A bit of a camera quandry...

[nOOky]

The wife and I are heading to Tanzania for 2+ weeks in December. Our plan is to do the walk up Kilimanjaro in 6 days, then a 6 day safari. This will also include a hot air balloon ride in the Kalahari etc. Other stuff will be the Ngorongoro crater and a few small side trips.

The wife will use her cellphone, and she has a Canon SX260 HS she will carry.

I have an LG V20 and a Panasonic Lumix G5 with the 14-42 kit lens it came with. I was thinking of buying a different lens to bring some of the animals closer. My two choices would be these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043VE28S/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

https://www.amazon.com/PANASONIC-45...1421&sr=1-2&keywords=panasonic+lens+micro+4+3
I also played with a Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 and was wondering if that might be a better option for a point and shoot auto person like me?

I'll admit I know very little about photography and I want to practice and study a bit before I leave...

 

[turtile]

If you want to get the animals from far away along with good image quality, the first lens you posted will do it. The 2nd lens might also come in use when you are photographing large animals (you could always use your kit lens though).

 

[CuriousMike]

... a better option for a point and shoot auto person like me?

I'll admit I know very little about photography and I want to practice and study a bit before I leave...

These are two statements are somewhat at odds.

Ultimately, I think you need to dig down a little deep and determine if you want to learn photography in 6 weeks for the sake of this trip... or do you want to have a solid P&S camera that you're not going to have to invest the time in ?

You sound like.. and your trip smells like... the combination where the FZ1000 would be perfect.

With that said, the 100-300mm lens would equivocate to 200-600mm which is moar zoom than the FZ1000 400mm will give you... and your G5 might give you a bit better quality.

- research what lenses people bring on the type of safari you're going on - some safari's, 600mm would be too much zoom -- 200mm might be too much zoom. 600mm might not be enough. If getting closer is important, get some details on this.
- do you mind swapping out ( and carrying ) an extra lens? Will this be a dusty environment? Will you remember to power off the camera during lens changes? ( m43 users are supposed to power down between lens changes.)
- depending on how much zoom you (don't) need, maybe a 14-150 would be a better compromise ... you'd only have a single lens.

If this is a once-in-a-lifetime-trip: How important are photos going to be? Will you be bothered by missed shots, sub-sharp shots?

I'm just circling the drain on this question - The FZ1000 still smells like the type of camera I'd want on this trip given your experience. Good quality, good range, don't worry about learning photography.

At a minimum and with whatever you have, I'd recommend learning how to use continuous auto-focus and burst shooting.

 

[EOM]

I think you're focusing on the animals and wanting to zoom in on them..... i'd also be thinking about the wide end and capturing some of the huge landscapes, especially near the top of kilimanjaro. I'm going to 2nd Mike here, and out of the options you've thrown up there, the fz1000 might be your best bet.

 

[nOOky]

Thanks for the replies. I have had a Canon S3IS in the past and I do think it would be easier for me to just go the simple route and go with the Lumix FZ1000...

 

[magomago]

If you can store your gear safely while you do the hike (i.e. don't try to carry more than the kit lens), then go for something that zooms up to 300mm on micro 4/3rds. That will give you a lot of good reach....

honestly you will want to carry as little as possible on the Kilmanjaro hike especially because its just 6 days. I hope you two are habitual mountaineers who know when they need acetazolamide . See if you can do the safari first, you'll still get a benefit since the whole area is at a higher elevation than where most people live (unless you are already in the foothills of the rockies ). You may be a pro and I hope I'm not patronizing, but if you aren't aware, please keep in mind that you are going to deal with a physical and mental mind f*ck at that elevation.

 

[nOOky]

If you can store your gear safely while you do the hike (i.e. don't try to carry more than the kit lens), then go for something that zooms up to 300mm on micro 4/3rds. That will give you a lot of good reach....

honestly you will want to carry as little as possible on the Kilmanjaro hike especially because its just 6 days. I hope you two are habitual mountaineers who know when they need acetazolamide . See if you can do the safari first, you'll still get a benefit since the whole area is at a higher elevation than where most people live (unless you are already in the foothills of the rockies ). You may be a pro and I hope I'm not patronizing, but if you aren't aware, please keep in mind that you are going to deal with a physical and mental mind f*ck at that elevation.

The trip is already set, no changes can be made, and we will do the mountain first. Neither of us will take anything to for altitude sickness, that's the whole point of going up slowly and getting acclimated each day, most people make it this way. You can be at altitude many times and never really know when altitude sickness will affect you, I have been in the mountains many times and never had a problem, but it's just too hard to predict. The wife and I both are ultramarathon runners and we have done many races in the mountains, so hopefully that gives us an advantage over most that don't have that experience.

I ended up buying the 45-200 lens to go along with the 14-42 kit lens, I did not want to buy a new camera and try to sell mine for next to nothing...

 

[CuriousMike]

I ended up buying the 45-200 lens to go along with the 14-42 kit lens,

Terrific. Have a great trip and share some of the photos when you're back.

 

[nOOky]

I ended up just carrying my phone on the Kili portion, and the other camera for the safari portion. One thing is clear is that I suck as a photographer, but I still have the memories and the rudimentary shots. I hope to spend more time playing with my camera in the future as I have other trips planned.

Here is a link and there is a sub folder also if anyone is interested:

http://s402.photobucket.com/user/jaywnuk/slideshow/Tanzania Trip 2016-17

http://s402.photobucket.com/user/jaywnuk/slideshow/Tanzania Trip 2016-17/Safaris and other stuff

 

[CuriousMike]

Thanks for coming back and sharing your trip; it looked fantastic.

You have a few shots from both the phone and the Panny that are pretty good - I liked the ballsack series

I ended up just carrying my phone on the Kili portion, and the other camera for the safari portion.

 

[IronWing]

Cool pics!