In the weeks before my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Tanzania I asked the group about lenses for capturing more distant animals I would see on safari. Now that I am back from my trip (sigh) I thought I would report my final decision and review my findings.
I did not buy a new camera or lens for the trip.
My go-to camera for general shooting was the Sony a6000. It is light, extremely quick and great in low light. Also captures colors beautifully.
For more distant animals I had a Nikon Coolpix P510 with 42X zoom. Shutter speed slower but great for the long shot and no extra lenses to carry around. This is the dry season in Tanzania, and there is a lot of dust blowing so it is good not to have to change lenses.
My iPad Pro was wonderful for videos and panoramas.
I took over a thousand pictures and was happy with all 3 choices I made for the different purposes for which they served.
@allie912 Very helpful, Allison! We are going in December, so it will be hotter and wetter. Given your experiences (we are doing the northern circuit), what additional advice would you offer?
@taffy You will love it! Remember you are not allowed out of your vehicle when on a game drive. You will either be standing on a seat looking out the roof or sliding open a window and poking your camera out. So you don’t really have a place or need for a tripod. You will have other opportunities for pictures like that when you stop for the day, but basically it is more important to be able to react fast than to take your time setting up a shot. We were lucky; my friend and I were the only ones on the tour and she didn’t take pictures so I literally got to call the shots. If you are part of a group, you might have to be more flexible. Hope this helps.
@allie912 Thanks - very helpful to have your perspective. I was actually going to leave my tripod at home -- too bulky to carry when I won't need it much. Someone suggested bringing or getting a bean bag to balance my camera on the door, or use at night. We'll be alone on the tour -- 2 of us -- so that should make it pretty flexible. I look forward to seeing your photos!
@taffy Are you on FaceBook? I have actually posted many pictures throughout the week on FB. They seem to load much faster there than on this site, especially when WiFi is spotty.
@allie912 Thank you for posting always interesting to read about cameras for travel. Would love to see your photos on facebook - I'm l Laura Burrridge ( Loopy-Lou) if you wish to add me as a friend.
I’ve just looked at your photos on Facebook and they are amazing. The video of the migration was absolutely incredible.I've sent you a friend request too. It sure was a holiday of a lifetime.
@allie912 I found one who works at the National Park Service, but no photos of Tanzania so assume it isn't you. For some reason, you aren't showing up -- perhaps you have a private page? If so, maybe you could request me as a friend (under Taffy Raphael)?
I have the Nikon Coolpix P610 with a 60x zoom. I love that camera. My friend just bought the newer version, the 710, which has a high megapixel shot a better zoom. It's an all round great camera for the price.
@homeschoolmom Mine was the best I could get in 2012. It would have been nice to have a newer and better model but it did a really good job without buying a new camera!
@allie912 I think it worked! I added you as a friend, so hopefully now you can add me as well. I don't know why it's grayed out -- I probably did something for privacy but no idea what or how!
@taffy I already accepted! I also changed my settings. It had been on “accept requests from friends of friends” but not beyond that so I made it public, at least for now.
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I did not buy a new camera or lens for the trip.
My go-to camera for general shooting was the Sony a6000. It is light, extremely quick and great in low light. Also captures colors beautifully.
For more distant animals I had a Nikon Coolpix P510 with 42X zoom. Shutter speed slower but great for the long shot and no extra lenses to carry around. This is the dry season in Tanzania, and there is a lot of dust blowing so it is good not to have to change lenses.
My iPad Pro was wonderful for videos and panoramas.
I took over a thousand pictures and was happy with all 3 choices I made for the different purposes for which they served.