Good wildlife camera equipment on safari can make the difference between pictures you will be proud to show your friends and family when you get back and ones where it's difficult to figure out exactly what you were photographing because it's only a fuzzy black dot surrounded by green vegetation.
I take wildlife photographs for a living and I have had to quickly figure out what the best cameras and lenses are to get the job done effectively.
Digital or Film - Which is better for a safari?
Wild animals are very unpredictable. That's one aspect of safari photography that makes it so exciting because you never know what you are going to get but this also means that the number of pictures you need to take to get a keeper increases.
And if you use film that can become very expensive whereas with a digital wildlife camera you can take as many as you want and then just delete the ones where the lion has ducked behind a bush, the cheetah has blurred because the autofocus locked onto a twig in front of it and the exposure of the hippo was way off because of the reflected sunlight in the water.
You can also make consistent use of bracketing to get the perfect exposures without worrying about cost or running out of film which can be a problem in certain remote areas of Africa where safaris take place.
So more is better in this case but what about quality? The fact is that digital quality is fast catching up to film unless you fall into the professional category and are going to be selling your safari pictures or entering them into competitions. In that case it might be better to stick to film because the trained eye will be able to spot the difference but in most other cases digital quality is more than adequate.
Digital also gives you valuable feedback while you are still on safari so that you can try and improve on that elephant picture with the ear cut off the next day. You also have a lot more control over the final product because you can use software like Photoshop to enhance and fine tune your pictures.
Digital SLR or Compact Wildlife Camera
A safari is the dream trip of a lifetime and it's a great opportunity to get some fantastic wildlife pictures but it's not necessary to buy the latest and greatest digital SLR and lenses to get them unless you are planning to take nature pictures for a living or are a serious photography enthusiast and are going to make regular use of the camera and lenses after the safari anyway.
The cost of a digital SLR wildlife camera is high compared to a compact but that is only half the story. The lenses that you need to purchase for decent wildlife photography often cost more than the camera itself making it a very expensive business indeed.
And a bulky camera body and multiple interchangeable lenses do add to the weight of your luggage and the inconvenience of carrying everything around with you.
Digital compact cameras on the other hand are not extremely expensive and the results that you can obtain from them are almost on a par with a digital SLR camera and you don't have to worry about any additional lenses if the compact you buy has a decent zoom covering the range from 80mm to about 300mm. There are a few of them on the market that do have lenses like this and the range of the zooms increase every year.
And compact cameras live up to their name by being relatively small and light and one lens means no additional weight or carrying and no time wasted changing to another lens to suit the situation.
The Best SLR Digital Wildlife Camera for Nature Photography
If you have decided to go with a digital SLR then by all accounts the best one to purchase for wildlife photography at the moment is the Canon EOS 20D due to the blinding speed of its shutter release (near instantaneous) and its continuous shooting speed of 5 frames per second to a maximum burst depth of twenty three frames. It also powers up in next to no time at all.
This wildlife camera is as fast as you will ever need to freeze wildlife action and get the picture in the can before the animal moves off into the undergrowth.
There are other SLR cameras that are nearly as good like the Nikon D70 and the Pentax ist D so take a look at them too before making a decision.
The Best Compact Digital Wildlife Camera for Nature Photography
Canon comes up trumps again in the compact camera category with the Canon Powershot S2 IS. The factor that makes this camera ideal for safari wildlife photography is its huge 12X optical zoom lens (36 - 432mm equivalent) with a built in image stabiliser which cuts down on blur when using such a massive zoom lens.
A 5 megapixal sensor is more than enough to produce stunning safari images and as long as you can live with a slight shutter release lag and power up delay this compact wildlife camera is perfect for a safari trip.
Five essential wildlife photography tips that will help you improve your animal pictures rapidly and remarkably.
The best wildlife photography tips to take with you on a photographic safari.
shuttle from Midway Glen Ellyn ..Do you like to take photos? Are you always standing... Read More
Having an efficient work flow is essential for photographers. In... Read More
ContentEven if you feel that you already know what kind... Read More
So you recently bought a digital camera or perhaps your... Read More
Photography with the aid of a digital camera is beyond... Read More
Like most folks you have probably have organized and sorted... Read More
Several years ago, I met a fellow photographer - albeit,... Read More
So you have this great digital camera and you've taken... Read More
Wholesale disposable cameras are disposable cameras bought in quantity. Bulk... Read More
Remember the good old photography days?Film camera in hand, you... Read More
Why is a 3 megapixel camera better than a 1... Read More
Demystifying Digital Camera JargonWant to buy a digital camera but... Read More
Your wedding day is without a doubt one of the... Read More
There are a large number of digital camera accessories available... Read More
With such a fantastic device as the digital camera for... Read More
It's hard to find sometimes but it's making a resurgence,... Read More
There are a few very important tasks associated with using... Read More
So you have this great new camera. Now you're standing... Read More
Too many people have the idea that being paid to... Read More
There are lots of options available for getting your digital... Read More
Underwater digital cameras are fun and easy to use under... Read More
In a device such as a digital camera it is... Read More
Disposable digital and film cameras (also called single-use cameras) provide... Read More
Photography is a diversified field of creating a spectral variety... Read More
As a professional wedding photographer I get this question asked... Read More
shuttle from O'Hare North Chicago ..Being such a fascinating device as the digital camera, this... Read More
One of the biggest debates in the photography world is... Read More
How many people have pictures in a shoe box? In... Read More
Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras are excellent cameras that... Read More
What Is... Exposure BracketingExposure bracketing is a simple technique professional... Read More
Setting up your own photography business it easy, you don't... Read More
If you are buying a new underwater camera or video... Read More
Once in while I receive e-mails or phone calls from... Read More
Quite often I will have clients bring in old photographs... Read More
1. Myth: Digital photos are pixilated or fuzzy. Reality: most... Read More
Nude photography is the genre of art photography, whose subject... Read More
The vast beauty and richness of the desert can be... Read More
Your first thought when you read "Alligator Farm" might be... Read More
When should you use hyperfocal focusing? Well, sometimes when shooting... Read More
Before you rush into buying your digital camera this holiday... Read More
Getting the most out of your digital video camera can... Read More
The digital camera is not something of a magic box... Read More
Think about Laurel and Hardy for a moment, or Charlie... Read More
Everyone has a digital camera today and we all take... Read More
Strike one! Strike two! Strike three!Baseball! America's Pastime, and a... Read More
Early cameras of the 16th and 17th century were able... Read More
If you think that digital cameras are for snapshots only,... Read More
Choosing a digital camera can be a daunting task with... Read More
Imagine taking your new digital camera on a vacation and... Read More
Most serious photographers and all professionals use a Single Lens... Read More
Photography |