Going to South Africa on safari, plus Victoria Falls and Cape Town

Karen-Steinbaum | Asked over a year ago | Last response was 9 months ago

I am not a beginner but by no means an expert. I have a passion for taking photos but have never taken lessons and no very little about manual settings. I try to find interesting ways to frame my shots but when I see great shots, I have to laugh at myself.

I mostly take pictures of animals, landscape and children. BTW, I was also looking at the Fujifilm HS30EXR. Obviously the zoom is important, which all of these cameras have. The quality of the pictures when zoomed is impotant as well as which is best in low light.

Please help.

Thank you, community.

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13 Answers

Beginner I

5

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over a year ago Ross-Munro recommends the Nikon Coolpix P510

Out of these 2 cameras I would recommend The Nikon. I have used different cameras on safari in Kenya and while picture quality is a major consideration, you will use all the zoom you can get. Sometimes you won't be able to get that close to wildlife subjects and max zoom will give you the shot you want. Both cameras will give you the quality you want inmost other situations. Having said all that, you would still be well advised to buy, beg, borrow or steal, (well maybe not steal!) a much better DSLR with some serious zoom and wide angle lenses. The expense and the weight are completely worth the effort in every way, including having to change lenses often, you won't regret it! Spend every penny you can on good glass, and see the results, I have and KNOW its worth it!

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Beginner I

4

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over a year ago Rajib-Ghosh recommends the Nikon Coolpix P510

Going to a safari? Get the baddest Zoom you can afford.
DSLRs are superior in image quality but a DSLR + 500mm lens combo will cost thousands of dollars.
I like the Canon SX40's full-tilt-swivel screen (I have a Canon SX20) but the Nikon's zoom range simply tops out everything else; particularly for Safari trips.
There's a zoom range calculator on my website (http://www.rajib.com/going-to-forest-safari-what-zoom-lens-should-i-take/824/). You can check if you really need the Nikon P510 zoom range. If not, more handy cameras such as Canon PowerShot 260 (20x zoom) could also work for you.
Also, carry a monopod / tripod if you can manage it.

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Intermediate I

3

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over a year ago Henri-De-Vreese recommends the Nikon Coolpix P510

Better Image qualtiy and more mp, for cropping a bit for the animals in the distance.+ the nikon has bigger zoom range.

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Intermediate III

cameras Community

Fair Minded

3

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over a year ago John-Kim recommends neither camera

I recommend in this order: 1) Fujifilm HS30EXR 2) Nikon Coolpix P510 3) Canon Powershot SX40 4) Nikon L120 5) Sony HX200 They all take competent pictures if you know what you are doing. It's the Indian, not so much the arrow.

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Beginner I

3

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over a year ago Michel-Radosevic recommends neither camera

No doubt that the Fujifilm HS30EXR will be the best choice! Perfect for sunny picture but even better at sunset thanks to the EXR low light technology.

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Beginner II

2

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over a year ago panzerfaustnl recommends neither camera
Look at these links and you will know much more. The biggest advantage of the P510 is the (35 eq) 1000mm to where you can zoom too.
A big advantage of the fujifilm HS30 is the EVF who has a resolution of 920000 dots, very important in bright light when looking at the screen is hard.
http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-SX40-vs-Fujifilm-HS30-EXR
http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-SX40-vs-Nikon-P510
http://snapsort.com/compare/Fujifilm-HS30-EXR-vs-Nikon-P510
1. Beginner I
  
  over a year ago Ross-Munro
  
  Snapsort compare is an excellent resource which I used extensively before getting my latest camera, a Nikon D7000
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Beginner I

2

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over a year ago Gaurav-Srivastava recommends neither camera
Sony HX100V.... Coz its a great camera.... superb telephoto.... n awesome image processing by sony!!
1. Beginner I
  
  over a year ago Ross-Munro
  
  If you have to go with a compact, I nearly agree with the choice of Sony, but the HX200 (the newer version) instead.
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Intermediate I

Nikon Coolpix P510

Evangelist

2

Score

10 months ago leo-kun recommends the Nikon Coolpix P510

here are some samples of my p510:
macro shots
zoom shots, moon shots
... more moon shots (i like shooting the moon, it's a good reference point)
some practice portraits (in a very low lighted afternoon, since i don't like using flash for 'stolen' shots. the settings are a bit tricky, since i use burst to capture these pictures without a tripod).
by the way, the actual sizes of the pictures are at 4608 x 2592 (i use the 16:9 mode in my pictures, hence set at 12 megapixels). google+ resizes them to 2048 x 1152 for display in their site.

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Beginner I

2

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over a year ago abelgkb recommends the Nikon Coolpix P510

The Nikon should be a sure choice. It'll run you a few more dollars but it's definitely a bargain for the price.
The 15.9MP and 3" LCD screen are one of its best features.. But when you're going on a safari, Zoom is also something you'll need because you might not be able to get close to the objects you want to photograph. Considering that you don't want to get a DSLR, the zoom on the Nikon P510 is pretty impressive. I'd suggest you also take a look at the Nikon Coolpix L120 that has incredible zoom at great quality! It's also cheaper!
--- Abel Girma

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Beginner II

1

Score

9 months ago Justin-Skyline recommends the Nikon Coolpix P510

The p510 is a great camera with much more zoom than the SX40. It also has great image quality.

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Beginner I

0

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over a year ago Ling-KweeChang recommends the Nikon Coolpix P510

I have a P510. It give me superb pictures.

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Beginner I

-1

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over a year ago Ravi-Naik recommends the Nikon Coolpix P510

Nikon P510
Great Camera with Great zoom Power.... Go for it....

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Beginner I

-2

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over a year ago Etienne-Hurtubise recommends the Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40... good price, good quality!

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