Best Camera for Safari (under $500)
Oct 10th, 2005, 10:21 AM
#21
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 304
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'll tell you one other thing I really like (well, two others) about the Pana FZ5: you can go up to full power on the zoom, ie: 12x optical and 4x digital, total 48x zoom, and get clear pix. Once I learned that when you go to such a high power, you have to depress the shutter button half way and let it "pre-focus", then when you go all the way, voila! Unbelievably clear for that high power zoom. And its also got a Leica lens, a long-time, highly respected name in lenses.
Oct 10th, 2005, 11:04 AM
#23
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,396
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I got an FZ5 in April, and I have been very pleased with the results. A few pics from a recent great safari at Londolozi (along with some side trips to Prague and Venice, plus a few penguins) are at http://photobucket.com/albums/a315/dtopaz/
Oct 10th, 2005, 11:18 AM
#24
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 304
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oh...My....God....! What great photos. Can't wait to get back to Africa with my FZ5. And you got some shots of a leopard. We were there (Kenya and Tanzania) for two weeks in June and nevber saw one. NOT ONE! And a cat in Venice. Poor thing. That sounds like cat hell to me! 
Oct 10th, 2005, 06:25 PM
#25
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
beept, I returned to the camera store today for some fine tuning. Now that I know how to use the 12x zoom (hold down button half way, wait for refocus, then shoot) I am having so much fun, my 9 year old runs when she sees me enter the room with camera in hand. The anti-shake is great. I know there are other threads about personal storage, but am going to ask again..what do you recommend? So far i have a 1gb card and know that is not sufficient. I have been online for hours trying to figure out which portable storage devise to use, or if I even need one. Am I really going to need 5gb? This is my first safari and know I will take alot of shots, but feel like all of the equipment, batteries, chargers, storage devises, etc., is eating into my limit of 33 lbs! As mind boggling as it all is, I am having so much fun just thinking about my safari..love this site, so glad I found you guys!
Oct 11th, 2005, 05:47 AM
#27
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 20,145
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
because of your responses in this, previous threads and links i will be getting the panasonic fz30. at buydig.com for $531.us$. can anyone recommend good binoculars for safari viewing. we're (husband and I) going to tanzania (northern circuit) this feb. and then on to the seychelle islands after. we'd like binocs that would be good for land,wildlife and ocean viewing. 2 pairs of different magnifications or the same if you think we each need a pair on hand at all times. 2 pairs would be ok if they're not too costly and cumbersome. please don't ask me to view all past threads on binocs. as there seems to be lots of conflicting info.
thanks ahead; sherry
thanks ahead; sherry
Oct 11th, 2005, 03:57 PM
#28
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just a note regarding the FZ-20 and FZ-30 Lumix cameras. I've used the FZ-20 on my trips over the past year, and am very satisfied with its performance at long range. However the FZ-30 goes a step beyond. It has an extended optical zoom feature which allows you to shoot at lower resolution and longer focal lengths without losing detail. At 8MP, you can zoom out to 430mm, enough to find detail in most larger animals. You can opt to shoot at 5MP (which is the resolution of the FZ-20) and extend that zoom optically to shoot at 535mm, or reduce to 3MP and shoot at 668mm. The only drawback is if you want to make very large prints of images shot at 535mm or 668mm. I have tested this extended zoom feature and was stunned at the quality of the images.
There has been a lot of ranting by pixel-peepers on dpreview.com about the increased "noise" on the sensor of the FZ-30 at ISO 200 and 400. I don't see that as a problem -- most outdoor shots are made at ISO 80 and 100. Noise is mostly evident when viewing images at 100 per cent file size enlargement. When making prints of your pictures or viewing them on the web, your images are almost never enlarged to 100 per cent file size. At normal picture sizing which is used for most prints and for viewing on the web, noise, which is electronic static, is minimal and will rarely affect meaning.
Hope this helps.
Phil
There has been a lot of ranting by pixel-peepers on dpreview.com about the increased "noise" on the sensor of the FZ-30 at ISO 200 and 400. I don't see that as a problem -- most outdoor shots are made at ISO 80 and 100. Noise is mostly evident when viewing images at 100 per cent file size enlargement. When making prints of your pictures or viewing them on the web, your images are almost never enlarged to 100 per cent file size. At normal picture sizing which is used for most prints and for viewing on the web, noise, which is electronic static, is minimal and will rarely affect meaning.
Hope this helps.
Phil
Oct 12th, 2005, 06:16 AM
#29
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 20,145
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks Phil. You and a few others in past threads were the reason that i looked at panasonic to begin with. i also saw reviews elsewhere stating that some didn't like the noise of the camera while others including yourself are ok with it. i'm going to take your word for it, as most of the reviews were sent in by non safari shooters. i can't imagine that they'd throw me off the jeep to the lions after paying such big bucks for making too much noise - i'm thinking that the noise level couldn't being any louder than chatting etc. i currently have an antique (2000) nikon coolpix 880 - i've found that the nikon software is completely a no brainer - not necessarily great resolution (always problems with red) how is the software that comes with the panasonic - do you use it or another format?
one more question, do you use your camera rather than using binoculars for safari viewing or is it just too much work?
thanks for allowing me to pick your brain;
cheers;
sherry
one more question, do you use your camera rather than using binoculars for safari viewing or is it just too much work?
thanks for allowing me to pick your brain;
cheers;
sherry
Oct 12th, 2005, 08:09 AM
#33
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,396
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sherry -- The camera (the FZ5, at least) would not be a good substitute for binoculars -- neither the screen's size or resolution would come close to binoculars.
That said, I never found much use for binoculars on any of the safari drives: we were always close enough that the naked eye was sufficient. Also, the entire landscape was breathtaking, and of course you lose that perspective with binoculars. However, it's also true that birds are usually best seen with binoculars, and my naked-eye views of birds (in daylight, at least) were not nearly as good as the 12x photos.
That said, I never found much use for binoculars on any of the safari drives: we were always close enough that the naked eye was sufficient. Also, the entire landscape was breathtaking, and of course you lose that perspective with binoculars. However, it's also true that birds are usually best seen with binoculars, and my naked-eye views of birds (in daylight, at least) were not nearly as good as the 12x photos.
Oct 12th, 2005, 08:45 AM
#34
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 20,145
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
thanks. i would hate to schlepp anything that may not be needed.i missed your meaning though, when you stated 12x photo (sorry, extreme novice) - was that the binoc. magnification? i would, as you say, like to see some of the birds etc.
sherry
sherry
Oct 12th, 2005, 11:14 AM
#36
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I posted some comments on Fz4/5 vs Fz20 on another thread (click my screen name since I have very few posts) but I will address some of the comparisons among the Panasonics. Even with Fz20s now selling at a discount, I would put a recommendation for the Fz4 or Fz5.
Fz20 has slightly "faster" lens at full zoom a manual focus ring and a flash hot shoe. The latter two will be of very limited value for wildlife shooting. In the spring I picked the Fz20 because I thought it would allow me to "grow" creatively, but if you really get into your photos you'll want an SLR anyway.
Besides smaller size, the biggest advantage of Fz4/5 over Fz20 is a special high-speed focus mode. The Fz30 also has this but that's beyond the original poster's budget. Is the Fz5 really worth ~200 more than the Fz4? You get an extra megapixel and audio with your movies, so I don't think so. If video is important, the Konicas and Canons have twice the resolution, and the Canon S2 has stereo sound and the ability to toggle quickly between video and stills.
The other thing to remember about the Panasonics is the proprietary battery. Even third-party replacements aren't cheap and it's definitely more convenient to pop in some AA alkalines in an emergency.
I've also been researching binoculars, and although there are fewer reviews than for cameras it is still confusing. I'll recommend this review link from Cornell's ornithology dept as the rankings are based on comments from a group of reviewers, with the caveat that they review mostly roof prism binoculars and they are hugely enthusiastic about Nikon Monarchs (more so than most other sites). Don't get total sticker shock over the prices in their table as the street prices are often lower by $100 or more these days.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publica...Age_Binos.html
Birders can be as fussy about their optics as the "pixel-peepers" are about cameras. If you're looking for a cheap, waterproof/fogproof set that still offers a good view, I can personally recommend the Bushnell Legend 8x26 for $80. They are an outstanding value and outperform many binoculars at twice the price. If you are willing to spend a bit more and carry something bigger, consider a Nikon Action EX 7x35 or 8x40 which have a wider field of view (and are probably brighter, though I've read recently that you can't rely on objective diameter alone to determine that).
-Matt
Fz20 has slightly "faster" lens at full zoom a manual focus ring and a flash hot shoe. The latter two will be of very limited value for wildlife shooting. In the spring I picked the Fz20 because I thought it would allow me to "grow" creatively, but if you really get into your photos you'll want an SLR anyway.
Besides smaller size, the biggest advantage of Fz4/5 over Fz20 is a special high-speed focus mode. The Fz30 also has this but that's beyond the original poster's budget. Is the Fz5 really worth ~200 more than the Fz4? You get an extra megapixel and audio with your movies, so I don't think so. If video is important, the Konicas and Canons have twice the resolution, and the Canon S2 has stereo sound and the ability to toggle quickly between video and stills.
The other thing to remember about the Panasonics is the proprietary battery. Even third-party replacements aren't cheap and it's definitely more convenient to pop in some AA alkalines in an emergency.
I've also been researching binoculars, and although there are fewer reviews than for cameras it is still confusing. I'll recommend this review link from Cornell's ornithology dept as the rankings are based on comments from a group of reviewers, with the caveat that they review mostly roof prism binoculars and they are hugely enthusiastic about Nikon Monarchs (more so than most other sites). Don't get total sticker shock over the prices in their table as the street prices are often lower by $100 or more these days.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publica...Age_Binos.html
Birders can be as fussy about their optics as the "pixel-peepers" are about cameras. If you're looking for a cheap, waterproof/fogproof set that still offers a good view, I can personally recommend the Bushnell Legend 8x26 for $80. They are an outstanding value and outperform many binoculars at twice the price. If you are willing to spend a bit more and carry something bigger, consider a Nikon Action EX 7x35 or 8x40 which have a wider field of view (and are probably brighter, though I've read recently that you can't rely on objective diameter alone to determine that).
-Matt
Oct 12th, 2005, 12:24 PM
#38
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi, Sherry,
Thanks for the comment -- don't worry about either kind of noise from a Panasonic. You can always turn off the sound. And as far as electronic noise goes, unless you make huge prints, that is not an issue either. Regarding the software that comes with the Panasonic, I can't speak to its value since I do not use it to either view or post process my pictures. I use Photoshop CS2. I don't shoot in RAW, so I am not concerned with that kind of post processing either.
Regarding binoculars, since I am not a birder, I do not really see a great need for them on a Safari. If I want to see detail on a subject, my various zoom lengths, up to 19X on the FZ-30, can preview it for me nicely. I took a 10x Nikon Sport binocular with me on my trip to Croatia last month, and simply never used them. My camera is always at hand and can show things I can't see with my own eyes.
Hope this helps,
Phil
Thanks for the comment -- don't worry about either kind of noise from a Panasonic. You can always turn off the sound. And as far as electronic noise goes, unless you make huge prints, that is not an issue either. Regarding the software that comes with the Panasonic, I can't speak to its value since I do not use it to either view or post process my pictures. I use Photoshop CS2. I don't shoot in RAW, so I am not concerned with that kind of post processing either.
Regarding binoculars, since I am not a birder, I do not really see a great need for them on a Safari. If I want to see detail on a subject, my various zoom lengths, up to 19X on the FZ-30, can preview it for me nicely. I took a 10x Nikon Sport binocular with me on my trip to Croatia last month, and simply never used them. My camera is always at hand and can show things I can't see with my own eyes.
Hope this helps,
Phil
Oct 12th, 2005, 12:30 PM
#39
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks, Kavey, for the welcome back note. I enjoyed my trip to Croatia and Greece very much, and added about 45 new teaching examples to my cyberbook at http://www.pbase.com/pnd1
I also posted a digital travel narrative on this trip on a travel website -- you can see it at http://www.worldisround.com/articles/220816/index.html
Upon return, I took delivery of the FZ-30. I have not shot with it in the field yet, but did make a few experimental shots with it. It offers all the FZ-20 does, and more, particularly additional optical digital zoom reach without any degradation. Looking forward to using in Mexico in a few weeks.
Phil
I also posted a digital travel narrative on this trip on a travel website -- you can see it at http://www.worldisround.com/articles/220816/index.html
Upon return, I took delivery of the FZ-30. I have not shot with it in the field yet, but did make a few experimental shots with it. It offers all the FZ-20 does, and more, particularly additional optical digital zoom reach without any degradation. Looking forward to using in Mexico in a few weeks.
Phil
