My husband and I are off to Zambia for 4 months in December, we will be living in a lodge in a game park (yes, lucky us) and have decided we would like to buy a video camera. We have a good Cannon Digital SLR camera for still shots so the video would really be for just that - short video clips. I would like something small with a good zoom lens and stability features if possible. Not sure of budget as yet - will depend on what we can get for our buck.

Can anybody give a personal recommendation for a good one for wildlife?

I have been using a Sony HDR-SR11, and I've been extremely pleased with it. I was completely inexperienced when I got the camcorder, and the results have been terrific.

The camcorder produces High Def videos, and the quality is startling. It has a 12x optical zoom and image stabilization, and it's generally very simple to use. About the only button I fiddle with at all is the white balance button, when the sun is behind the object I'm shooting.

When I was looking for camcorders last year, the biggest advantages of the Sony (and the reason I chose it other models) was the viewfinder, which (at that time) only Sony offered. I'll shoot 80% of the time through the viewfinder rather than the little screen -- I find I hold the camera much steadier that way.

The main gotcha is in getting the video that's in the camera into something that I enjoy watching. The very simplest method is to hook the cam to an HD TV, and you will get the unedited video that you shot. That's exciting to do about once, and then you'll want to combine and edit your videos. That's going to involve software, decent computing power, a LOT of time, and maybe a blu-ray DVD player. (Mind you, this paragraph applies to just about any HD video camera.)

I've also got the Sony HDR-SR11... great camera. I agree that the viewfinder is important. I can shoot more stable videos with it, as Rizzuto points out. The videos are recorded on a hard drive and has a touch screen for the menus... no tapes to change. Just remember to download them before your next trip, in case something happens to the camera.

Thanks Rizzuto and ShayTay, I will have a look at the Sony.

Hello Bwino,
i am a young mauritian looking for a part time job and was wondering if you found a candidate for your house? i would be delighted in meeting you should you require any additional information.

Hi Pico, thanks we have found a house sitter. Good luck with your job hunt.

Topping to see if anyone else can help with recommendations, I am still researching.