The reason for this is that in the past the cameras on most phones have been pretty dreadful when it comes to zooming — a critical requirement for capturing animals and wildlife in places like the Serengeti National Park Tanzania or the Masai Mara Kenya.
However, a recent visit to the stunning Thanda Safari Lodge South Africa and a lesson with their resident photographer Christian Sperka completely opened my ideas to how great phone photography can now be on a safari holiday. NB: I am writing this post for those that are new to safari photography — you experts tend to already have many views regarding the best camera for photography and the best safari camera.
There are several options for the types of cameras that can be used to take safari pictures. As you might expect, as you move up in the price you move up in quality. Moving up in quality normally allows for greater and better quality zooms. The level of control of the shot also increases with quality. There are a few reasons that these factors are particularly important when it comes to an African photo safari:. Animals can move very quickly.
Having a camera where you can adjust the shutter speed or move the camera to a fast burst mode means you can take shots faster and thus be more likely to capture the moving animal in focus resulting in clear pictures of Africa. A day on safari normally involves major and multiple changes in light. Also, the general light may be quite good but animals, unfortunately, may often be in shaded areas. To get a nice clear shot it is critical to be able to adjust your camera settings to take the light into account.
The good news is safari is one of the few times where it is not necessary to worry as much about the weight of the camera equipment and the amount of gear related to the camera eg different lenses, tripods etc. The reason for this is you will generally be on a vehicle most of the time a walking safari is obviously a bit different so have space to place extra camera equipment. Before you head out on safari read this great post on all the different Collective Nouns for Animals from the fantastic Wildlife Diaries blog.
The most basic option is the good old point and shoot camera. These are lower-cost options and tend to be quite light. Many point and shoot cameras come with different preset options such as for evening or sports which is a good setting for animals as it is for fast movement that can allow adjustments for the light. The biggest weakness of point and shoot cameras is their lack of zoom.
The average point and shoot camera do have a 10x zoom which sounds like a lot but alas is not when it comes to capturing animals. The next level up is the bridge camera — this is basically halfway between a point and shoot and a DSLR camera.
So the zoom on a bridge camera is better than a point and shoot as its ability to react to fast action — but it is still not to the quality of the DSLR camera. This is the in-between option with prices that reflect that. Generally, the best zoom camera option for a safari is a Digital SLR camera.
This is the type of camera that professionals tend to use but it does not mean it is out of scope for the average photographer or new photographer. Indeed, I have had my digital SLR camera for years. The camera body itself is not that expensive.
Where the cost can come in is getting the best lens. Most digital SLR cameras come with a wide lens on purchase. In order to zoom it is necessary to buy another lens.
A digital SLR body with a strong zoom lens held firmly will produce the clearest and best safari shots. Of course, to achieve this there is a considerable cost involved. This is the best zoom in camera option. Mirrorless cameras are not too far away from a DSLR. However, there are fewer options for mirrorless cameras when it comes to lenses and they are still not quite as fast as a DSLR which is often critical with safari photography.
A Go Pro or cameras can work really well in capturing the safari experience of a game drive. However, my personal experience with these types of camera on safari has not been great. A Go Pro of camera will cover a wide range but the animals themselves become quite tiny and inconsequential. Yes, they are great for capturing a mood and feel but my personal opinion is they are not best suited to safari. Check out my post on Whale Watching Hermanus.
The Sony Cyber-Shot RX is a fantastic option for those new to photography who are looking to get a decent shot without having to learn how to become professional photographers.
The Sony Cyber-Shot RX camera will make most of the decisions for you to determine the best shot and it has an excellent zoom range — great for safari. It is a sturdy camera with effective image stabilization — also good to capture those fast-moving animals.
This is a very innovative camera that has jumped to the head of the queue in this category. However, what it lacks in quality it makes up for in durability which is what makes it so perfect for taking on safari.
This includes being waterproof up to 15m, drop-proof from a height of up to 2. Buy Olympus TG Mirrorless cameras have grown in popularity in recent years for those looking to bridge the gap between a point and shoot compact camera and a DSLR. As a result, the camera has all the style of a DSLR camera but is actually often around a third smaller and weighs significantly less.
With less of an internal process during the image taking process the majority of mirrorless cameras have a faster shutter speed FPS when compared. This camera favours an old-style metal look which has proven incredibly popular for the camera manufacturer as reflected in the sales of the Olympus Pen. A stand out feature on the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is the selfie screen which flips down below the camera allowing you to take perfect in-frame, ion focus shots every time.
One of our latest purchases is the Canon M50, a compact, mirrorless camera that shoots in 4K and has the ability to add on an external microphone perfect for our Youtube videos. The camera boasts 24 megapixels and has the ability for you to change lenses. Buy Canon M The Sony A7 III is one of the most high-end mirrorless cameras currently on the market, and it has a price tag to prove it. Ideal for those looking to switch between 4K photographs and high-resolution images this camera is as versatile as they come.
However, with more versatility comes more settings to fiddle with which makes taking the time to get to know your camera particularly important here. Meanwhile, the Finally, we have the DSLR cameras which stands for; digital single-lens reflex. The megapixel camera comes with built-in Wi-Fi abilities allowing you to quickly transfer images from the camera to your smartphone and other devices on the go. The battery life of this camera is around shots which makes purchasing, charging and packing additional batteries alongside everything else before your safari trip essential.
The Nikon D is a substantial upgrade on its predecessor the D which was retired by the company back in mid With a Buy Nikon D An upgrade from the Nikon D above is this Nikon D which is packed full of features that will help take your safari photography to the next level. This article will walk you through the considerations and types of cameras for a savannah or jungle adventure. By the end of this post, you will be able to pick out the best camera for safari fun!
Watch on YouTube. Kudu antelope passing in front of a group on a photo safari in Uganda. Going birding in Uganda? Check out our guide to the birds of Uganda including the top birding sites. Here are the features you need to know about as you decide which type of camera to bring on your safari or trek.
The best camera for safari will take weather into account. The African grasslands can be a rough place for humans and animals, but it takes an even greater toll on technology.
Dust and debris are one of the weather hazards you will encounter on your adventure. When traveling to and around Africa for a safari, there are weight limitations. If taking bushcraft, your suitcase may have to weigh as little as 33 pounds. Therefore, your best camera may be a lightweight. Finally, a lighter camera will most likely be smaller. As a tourist, you are a prime target for pickpockets and thieves. Not all cameras are equally easy to use.
In fact, manual photography settings can take weeks or even months to learn properly. Depending upon practice time, you may want to think about investing in one that is easy to use. Unfortunately, the most difficult cameras are typically thought of as the best cameras for safari photography. This leads to less than stellar pictures due to user error. If you are new to photography with little time you should definitely consider automatic options. When choosing the best camera for safari, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
The better the zoom, the better your shots of animals. If you want good pictures, you need to choose a lens that allows for close-ups of unapproachable animals, like an African lion lying far in the distance.
On the other hand, African safaris offer photo opportunities of the gorgeous, otherworldly landscapes. If you want to capture these once in a lifetime views, you need a camera that has a wide-angle lens. However, the wider the lens angle, the less zoom. What should an African safari-goer do? Instead of having to pick between lovely landscapes and awesome animals, there is a solution: multiple lenses!
The best option will have multiple lenses. It will consist of a wide angle lens for the savannah and a tight angle lens for close shots. This lens distance is measured in millimeters. Short length lenses less than 50mm are best for landscapes, and long length lenses mm and up are best for close-ups. I love my Tamron mm lens — it combines the best of both — a wide-angle and a decent zoom length. Of course, not all cameras have interchangeable lenses.
Action cameras like GoPro have no zoom and no lens add-ons. FPS is an important factor to consider when choosing the best camera for safari. The more frames per second, the more pictures your camera takes in one second. Landscape and slow-moving things do not need a high number of FPS, but fast-moving animals do.
The more photos being taken, the better chance you have of capturing a flawless memory. Since most animals you will encounter are quick zebras , cats, antelope, etc. We recommend picking up a travel insurance policy before traveling to Africa.
It can cover surprise visits to a medical clinic and protect your belongings should they get lost or damaged. A couple of years ago we bought a pair of decent point-and-shoots as backup cameras. As it turned out, that model had a software glitch that gave low-battery warnings whenever shooting video. If we had read the reviews more thoroughly, we would have found this and bought a different model.
Many cameras have a great selection of aftermarket battery brands for a fraction of the price. They are great for charging batteries on the go. The PowerCore mAh is a beast — charging iPhone 7 almost 7 times — but weights just With the powerbank, you can just plug the charger in, put it in your pack, and it will be charged in a few hours. The sensor is light sensitive and can have a huge influence on the photo quality. That being said, if you have a basic understanding of composition and lighting, you can create great images with any size sensor.
Wildlife in Africa tends to blend in with its surroundings. That is why the best cameras have a high-quality sensor. Some photographers feel that the best sensors are cropped, for greater accuracy.
This process involves precision measurements to enhance the quality of the lens. In this case, your camera will also need to be decently waterproofed to prevent water damage that can be caused by rain that may come unexpectedly. Last but most definitely not least is how much the camera costs. A good Safari camera for a beginner may not be as cheap as the basic point and shoot cameras used by the average traveler but they do not have to be top of the line and cost an arm and leg.
So the natural question that comes from the factors above is, will a smartphone do the job of safari camera well enough for it to be the only camera you carry on your African Safari? Based on the factors indicated above I believe that the best beginner camera for an African safari is the Canon Rebel series and more specifically, the Canon Rebel T7i. It checks off most of the factors listed above and comes at a price that is reasonable enough for someone starting out as a photographer.
As a beginner, working with multiple lenses can be scary and, if you have watched any reviews about DSLR cameras, you may have seen people recommending that you buy extra lenses.
I personally think that for a beginner, using the kit zoom lens is sufficient for decent Safari photos. You may want to get a camera that is bundled with a telephoto lens like this one I found on Amazon. You might want to get creative and experiment with taking photos in low light like the evening shot below. Getting that kind of photograph requires that your camera be very still and you will need a tripod for this.
The great thing is that many DSLR cameras come with a tripod bundled with your purchase. The average good quality photo is about 5MBs large.
Since you may not get good internet connectivity in the national parks, I would advise that you carry two high capacity memory cards and a back-up hard drive that you will transfer the photos each day to. As long as your lens is high-powered enough and that you have your portable tripod, the rest will just add complexity and weight to your baggage.
If you feel that your package is overweight you can leave the tripod behind.
0コメント