jdavies

We are leaving for safari in 3 weeks, and my camera decided to break! Any suggestions for the best camera for under $500. I am considering a digital with video combo?
Thanks,
j

joeyi

i just bought a Canon S3 IS, 2 weeks ago it was $499, it went on sale this past sunday and i got it at circuit city for $359. Don't know if it's the best but it was recommended to me and i'm having fun learning it.

kumasawa

I bought the Canon S3 from Amazon back in May for $449 and it is now listed for $349 (free shipping). I took the camera on my safaris in Rwanda and Tanzania in July. You definitely need a camera with a good zoom and the S3 has a 12x optical.

If you want to see actual safari photos taken with this camera, you can find the links to my photo sets in this thread:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...hText=kumasawa

Cheers,
Darren

dssxxxx

Canon S3, but if you want to save a little money.....get the Canon S2. Almost identical.

jdavies

What about the cards, what size, how many. How about batteries, etc. how many did you use? We will be gone about 2 weeks. did you stay in places where you could download pictures?

Patty

If you get the Canon S3 (or S2), it uses AA batteries. I take two sets of rechargeable AA batteries and a dual voltage battery charger with car adaptor. The battery charger I have is the Lenmar Pro66, but there may be newer/better chargers out there. I also bring a few sets of disposable AA batteries in case I don't have access to recharging.

Lucia78

There's a card reader-storage device that you can buy for around $35 and it can store a significant amount of pictures. I think someone on this forum used it.

We downloaded our pics onto CDs at various random hole-in-the wall spots. I wouldn't recommend this...it takes time, is risky (several CDs had viruses) and sometimes doesn't work properly. If you can get a digital storage device, I'd bring that.

kumasawa

I have the Canon S3 which takes 4 AA batteries. For our 23-day trip, I brought 2 sets of rechargeable batteries plus some disposables that I never used. I brought a dual-voltage charger that I used with plug adapters. I bought the MAHA - MH-C204W Smart World Travel Conditioning Battery Charger and Maha 2500mAh 8 Batteries from Thomas Distributing.

For the S3, I brought four SanDisk 1GB
Ultra II SD Cards. I filled up all four of those cards, plus almost all of my one 1GB CompactFlash card for my Canon Elph 400. But then I was on a longer trip that what you have planned. Also, I just took photos because my wife had a videocamera so you will probably need more memory if you want to take video clips with the S3.

I did not stay in places where I could download pictures.

Someone recommended that you get the S2 instead of the S3 to save $50. I think that the video for the S3 is supposed to be better than the video for the S2, but you have to judge if that reason plus the other small improvements is worth the extra $50 for you. I thought they were, but you should do some more in-depth research on dpreview.com before deciding.

Darren

GHarvey

After reading up on dpreview.com and comparing photos with the Canon S3, my wife just bought a Panasonic F27. The features and photos were vertually identical (both 6 megs and 12X optical zoom) and the Panasonic (Lumax) was CDN$150 cheaper at Future Shop. With the $150 saved we were able to buy 3 - 2G cards

jdavies

Thanks for all the input. I'll have to read some reviews, and then hit a camera shop! We also need to get my 2 girls their own cameras for the trip. Something cheap that they can take pictures with.
julie

jasher

Hello,

Before switching to DSLR I used a Panasonic FZ20 -- this is a great camera with a brilliant 12x zoom image-stabilised lens (Leica f/2.8). Prior to the FZ20 I had an FZ10. I'd highly recommend the Panasonic cameras for anyone looking for a super-zoom.

Cheers,
Julian

cybor

Myself and a few others onsite use and love the panasonic Fz30 and love it. It also has a nice easy to use built in video with audio as well. The beauty of this fairly inexpensive camera is the ability to zoom up to 400mm and being able to use as a manual or automatic. If you have further questions give a shout.
Sherry

atravelynn

I saw this thread right after posting about the Sony DSC-H2 on another thread.

This is a view from someone who is not enamored with F-stops and shutter speeds.

My goal in going digital was to spend less time photographing and fidgeting while on trips and more time just enjoying the surroundings. I wanted to <b>point</b> with image stablization and <b>shoot</b> up with up to 12X zoom. I also wanted AA batteries so I could take a sufficient supply and not need to recharge them on the road. (I know recharging is easy in much of Africa, but not other places, and I do not want to rely on electricity being available.)

I tried the Cannon S2, but it was too tricky for me. The Panasonic Fx30 was great but did not have AA batteries that I wanted.

I bought the Sony DSC-H2. Of the fancy features, I use continuous shoot mode (Burst) a lot. Once in awhile I use the bracket feature. It has fit my needs perfectly and I am very pleased with the results from my last 3 wildlife trips.

OnlyMeOirish

J,
I can second and third Sherrys suggestion of the FZ30. Like you, I hummed and hawed about which camera to buy forour safari and I chose the FZ30 based on reports of ease of use and I am REALLY glad I did. I have fallen in love with this camera and Hubby, who is a copmlete cameraphobe, loved the manual function too - so much so I almost had to wrestle it from his grasp on a couple of occasions

Imelda

jdavies

Thanks for all the input. I will be working on it this week, as we only have 3 more weeks before we leave!! Yea!