Lisabeth

[lisabethhayes]

I am going on a safari and want a digital camera that at the end of the day costs less than $1000, has a very good telephoto lens and most importantly does not take a long time to focus and capture the image. What camera do you recommend?

[tim11]

$1000 (US)? You have many great choices for that budget.
You should answer some questions at the top of this forum, Which Camera Should I Buy?, so to help people identify and recommend the right camera for you.

[Warin]

If you want fast focus and shutter, you almost certainly want a digital SLR. the problem is, that without the purchase of a second lens, you wont get decent telephoto.

Personally, I would reccommend looking at the Nikon D50, Rebel XT, or Pentax ist, with two lenses. For the D50, the new 18-55 and 55-200 make an excellent match and give you, essentially, an 11x zoom.

You might spend a little more than you wopuld on a point and shoot, but in the end you will probably be much happier.