srl for safari help needed

[nuts]

hi im going on a safari in a month or two and looking to get my self a slr camera for the first time ,iv read a bit about them and now i dont no which is best for what i want .iv got about £500-£900 to spend but i need to get a good lens in that too as some of the game drives are moring and night .
any help would be greatful thanks .

[TheObiJuan]

XTI with a 70-200 and 1.4x an 2.x extenters?

I think a 300 f/2.8 IS prime would be ideal, but toooooooo expensive.

I went for the XTI since it is light and has auto sensor cleaning, the dusty safari's can wreak havoc on sensors.

[urfslam]

Glad you asked. I returned from Safari in July and was in the exact same situation before I went as you are, what camera to buy. I decided on the Nikon D-80 with the 18-135 lens. I would strongly suggest buying the largest zoom lense you can afford and get VR with it. I justified the money this way. "I'm spending x dollars on this trip (probably should be capital X) and the only thing I'm going to be taking home is pictures. I'm going to get the best pictures I can." I bought a Sigma 50-300 (something like that) zoom and I was still wanting more zoom with a bigger objective side for more light capture (faster lense). I would also not get on the plane without a circular polarizing filter. It will get you the deep blue sky that you expect to see in pictures.

Another thing I would do is buy 8-10 1 or 2 gig memory cards. I shot 3000 pictures only because I was restraining myself. Whatever camera you get I would set it to bracket every shot or turn on the multiple frame options and take at least three pictures of every shot you want to take. You should expect to take about five thousand pictures. That way you will probably get a lot of really good pictures and you will get some drop dead photos. I had this camera about a month before we left and I got a couple of shots that I could probably sell, not because I'm good at exposure and composition but because I got lucky.

Anyway, have a good time and shoot everything you want to. Don't restrict yourself because you didn't spend $20 on another two gig of memory.

Where are you going, by the way. We went to Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar. Best trip ever, so far. Going to Oman this weekend and the Maldives in October. Will post photos.

Urf

[nuts]

thanks for the tips you gave me and the info too .
im going to kenyas Maasai Mara .

[nuts]

thanks for the tips you gave me and the info too .
im going to kenyas Maasai Mara .

[Jeff Keller]

Please ask your question in ONE forum only. I am closing this one, so further responses should go here (http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34343).