't forget to get the obligatory shot of the pride of safari minibuses in their natural environment.

 

[fossyant]

don't forget to get the obligatory shot of the pride of safari minibuses in their natural environment.

What's that got to do with compact cameras ?

 

[vickster]

What's that got to do with compact cameras ?

F-all...just another bloke trying (and failing) to be clever

 

[MichaelW2]

The truth is that getting quality shots of wildlife is a full time activity and not something you can do on an animal watching safari. You need to be at waterholes at the crack of dawn and at dusk, become an expert at tracking and animal behavour and spend hours and hours watching and waiiting in the right place.
Get some nice pics of any Big animals but also your guides, drivers, vehicles, yourself and any locals. There may be smaller critters around that are overlooked.

 

[vickster]

I just want some ok shots to serve as a memory of the trip. I’m not a photographer, hence having a lowish budget

 

[Tim Bennet.]

I just want some ok shots to serve as a memory of the trip. I’m not a photographer, hence having a lowish budget

Then I would focus (see what I did there?) on the binoculars and make sure you have a pair that work for your eyes and any glasses etc. Make sure they not overly heavy and have a good comfortable strap. You could be wearing them for hours. The safari vehicles are quite bumpy and it's hot and dusty, so not having to take (sun) glasses on/off, then putting them somewhere, not sitting on them, etc is important. Check they also work with your chosen headwear - the peak on baseball caps are often too long to use with binoculars and the alternative of wearing them backwards is as unacceptable in Kenya as it it here. Bush hats with a soft rim are like that for a reason - they don't blow off in open topped vehicles either.

Use the camera to capture memories of the holiday in it's entirety. There's so much more than just close up shots of animals heads. As someone said you can get those off the internet. Your photos to be memorable should show them in the context of your holiday. Find something that is handy, reliable, works well in bright sunlight and can be easily juggled with the binoculars as you bounce along the tracks. The only real use of a very selective telescopic lens is to try and shut out all the other vehicles and people crowding around the solitary lion at the water hole.