Binoculars
A review on the Best Binoculars for Safari's, Self Focusing Binoculars & Night Vision Binoculars
Digital Cameras for Safaris
Best Bridge SuperZoom's 2012 like the Panasonic DMC-FZ100 & Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR
Telephoto Lenses
1.7x and 2.2x Raynox DCR-2025PRO Teleconversion Lenses for Superzoom Bridge Cameras ideal for safaris
Digital Wildlife Photography
Home > Wildlife & Safari Photography
Contents
- Introduction
- Safari & Wildlife Photography Equipment
- Safari & Wildlife Photography Tips
- Wildlife Photo Galleries
Growing up in Zimbabwe I spent a lot of time in the bush, around wildlife and with people associated within the safari and tourist industry. Some of those people were inevitably hunters and I never understood why tourists and some of my friends enjoyed hunting. Then as a teenager I got my first camera, an old Pentax SLR, this combined with my interest in wildlife and the outdoors meant that I began the wonderful hobby of photographing the wildlife and around me.
It was soon after my first few attempts at wildlife photography that I began to understand the thrill of "the hunt" to get in as close to an animal as possible and then to get the "best shot" as possible. For me hunting with the camera is every bit as exciting, if not more exciting than with a weapon (Photographing dangerous game means getting in as close as possible, without any weapon for protection, which from experience, I can tell you really gets your heart racing).
To this day I still don't really understand why you would want to kill something so beautiful (unless you plan to eat it), when you could instead take an image of it that will remind you of that incredible experience forever. In my wildlife photography guides below, I won't pretend to be the world best photographer (far from it) nor will I pretend to know everything about photography, but I do think I can pass on my experience of working in the bush as a safari guide and from the many years of being a keen amateur wildlife photographer.
Safari & Wildlife Photography Equipment
Obviously the most important piece of equipment for any type of photography is the camera. When it comes to wildlife photography and especially safari photography, there are some features that you should look out for when choosing the best digital camera for this purpose.
Best Superzoom Cameras 2012
Due to their popularity, the amount of compact superzoom cameras on the market has dramatically increased of the past few years. Great news in that the competition has driven on innovations and improvements from camera manufacturers at an incredible rate. But it does make it harder to choose the right camera for your needs. To help I have included all the main features of all the best superzooms in an easy to compare format.
Digital SLR vs SuperZoom Cameras
Deciding wheather to choose a digital SLR camera (DSLR) or go for a compact superzoom camera for wildlife photography can be tricky. Both have advantages and disadvantages over each other, knowing these can help you decide which is best suits your needs.
The Best Compact Superzoom Cameras for Safari
If you do decide that a superzoom compact camera, rather than a digital SLR, here is our guide to the best compact super zoom safari cameras. Includes features to look out for and review of the top two cameras with a side by side comparison.
>> Best Safari Camera (compact superzooms)
Telephoto Conversion Lenses
Turn your Turn your SuperZoom Camera into a MegaZoom Camera, a guide to Telephoto Conversion Lenses for the Panasonic DMC-FZ100, DMC-FZ38 (FZ35), DMC-FZ28 & DMC-FZ18 Digital Cameras. Including what telephoto lenses fit the Panasonic cameras, which ones to get and example photographs
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100
With a super powerful 24x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent 600mm), much higher 14.1 MP image resolution, rotating LCD screen, movie recording in full HD and a 25mm ultra wide angle lens, this is the best superzoom compact digital camera on the market and an ideal safari holiday companion.
Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR
The successor to the very popular FinePix HS10 from Fujifilm, comes very powerful Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR with it's 30x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent 720mm), much higher 16 MP image resolution, faster auto focus and movie recording in full 1080p HD. This camera has to be one of the very best for taking with you on any safari holiday.
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS
This superzoom bridge camera from Canon, the PowerShot SX30 IS features a massive 35x zoom (35mm equivalent of a 24-840mm lens) and loads of other features including full 720p HD video recording, excellent image stabilization and a vari-angle 2.7 inch LCD display.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 (FZ40)
The successor to the very popular FZ38 (FZ35) from Panasonic, comes with a more powerful 24x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent 600mm), much higher 14.1 MP image resolution, faster auto focus and movie recording in full HD. Cheaper than the FZ100, yet with many of it's features it makes the ideal superzoom camera for those on a budget.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 (FZ35)
I take a look at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38, the successor to the very popular FZ28. Still will the excellent 18x optically stabilised lens (27-486mm, 35mm equivalent) and an increased resolution of 12.1 Megapixels, could this be the perfect compact superzoom camera to take on safari?
Photography Accessories
Advice on some of the best photography accessories for travel and safari.
Best Tripods for Travel & Safari
The Safari Guide to the best compact and lightweight tripods for travel & safaris. Includes sections on vehicle window mounts and hide clamps that are worth considering as an alternative to the standard travel tripod. >> more
Safari & Wildlife Photography Tips
Advice and some pointers to taking better wildlife, safari and landscape photographs.
Bird Photography: Equipment used on Safari
Bird photography offers it's own uniqe challenges and in this article and video, I pass on a few tips that have really helped me in the past.
I also take a look at the equipment that I used on my last safari trip to take photos of birds.
>> Bird Photography: Equipment used on Safari
General Safari Photography Advice
An article that includes some general advice on how to take better photographs when on safari, including where is the best place to sit in the vehicle, camera shake, thinking about the background and what shooting mode you should set on your digital camera.
Safari Holiday Tips for Photographers
Advice on choosing the right safari holiday for you if you are a keen photographer and want to get some really stunning wildlife photos. This article includes information on when is the best time to go on safari, where to go on safari, making sure your safari lodge has the right vehicles, communicating with your guide and lodge to ensure that you get what you want out of your photographic safari.
Wildlife Photo Galleries
Most of the photographs used on this website were take by myself, unless stated otherwise. Below are a few galleries that I have decided to put together, If you would like to use any of my images, please just contact me first. I will usually let you use them and send you high res versions so long as you credit me with the photograph.
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African Elephant Photographs |
Kariba, Wildlife Photography |
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Example photos taken with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 |
Example photos taken with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 and the Olympus TCON-17 Tele Converter lens. |
What to Take on Safari
This page is part of a series of posts on what to take on safari, for further reading try:
Search the Safari Holiday Guide
Best Cameras for Safari
My guide to the best digital cameras for travel and wildlife photography. Including the best camera to take on Safari, bird photography and where you can buy cheap digital cameras >> more
Telephoto Conversion Lenses
Guide to Telephoto Conversion Lenses like the 2.2x Raynox DCR-2025PRO for superzoom bridge cameras like the Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR and the Panasonic DMC-FZ100, FZ45 (FZ40), & FZ38 Digital Cameras. Learn how a telephoto lense can turn your SuperZoom camera into a MegaZoom camera, bringing the action ever closer to you. >> more
Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR Review
NEW: The very powerful Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR with it's 30x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent 720mm), very high quality 16 MP image resolution, fast auto focus and movie recording in full 1080p HD. This camera has to be one of the very best safari holiday cameras on the market.
For more information read the full review of the Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR Bridge Camera >>
- » Home
- » Wildlife Photography
- » DSLR vs Compact
- » Best Superzooms 2012
- » Safari Cameras
- » Telephoto Lenses
- » Tripods for Travel
- » Safari Photography Tips
- » Photographers Safari
- » Elephant Photos
- » Kariba Photography
- » The Gambia Photos
After your camera, a good pair of binoculars is crucial in getting the most out of your Safari Holiday. So what is a good pair of binoculars? Here is my binocular guide and recommendations >> Binocular Reviews
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