Camera for Africa

I need a new camera for this summers travel to North and West Africa.

Seemingly impossible to find the “ideal” camera so looking for advice for second best.

Pictures will be of people and scenery – not wildlife. Since it is unacceptable to photography people without permission (and get stiff poses) I want to take unobtrusive shots and then crop into my real subject area so both zoom and pixels count (never sure of the trade off between the two).

Size is also important - the camera should be unobtrusive and fix into my pocket.

Sun could be a problem using the LCD monitor – so need a camera with an LCD that works well in sunlight.

We will always be within three days of electricity so I will be taking three or four batteries. We will be backpacking and weight is very important, so no mess of battery charger equipment. I do like the small battery chargers with a built in plug (although I will need a plug adaptor).

A price isn’t an issue.

Looking at: Sony CyberShot T100; Panasonic TZ3 (I have a TZ1 – but too big, too slow, hate the lens cap, etc) and the Canon PowerShot A710. Because of its size and large LCD monitor, I am l leaning to the Sony… but…

All comments and suggestions welcome – especially tips form people who have traveled in Africa.

Thanks.

I dont know much to tell you about the camera you are looking for besides to just shop arround online untill you find the one that fits your needs.... but i do have a solution for charging batteries... i saw in a photography magazine that their is a solar powered charger on the market that costs about $200 and works verry well and will roll up to fit in a small space.. unfortunatly i dont have a link for you but i would google it!

Bennystee out!

If you get a lot of bright sunshine, it might be nice to have an optical viewfinder. So the Canon A710IS suggests itself. Is the G7 too big for you?

But the Panasonic TZ3 may be even better, with its long zoom and wide angle for scenery. You can switch to a high brightness mode so the LCD may be okay, just about.

Ricoh R6 too perhaps. Has 28-200 lens in a really tiny body, smaller than the TZ3. Don't know if the LCD works well in bright light though.

Outside possibilities are the Canon TX1, though its lens isn't very wide. Or the Sanyo HD2.

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Androo
http://Androo.smugmug.com

I'm not sure about other camera brands, but almost all Sony products, including their battery chargers, are universal voltage; they'll accept anything from 90v to 230v if I remember the range right. This is all automatic and invisible to the user, no settings to choose.

I'd bet plenty of other chargers are available with the same technology, but I'd say its definitely worth looking into, as almost all voltage converters have a warning that says their not designed for use with battery chargers. (Or anything else that requires a constant amount of power for an extended length of time)

Fuji laptops do the same thing; I don't know about their cameras. If it weren't for your zoom requirements I'd suggest something like the Fuji 770sw. I'd trade inferior picture quality for near indestructibility any day when planing a trip to the third world.

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Mark

If you will be going on a safari (Kenya, Tanzania, etc.) then there is basically only one thing you need to consider: focal length. The weather will be good, so focusing will not be a problem. Animals don't tend to move to fast, but on the rare occasion you do see a running animal, you'll want a fast camera.

First off, you need a camera with at least 300mm equivalent focal length. Ideally 400-500mm would be best, but that can get expensive. So I'd suggest adding a teleconverter instead of buying a longer lense.

The bright sunny days will give you easily 1/1250 shutter speed at decent apertures and ISO100. This is a good thing.

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Tim
'Be the change you wish to see in the world.' -Mahatma Gandhi
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timskis6/