Best Camera for African Safari Full F vs Super Zoom

[BlaserLRH]

Hello Friends,

I'm going to Africa hunting and wildlife safari and really don't know how to setup my camera gear

I already have a SONY A7C w/ Sony GM 16-35mm and Sony 24-240mm Lenses
Besides I have a SONY A6400 kit brand new in the box.

My problem is I need a wildlife Camera for long shots but the idea of a telephoto lens is not very practical for me. They are bulky, heavy and expensive!

On the other hand the photo guys say superzoom cameras don't take good pics, and my question is this:

Shall I buy a Lens for the Sony A6400 like a Tamron 50-400mm or a superzoom camera, but which one ?
A6400 + Tamron 50-400mm = 100-600mm sensor crop.

Apart from this Trip to Africa Id like to have a camera setup for western hunting ....

Or the advice is: Buy the telephoto lens for the Sony A6400 and sell it when you come back and get a superzoom later!

Photography is a tough and expensive business !

 

[Camera Land]

100% not true about superzoom cameras. They don't take as good a picture as a crop sensor or full frame sensor interchangeable lens camera. However you can get excellent photos easily to 11x14 if you stick with Canon, Sony or Nikon. When are you going, as Nikon just announced the new P1100 which is not crazy expensive and has a 125X optical zoom. If you are going to crop and then blow up then forget the superzoom option.
The questions you need to ask yourself are
1. What will you do with the images?
2. How often will you use a long zoom?

We sell a lot of outfits for long range photography. The lens you should get for a trip like this is the Sony 200-600. For most people this is a bucket list trip. You will be spending a lot of money on this trip. Your full frame and crop sensor cameras are EXCELLENT cameras. If the cost of this lens is in your budget then by all means this is the lens to get. Normally $1998, there is a $100 instant savings to $1898. Plus call me and mention Rokslide and I can do more but can't put it in print. It will be worth the call

We have been a sponsor here for years and always do the best we can for the members here

Joel
516-217-1000

 

[BlaserLRH]

Cell phone cameras are not worth it , that's why I need a good zoom camera

 

[LookinforDirt]

Lots of activity in the photography forum today. That’s cool. The super zooms seem to take a quality hit. That appears to be the consensus. But how much and does it matter for your purpose? Posting pics on social media or reasonable sized printed photos for personal enjoyment. I don’t think it’s a big deal. Most people looking at them would never notice and may not see it even if you pointed it out to them. High end enthusiast, professional, or just really anal retentive, then yeah, it will matter.

I already made my decision on what format, for now, on what I’d do so that’s where my .02 opinion comes from. I went aps-c for size, weight, and cost advantages. If using a single lens is a real high priority then I’d look for a good super zoom. Though I think super zoom means wide angle to telephoto. So wider than the 50mm you mentioned. Tamron makes a 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD that might cover you. 27-450mm equivalent. That 450mm might be a little limiting. I’ve never really researched buying or used a super zoom, electing to have multiple lenses instead, so I can’t comment on quality. But plenty of reviews out there on it. I bought a Sony 70-350mm for a 105- 525mm equivalent. Sigma makes a nice 100-400mm full frame that is generally reviewed well and is actually affordable and compact for a full frame. That one would really reach out there. If me, I’d buy a super zoom and test it to make sure I’ll be happy with what it produces. If I couldn’t get one I’m happy with I’d commit to taking two lenses.

Also, I’d be a little nervous about the single card slot in the a6400 for such a trip. Does the a7c have dual slots? I’d use a single slot camera but would be sure to backup often.

 

[signing off]

You could rent a long range lens for the trip.

 

[Mojave]

You won't take good photos through a super zoom of wildlife. They are ok for Celestial photography, and average for wildlife.

I did ok with a T-mount on a spotting scope so I could put my Canon EOS SLR on there. But even that sucks compared to a $5000 dedicated long range wildlife scope.

Wildlife needs to be up close to get National Geographic Level photos.

500-800 yard wildlife shots look the same as they do with a naked eye. Camera power to binocular/spotting scope power is not the same language.