Which Digital Camera for Wildlife Safaris?

A._Badger

ringo_24601 wrote: »

My 4 year old Panny FZ4 had a rear LCD screen, and an LCD viewfinder - it was not effected by the issue of bright sunlight at all..

Out of interest, have you used it in Africa?

I own and use SLRs (analogue and digtal) and have had (still have) a compact or two. None of the compacts are much use in bright light because of the rear LCDs problems coping with bright sunlight.

You might have struck lucky with your particular Panasonic (they're undoubtedly among the best compacts) but none of the ones I've seen would be much use for wildlife photography in bright light - even the Panasonics.

YMMV.

victor2

At the end of the day, a good camera will only get results that the person using it is capable of getting. In my younger days when I perhaps had a bit more money than sense, I bought a top of the range Canon 35mm SLR with a range of lenses and gradually learned how to use it. Today I use a bridge camera and when comparing results, today's look better in terms of composition and camera settings. I am sure that if I tried to blow up a picture from my bridge camera to a poster size, it would not look anything like as sharp as one I did years ago, of a Cheetah in Kenya funnily enough.
Looking at how the prices of digital cameras have tumbled over recent years, I wouldn't invest a lot in a camera now which has capabilities I cannot fully utilise, when kit with the same or improved capabilities will be available for less within a year.

spaceboy

Get a DSLR and add a UV filter and maybe a polarized filter as well.

ukcarper

victor2 wrote: »

At the end of the day, a good camera will only get results that the person using it is capable of getting. In my younger days when I perhaps had a bit more money than sense, I bought a top of the range Canon 35mm SLR with a range of lenses and gradually learned how to use it. Today I use a bridge camera and when comparing results, today's look better in terms of composition and camera settings. I am sure that if I tried to blow up a picture from my bridge camera to a poster size, it would not look anything like as sharp as one I did years ago, of a Cheetah in Kenya funnily enough.
Looking at how the prices of digital cameras have tumbled over recent years, I wouldn't invest a lot in a camera now which has capabilities I cannot fully utilise, when kit with the same or improved capabilities will be available for less within a year.

I’m not sure that is true about DSLRs the cheapest of the current crop of Nikons are more expensive than the one I bought in 2006.

A._Badger

ukcarper wrote: »

I’m not sure that is true about DSLRs the cheapest of the current crop of Nikons are more expensive than the one I bought in 2006.

I think there's some truth in this.

Also, to an extent a body is a body is a body... what really matters is the glass you use and a DSLR, properly looked after, will last you for quite a number of years, during which you can accumulate high quality lenses.

Yes, the manufacturers will always have new ideas to tempt you to buy a new camera, but the basics are covered by even the simplest DSLR models and upgrades are really pretty optional. Good lenses, meanwhile, should serve you for a lifetime - which, incidentally, is another reason to stick with the big two, who are likely still to be in business and will continue to accommodate their older lenses on new bodies.

spaceboy

DSLRs tend to hold their value pretty well on the used market.

davester

The FZ45 zooms at 14.1MP to 24X optical and upto 32X with some fancy fiddling , then after that the digital zoom comes in up to max 267X with a 0.3MP resolution. But in RAW mode you are limited to 32X and no digital zoom, not that you would really want digital zoom anyway.

[Deleted User]

A._Badger wrote: »

Out of interest, have you used it in Africa?

I own and use SLRs (analogue and digtal) and have had (still have) a compact or two. None of the compacts are much use in bright light because of the rear LCDs problems coping with bright sunlight.

You might have struck lucky with your particular Panasonic (they're undoubtedly among the best compacts) but none of the ones I've seen would be much use for wildlife photography in bright light - even the Panasonics.

YMMV.

Well done on owning lots of cameras. I too own lots of cameras. I wouldn't both with a compact camera on a safari either. It wasn't a compact, it was a bridge camera. It had a lens hood, but since you couldn't add filters, i doubt it would be much use on the plains of the Serengeti - it was quite good when i went to Whipsnade zoo though (as tony the tiger will agree - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirwilliam/54025319/)

After reading up on the Panasonic DMC-FZ45, it does sound a very good bridge camera. Sounds great for a safari. BTW, it also has a dedicated electronic viewfinder (i.e. you don't just need to look at the 3" screen)

Here's a guide to getting even more zoom out of the FZ45, specifically for safari's http://www.safari-guide.co.uk/panasonic-telephoto-conversion-lens.php - Apparently you can 'pimp' the camera to get it up to 1000mm

You can also add 55mm lens filters, using the DMW-LA5 (Panasonic bridge camera lens adaptor, costs about 20 quid)

Possibly the biggest advantage this would have over cheap SLRs, is that it can record video in HD. That would be quite a deal breaker for me

ukcarper

The entry level Nikon DSLR the D5100 has a HD video mode but it’s over £400 with the standard zoom and you would need to add another £100 to get a longer zoom where as the FZ45 is £280. I would rather have the Nikon but I can’t see why the FZ45 wouldn’t give acceptable results, especially if your careful how far you zoom and as you say it has a electronic viewfinder in addition to LCD screen so the bright light shouldn’t cause a problem.

With regards to my remark about zooming in you would of course get shots you wouldn’t get with the Nikon unless you spent a lot more on the longer zoom even if the quality was not as good.

The only thing I can see that might give you problem is shutter lag my DSLR has no noticeable shutter lag but the bridge camera I had before and the compacts I have used lately do.