F707 in Tanzania

Hi,

I consider buying a 707 when going to Tanzania in April. Mainly to use at safaris but also for shoots after dark and in mines. I’ve read people arguing the digital cameras lacks the ability to catch up with the sharp borders between sunshine and shadows in east Africa, making a traditional camera superior for safaris etc. Despite of this being true or not, I also wonder how the 707 would handle the rough conditions on a safari? Are any special precautions to recommend before I leave? Or should I just stick with my old camera, or go for some other digital one..?

Your comments on these matters would be much appreciated.

Regards, Fredrik Sundell, Linköping, Sweden

Hi Fredrik,

First of all - I'm jealous! I went hiking for 3 weeks in Corsica this past summer and took my Sony S70 along. The conditions there were quite rough, windy, and dusty and the camera performed flawlessly. The two things that made this possible were a foam-lined water-proof case for my camera for when the camera wasn't on my body and a Digital Wallet (with a case). The DW can take about 1700 images on single charge and can hold 3 - 20 Gb depending on which you get.

I now have the F707 and hike and ski with it, use it in snow and rain, and would take it on any trip again as long as I had those items mentioned above. Remember that with digital, you can do panoramic shots and night shots and check out how good they are as you go. If you can bring a laptop with you - all the better.

Regards,
AVB

freka665 said:

Hi,

I consider buying a 707 when going to Tanzania in April. Mainly to
use at safaris but also for shoots after dark and in mines. I’ve
read people arguing the digital cameras lacks the ability to catch
up with the sharp borders between sunshine and shadows in east
Africa, making a traditional camera superior for safaris etc.
Despite of this being true or not, I also wonder how the 707 would
handle the rough conditions on a safari? Are any special
precautions to recommend before I leave? Or should I just stick
with my old camera, or go for some other digital one..?

Your comments on these matters would be much appreciated.

Regards, Fredrik Sundell, Linköping, Sweden

Click to expand...

A Van Beek said:

Hi Fredrik,

First of all - I'm jealous! I went hiking for 3 weeks in Corsica
this past summer and took my Sony S70 along. The conditions there
were quite rough, windy, and dusty and the camera performed
flawlessly. The two things that made this possible were a
foam-lined water-proof case for my camera for when the camera
wasn't on my body and a Digital Wallet (with a case). The DW can
take about 1700 images on single charge and can hold 3 - 20 Gb
depending on which you get.
I now have the F707 and hike and ski with it, use it in snow and
rain, and would take it on any trip again as long as I had those
items mentioned above. Remember that with digital, you can do
panoramic shots and night shots and check out how good they are as
you go. If you can bring a laptop with you - all the better.

Regards,
AVB

Click to expand...

Godd advice on the weather-proof case. I took a shoe-string tirp to east Africa a few years and I'd love to go back, but I'd be apprehensive about taking my 707.

Big issues on a low-end Seringeti safari would be dust (like you wouldn't believe, at least in the dry season), electricity for charging batteries, and file storage. A laptop would IMO be out of the question. That said, things would certainly be some-degree better on higher-end safaris. We traveled by public bus and shopped around Arusha for lodging and safari deals. We were relying on the Lonely Planet Guides and info from other travellers. A real experience, the way I'd go again, but rough.

Theft would be a big issue while travelling in east Africa in general. You would have to keep your camera with you all the time and not out in the open. A major part of your trip would become about watching out for and taking care of your camera. The same would apply, of course, to any other expensive camera equipment or anything else you really value.

Anyway, safe journey.

Rick

Member said:

freka665 said:

Hi,

I consider buying a 707 when going to Tanzania in April. Mainly to
use at safaris but also for shoots after dark and in mines. I’ve
read people arguing the digital cameras lacks the ability to catch
up with the sharp borders between sunshine and shadows in east
Africa, making a traditional camera superior for safaris etc.
Despite of this being true or not, I also wonder how the 707 would
handle the rough conditions on a safari? Are any special
precautions to recommend before I leave? Or should I just stick
with my old camera, or go for some other digital one..?

Your comments on these matters would be much appreciated.

Regards, Fredrik Sundell, Linköping, Sweden

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--webb

A weatherproof case would be much needed, but how do I protect the camera from dust? Are some sort of plastic bags possible and/or enough for his purpose?

The charging problem is of course present, but couldn't that be solved by using a "car”-loader in the jeep? (sorry, can’t remember the English word at the moment)

We haven't decided yet on the details for the trip, but probably we have to go by public transport from Shinyanga (we're we will work) to Aurusha to pick up a safari. We will bring a laptop to Shinyanga, but I really don't feel comfortable bringing both that and the camera on the trip to Aurusha (and then on the safari).

Thanks for help, both of you!

freka665 said:

A weatherproof case would be much needed, but how do I protect the
camera from dust? Are some sort of plastic bags possible and/or
enough for his purpose?
The charging problem is of course present, but couldn't that be
solved by using a "car”-loader in the jeep? (sorry, can’t remember
the English word at the moment)
We haven't decided yet on the details for the trip, but probably we
have to go by public transport from Shinyanga (we're we will work)
to Aurusha to pick up a safari. We will bring a laptop to
Shinyanga, but I really don't feel comfortable bringing both that
and the camera on the trip to Aurusha (and then on the safari).

Thanks for help, both of you!

Click to expand...

Dealing with the dust will be a problem. I don't know about plastic bags. You might manage by just keeping the camera in the waterproof/dustproof case whenever you are in the dust (mainly while on the road) and only bringing it out to use it when conditions allow.

The digital wallet or digital album option sounds good.

Some of the other messages on the forum today deal with chargers that work off a car battery (probably though the cigarette lighter). If you rely on having a lighter available, you better insure that the vehicle the safari company provide has a working lighter. Those vehicles take a real beating.

By the way, we used Sunny Safari - located near the bus depot and up the street from the Miami Beach Hotel, where we stayed one night. It was about $450 a person for 5 days -Seringeti, Ngornongoro, Lake Munyaro. The driver/guide and cook were pretty good, though they ended up borrowing money from us for provisions. The Safari Company manager made good on the loan when we returned -we were somewhat suprised by that given that almost everyone in Arusha seemed to be on the make. Arusha alone was quite a phenomenon.

When you get back, you must report on your experience with the 707. Send me a picture of the Miami Beach Hotel.

Rick
--webb