Advise for camera for safari

And for good measure, here is one at dusk in the Kruger:

dusk.jpg

On the Wilderness trip I went with a friend from the UK, who lugged around R40Ks worth of DSLR equipment.

I can't remember the length of her zoom, but it was no where close to the length on my little SX60. It was massive and IIRC cost around R20K (all Canon).

I will absolutely agree that she got more professional results than I did, but I got a lot more images worth keeping for personal use simply because the zoom allowed me so much more flexibility.
 
Went to the Kruger earlier in last year and between us we had the following.

1Dx with a 70-200 F2.8
7D MKII with a 100-400 F4.5-5.6 MKII
600D with a 70-300 Kit lens
Canon SX30

The 1Dx and the 7D combos were very similar with the 1Dx obviously not getting as close but as soon as there was very low light it pulled ahead.

The SX30 had really nice zoom but low light was a disaster.

The 600D was quite shocking, I didn't realise the kit lenses were so bad. It looked like the images were out of focus. You really do need good glass, doesn't help just to go to a SLR.

The most interesting comparison for me was the 1Dx and the SX30. 200 vs I think 840mm you would think the SX30 would have the advantage. It turned out to be a bit different. The per pixel quality advantage meant the SX30's image at 840mm was not as good as the 1Dx image cropped down to show the same. Going up the ISO range that SX30 image simply falls apart.

I have not used the SX60 myself but based on budget and my experience I would probably choose the SX60 over the SLR kit.

If the budget could go a bit higher I would probably go for one of the 1" sensor cameras like the Canon G3x or the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000.
 
HJF said:
If the budget could go a bit higher I would probably go for one of the 1" sensor cameras like the Canon G3x or the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000.
Click to expand...

This. Going up to 1" makes a big difference.

Buying that SX60 which is bulkier than the smaller TZ80 (for example because it comes with a viewfinder and decent zoom for your safari) makes no sense to me. Same sensor size and the latter will be more useful for everyday use after you are back from your safari.
 
I have always read good things about the Panasonics and I have been tempted to buy one on the odd occasion but the required model has usually proved difficult to find at the time. Might supplement the S60 with the TZ80 for my next trip which is about a month away...
 
IdlePhaedrus said:
I have always read good things about the Panasonics and I have been tempted to buy one on the odd occasion but the required model has usually proved difficult to find at the time. Might supplement the S60 with the TZ80 for my next trip which is about a month away...
Click to expand...

Takealot sell most of the Panasonic range, including the TZ70.
 
I see the TZ100 has a 1" sensor...

Suddenly... I want it even more. Replace my G3x maybe. Mmmmmmm
 
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I would also look at the cameras fps to not miss that precious shot.

A good second hand DSLR could do the job since the budget end DSLR's have low fps.
There's a few online stores that sell second hand cameras.
 
Anyone have any idea where one can get a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000? can't seen to find it list anywhere on the normal online stores

Strongly leaning towards the canon powershot but not made my mind up 100% yet
 
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stefan9 said:
Ok after looking at the different pricing and things have narrow down my choices to these:

http://www.takealot.com/canon-1200d-18mp-dslr-twin-lens-bundle/PLID32580337
http://www.takealot.com/canon-sx60-hs-digital-camera-bundle-black/PLID32847733

So which one should I take? Look at some of the other options mentioned but they were too expensive.
Click to expand...
The SX60 (or P600 which is the Nikon equivalent).

Still reckon a more compact camera like the TZ70 (80 only out in march) will serve you better in the long run. I struggle to remain steady at 25x zoom without a tripod so that 65x zoom might just be overkill. But that's just me.
 
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stefan9 said:
Anyone have any idea where one can get a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000? can't seen to find it list anywhere on the normal online stores

Strongly leaning towards the canon powershot but not made my mind up 100% yet
Click to expand...

New World in Menlyn Park sells it. They have a demo model you can play around with as well.
 
stefan9 said:
Ok after looking at the different pricing and things have narrow down my choices to these:

http://www.takealot.com/canon-1200d-18mp-dslr-twin-lens-bundle/PLID32580337
http://www.takealot.com/canon-sx60-hs-digital-camera-bundle-black/PLID32847733

So which one should I take? Look at some of the other options mentioned but they were too expensive.
Click to expand...

The SX60 is a bit smaller and more convenient.
compare1.jpg

On the other hand the 1200D has a better quality sensor.
compare2.jpg

It will come down to which is more important to you.

The FZ1000 has very good image quality for a bridge camera but it is big. Make sure to handle one first before buying.
 
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