South Africa Trip: Which P&S should I get?

[PeeBee78]

I had originally posted this on the Canon forum but my wife has narrowed it down to two choices, only one of which is Canon.

We are going to South Africa and my wife would like a P&S that fits in her pocket, has high zoom and good low light quality. I'm not sure if it's possible to get all three but the two choices so far seem to be:

Canon SD4500 IS - came out 10 days ago....
Sony Cybershot HX5 - Good reviews...

I can't find a real comparison between the two. I know the 4500 is brand new and not a lot of people would have had a chance to play with it, but anyone got any recommendations?

Thanks!

PB

 

[gsrjedi]

I don't have experience with either camera, but I'd think the Sony would be a better choice. It's got a wider lens (25 vs 36), but not as far a reach (250 vs 360). It looks like they both have a built in low-light mode that takes a series of images and stacks them to reduce the noise that would normally occur when using the high ISOs at night, but the HX5 has the auto HDR mode and (probably more important) the Sweep Panorma. I'd think those could be useful for a trip to South Africa

 

[PeeBee78]

Great! That's exactly what I was thinking too!

Thanks for your help!

PB

 

[Ulfric M Douglas]

9mm, or maybe S&W 38.

 

[Sidekicker]

You were thinking exactly what I was when I read the title line, except the first choice that came to mind was a S&W 686 357 magnum w/ 125 gr. Federal Premium Hydra-Shok rounds or a Panasonic ZS7.

 

[PeeBee78]

Haha...

Yeah I was thinking more along the lines of P&S Camera but a gun might come in handy in the safari.....

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Sidekicker]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q110superzoomgroup/

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q210grouptravelzoom/

Check out the above reviews. You should be able to find something acceptable between them.

Recently a family member picked up a Panasonic ZS7. From what I've seen, it takes some nice shots, and is very compact.

 

[Barry Margolius]

A lot depends on what you plan to do on your trip to South Africa. If you are primarily interested in safari/wildlife photography, then zoom reach is your most important criteria. Whatever zoom you have, you'll wish you had more.

If you are also visiting cities and/or villages, and want to photograph there, then wide angle may be a more important concern. This is a function of your style of photography. My personal style is zoom orientated. A 35mme lens is plenty wide for my tastes, and I'd rather trade less room on the wide end for more room on the long end. But, I suspect most on this site would disagree with me and opt for the wider choice.

I've only read about the two cameras you are considering, but I do have a Panasonic Z7, and I like it quite a bit. The built in GPS is a bit of a gimmick, but I find it a useful one. I have ordered a Canon sd4500, as I think I'll like the longer reach and slightly smaller size for everyday use.

-barry

I had originally posted this on the Canon forum but my wife has narrowed it down to two choices, only one of which is Canon.

We are going to South Africa and my wife would like a P&S that fits in her pocket, has high zoom and good low light quality. I'm not sure if it's possible to get all three but the two choices so far seem to be:

Canon SD4500 IS - came out 10 days ago....
Sony Cybershot HX5 - Good reviews...

I can't find a real comparison between the two. I know the 4500 is brand new and not a lot of people would have had a chance to play with it, but anyone got any recommendations?

Thanks!

PB

 

[Julian Hare]

I live in South Africa and I think Barry's comments re zoom vs wide are very relevant. Whatever equipment you bring make sure to always have loads of memory. If you travel around you will have so much great photo opportunity.

By the way leave the firearms at home you won't need them! Or better still sell and reinvest in good photographic equipment!

Enjoy your trip

Julian

 

[redridge]

You beat me to it. But if its for his wife to put in her pocket I would suggest a .32 calibre pistol.
redridge

 

[Sidekicker]

You beat me to it. But if its for his wife to put in her pocket I would suggest a .32 calibre pistol.
redridge

If we're talking about dangerous game, I would have to revise my earlier suggestion. A .460 Weatherby Magnum or 700 Nitro Express rifle would be more appropriate.