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Good wildlife camera equipment on safari can make the difference between pictures you will be proud to show your friends and family when you get back and ones where it’s difficult to figure out exactly what you were photographing because it’s only a fuzzy black dot surrounded by green vegetation.

I take wildlife photographs for a living and I have had to quickly figure out what the best cameras and lenses are to get the job done effectively.

Digital or Film – Which is better for a safari?

Wild animals are very unpredictable. That’s one aspect of safari photography that makes it so exciting because you never know what you are going to get but this also means that the number of pictures you need to take to get a keeper increases.

And if you use film that can become very expensive whereas with a digital wildlife camera you can take as many as you want and then just delete the ones where the lion has ducked behind a bush, the cheetah has blurred because the autofocus locked onto a twig in front of it and the exposure of the hippo was way off because of the reflected sunlight in the water.

You can also make consistent use of bracketing to get the perfect exposures without worrying about cost or running out of film which can be a problem in certain remote areas of Africa where safaris take place.

So more is better in this case but what about quality? The fact is that digital quality is fast catching up to film unless you fall into the professional category and are going to be selling your safari pictures or entering them into competitions. In that case it might be better to stick to film because the trained eye will be able to spot the difference but in most other cases digital quality is more than adequate.

Digital also gives you valuable feedback while you are still on safari so that you can try and improve on that elephant picture with the ear cut off the next day. You also have a lot more control over the final product because you can use software like Photoshop to enhance and fine tune your pictures.

Digital SLR or Compact Wildlife Camera

A safari is the dream trip of a lifetime and it’s a great opportunity to get some fantastic wildlife pictures but it’s not necessary to buy the latest and greatest digital SLR and lenses to get them unless you are planning to take nature pictures for a living or are a serious photography enthusiast and are going to make regular use of the camera and lenses after the safari anyway.

The cost of a digital SLR wildlife camera is high compared to a compact but that is only half the story. The lenses that you need to purchase for decent wildlife photography often cost more than the camera itself making it a very expensive business indeed.

And a bulky camera body and multiple interchangeable lenses do add to the weight of your luggage and the inconvenience of carrying everything around with you.

Digital compact cameras on the other hand are not extremely expensive and the results that you can obtain from them are almost on a par with a digital SLR camera and you don’t have to worry about any additional lenses if the compact you buy has a decent zoom covering the range from 80mm to about 300mm. There are a few of them on the market that do have lenses like this and the range of the zooms increase every year.

And compact cameras live up to their name by being relatively small and light and one lens means no additional weight or carrying and no time wasted changing to another lens to suit the situation.

The Best SLR Digital Wildlife Camera for Nature Photography

If you have decided to go with a digital SLR then by all accounts the best one to purchase for wildlife photography at the moment is the Canon EOS 20D due to the blinding speed of its shutter release (near instantaneous) and its continuous shooting speed of 5 frames per second to a maximum burst depth of twenty three frames. It also powers up in next to no time at all.

This wildlife camera is as fast as you will ever need to freeze wildlife action and get the picture in the can before the animal moves off into the undergrowth.

There are other SLR cameras that are nearly as good like the Nikon D70 and the Pentax ist D so take a look at them too before making a decision.

The Best Compact Digital Wildlife Camera for Nature Photography

Canon comes up trumps again in the compact camera category with the Canon Powershot S2 IS. The factor that makes this camera ideal for safari wildlife photography is its huge 12X optical zoom lens (36 – 432mm equivalent) with a built in image stabiliser which cuts down on blur when using such a massive zoom lens.

A 5 megapixal sensor is more than enough to produce stunning safari images and as long as you can live with a slight shutter release lag and power up delay this compact wildlife camera is perfect for a safari trip.

Five essential wildlife photography tips that will help you improve your animal pictures rapidly and remarkably.

The best wildlife camera to take with you on a photographic safari.

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Whether you buy a Canon or a Nikon, or some other brand (not that I’m against Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, and the others – it’s just a fact that more folks buy Canon and Nikon than any other brand), you must have a lens or two to go with it. Each manufacturer has a general use lens that they promote with their cameras. If you are buying one of the “less than professional” models like the Canon Rebel T1i or the Nikon D5000, you may want to consider purchasing the camera body without the kit lens.

Here’s why… there are numerous walk around lenses that cover more of your shooting situations, and if you are not able to pay for bunches of lenses, simply get one lens that can do most of the photography jobs you have in mind. Yes, it will cost you a little more money because we are talking better lens with probably more focal range. A good walk around lens will have several pluses over the inexpensive kit lenses.

First is image quality. The reason you are moving up to a DSLR is to get better images, so don’t limit yourself by settling for a kit lens that may disappoint you.

Second is focal length. The kit lenses for the cameras mentioned above are 18-55mm. This may not be enough to handle your needs. Consider getting something that will cover 18mm up to 135mm or even 200mm. When you are searching for the walk around lens of your dreams consider off brand manufacturers like Tamron, Tokina, and Sigma. These manufacturers have great reputations in the camera business for producing quality products for the likes of Canon and Nikon. In some cases their lenses are just as good as the main brands but the price is much lower.

One such walk around lens is the Tamron AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro – now there’s a mouthful of lens. Just to break down what you are looking at:

• AF = Auto Focus
• 18-250mm = the focal range goes from a very wide angle 18mm to a long length of 250mm. Good for wide landscapes, as well as getting objects like wild animals to fill the image frame.
• F/3.5-6.3 = aperture. This is a function of how much light the shutter will allow to hit the image sensor. The lower the number, the more light (and, thus, the faster shutter speed). When there are two numbers as there are here, the lower number will be available at the wider angles (like 18mm), and as you zoom to the longer ranges, the aperture rises (in this case to F/6.3) with the focal length allowing less light into the camera.
• Di-II = A designation for lenses that can be used only on digital cameras (not film cameras).
• LD = Low Dispersion. A type of glass used in better lenses to help solve image distortion by causing light not to bend in a way that will distort the image.
• Aspherical = A more complex lens surface profile that can eliminate spherical aberration and reduce other optical aberrations compared to a simple lens. In other words, this lens shape corrects some of the problems associated with simple curves in camera lenses.
• (IF) = Internal focusing is a photographic lens design in which focus is shifted by moving the inner lens group or groups only, without any rotation or shifting of the front lens element.
• Macro = the ability to take close up photos like individual flowers and insects. The macro setting allows the lens glass to line up differently for better focus in close up situations.

Now doesn’t knowing all that just make you want to snap one of these babies onto your new DSLR?

If you are buying your first DSLR camera, consider getting the body only and substituting a more useful walk around lens for the kit lens. There are several excellent lenses that sell for less than $500, which in the world of good quality camera lenses is quite attractive. Buying a great walk around lens for your new DSLR is an important step. Make sure you check the comparison at http://www.digital-photographic-resources.com before you buy.

Happy Shooting!

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Canon EOS 450D Digital SLR Camera
12 Megapixel , 3.0″ LCD , USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface
With EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilizer Lens
Canon EOS 350D is sold as Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi in USA
 

Canon launches its latest D-SLR, the EOS 450D (Canon Digital Rebel XSi in America). Featuring a 12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor, EOS Integrated Cleaning System, 3.0” LCD with Live View mode and a new 9-point AF system, the model presents consumers with an unprecedented level of image quality and versatility at this end of the market. The Canon EOS 450D employs features already proven in Canon’s professional EOS-1 series cameras, including the DIGIC III image processor and a redesigned menu system that enables features such as direct control of Speedlite flash units from the camera LCD. A choice of 13 custom functions allows the photographer to customise the camera to their shooting style.

On the surface a very similar camera to the EOS 400D, however there are a range of significant improvements; twelve megapixel CMOS sensor, 3.0″ LCD monitor, Live View with both AF modes (contrast-detect and passive), 14-bit processing and RAW, spot metering, improved AF, 3.5 fps continuous shooting, a larger viewfinder, SD/SDHC storage and a new higher capacity battery. All in all a fairly impressive range of usage oriented improvements and refinements.

“The EOS 450D bears the fruits of more than 20 years of ongoing investment into EOS,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “This camera continues Canon’s policy of taking technologies proven in the professional arena and putting them within reach of a wider market of amateur photographers.”

The EOS 450D features:

• 12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor
• Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• 3.5 frames per second
• 3.0” LCD with Live View shooting
• 9-point wide-area AF system with f/2.8 cross-type centre point
• Picture Style image processing parameters
• DIGIC III image processor
• Digital Photo Professional RAW processing software
• Compact and Lightweight body
• Fully compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites

See complete details with images at

http://canon-digital-camera-04.blogspot.com/

About the Author:

This article has written by Fazal Zubair.
He is a full time IT Manager and It Consultant in Lahore,Pakistan.
He runs several websites and blogs.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Canon EOS 450D Digital SLR Camera

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Is the Canon Rebel XTi a Good Choice for someone who has never used a digital SLR?

I have never used a digital SLR before, but I am very impressed with Canon’s powershot handheld cameras. Would the rebel XTi be a good choice for me? Also, what lenses would be good for portrait and nature pictures?

The Xti will be great. All SLRs these days have full auto modes so you don’t need to learn all about manual controls right away.

As for lenses I’d get a camera with the kit lens. It’s 18-55mm so it’ll be good for scenic stuff as well as portraits. If you want to have major background blur on your portraits you should get the 50mm f/1.8 ($100).

If by nature photos you mean photos of birds and other animals you’ll need a telephoto lens. These are lenses with a focal length measured in the hundreds. The 75-300mm is Canon’s cheapest telephoto but it’s also pretty crappy. I wouldn’t pay the $300 they ask for it in stores but you can find it used for $100. Your next option is the 100-300mm. It`s hard to find new but you can sometimes get it used for $250. Your third (and best) option is the 70-300mm but it`ll cost you around $500.

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