Travel Photography - Video and Still Camera for African Safari

My parents are going on a safari and are looking for a camera that can take high quality pictures and video and has a decent amount of zooming ability (for taking pictures of animals at a great distance).

They are looking for a camera in the $400-$700 range. Suggestions?

Panasonic DMC G3 or DMC GH2 with 100-300mm lens.

They have a feature called extended tele-conversion that essentially increases the crop factor of the chip giving additional zoom with very little (no, in the case of video) loss of image quality.

Panasonic DMC G3 or DMC GH2 with 100-300mm lens.

They have a feature called extended tele-conversion that essentially increases the crop factor of the chip giving additional zoom with very little (no, in the case of video) loss of image quality.

Thanks. I don't know much about cameras, but is this the lens you're talking about, or are there different types of 100-300mm lenses? This one I found is $500 just for the lens, so it kind of puts those two cameras out of the price range. http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-100-300mm-4-0-5-6-OIS-Interchangeable/dp/B0043VE28S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318734616&sr=8-1

Is using a lens like that really worth the price? I could get this camera (includes a less advanced lens) and it's within the price range: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Four-Thirds-Interchangeable-Free-Angle-Touch-Screen/dp/B005058BTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318734377&sr=8-1

I have a compact Panasonic DMC-ZS7 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003966MRM). It shoots fantastic stills (for a point & shoot; of course my Nikon D80 DSLR does better), and pretty darn good daylight video in HD. Not great video at night, but passable. It's a great value.

The ZS7 has been replaced by the ZS8 (http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-ZS8-Digital-Stabilized-3-0-Inch/dp/B004KKZ0HE/ref=dp_cp_ob_p_title_4). For the money I spent it is an incredible value.

Or if you're looking for something a little bigger and nicer, maybe a Canon EOS T3 (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Rebel-T3-Digital-18-55mm/dp/B004J3Y9U6/ref=pd_ts_zgc_e_3017941_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&pf_rd_p=1270018122&pf_rd_s=right-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=507846&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1MR5AN2AQXEG360CEK5B). The basic kit is around $500 with an 18-55 lens, and when there is money for longer lenses later on you can add them to your collection.

Yes, the first link is just the super-telephoto lens, the second link is the camera body, plus what's called a "normal" lens.

Admittedly, this combo (new) will push the limits of your budget, but you said "high quality pictures and video". Perhaps, my expectation of "high quality" is higher.

Check www.mu-43.com, Fred Miranda, and eBay for deals on used equipment.

Can I play devil's advocate and rephrase the question? I'm sometimes accused of experiencing life through the lens rather than directly, as I really enjoy taking photos, but I ended up taking only a small camera to Tanzania and choosing to enjoy the experience for what it was.

Your parents are not going to get professional-looking photos at the price point you mention (I know, I've tried in the Amazon) and may end up worrying about missing a shot rather than absorbing the quite special experience they'll be having.

So I travelled on safari with my Panasonc LX-3, was happy with the pictures that I got, and was relieved that I wasn't one of the people in Landcruisers desperately shooting off hundreds of shots. Live in the moment - if I can, your parents definitely can!

Just my point of view (and my literal point of view, from the widest angle of the LX-3, looked like this):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2777/4120495118_1448120d7e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/getdown/4120495118/)

I'll second the previous post. Good pictures and good video come from practice and critique (self or others). Many point and shoot cameras do both still and video with quality that neither camcorders or regular cameras could match just a few years ago. And these cameras are feature rich.

But no decent camera will give good results unless someone takes the time to learn how to use it. And you don't do that just before a major trip.

So my advice: Don't worry about what is "best". There's no answer for that anyway. Instead, buy something that you're comfortable with. Smaller is probably better. Unless you're scrimped for cash, buy from a good local photo store who has someone who (a) knows the cameras and (b) will take the time to work with the purchaser. This means (1) don't go Saturday afternoon and (2) don't go to best buy (or Fry's or any other mass merchandiser. Also (3): Read the manual or better yet, buy a how-to book for the camera if one is published, a month or two in advance.