Safari camera advice for me and my DS

[SurreyisSunny]

I’ve booked a safari for my DS and I next summer.
i used to have SLR type camera when I travelled but nowadays I tend to only use my iPhone

Should I take a compact superzoom or just use my phone?

I’d also like to get my DS (who will be almost 8) some sort of camera and preferably not one of the cheapo kids ones as the quality seems poor.

You will have an amazing time.

iPhone 18 is great. Our iPhone 6 was fine for just getting photos to remember safari as it looked to us, only issue we had was when animals were at a distance eye could see like that leopard was in other side of a small lake drinking water and we could see but phone blurred and was camouflaged by colours as it was dry. An iPhone 18 may well be able to photo that. I think optimal photos that are professional are with an expensive camera taken by someone trained in photography but for just photos of a holiday for memories iPhone is enough though cameras are great as well. It's useful to have a person on each side of vehicle and also can be worth when stopped looking behind, that's how I spotted Mum leopard twice crossing road.

We have a huge wall of pictures at home and you can chart the progression of iPhone cameras by the quality of the shots. However on safari my DH takes a paparazzi style lens on his DSLR and the photos are notably superior.

The zoom is all well and good on a phone until you want to print it out, then it can be grainy. He can also get ‘binocular’ shots - ie he’s as close (in pictures) as you get with good binos, monkeys in the tall trees, birds in flight, leopards in trees, etc.

If you’ll print pics, take an SLR

Thankyou, this post has been useful, I think on reflection I’m best buying decent binoculars for my DS and I and then using my phone more to capture memories.

@SurreyisSunny My DH has a Canon EOS mirrorless R6. Various lenses and takes photography seriously. If you haven’t used a modern camera, you need time to get to know it. They take a vast number of frames per second for moving animals and it’s a serious bit of kit. I would actually look for a used Canon 700D or similar. The lenses will cost a bit (you need image stabilizer) but your DS can learn pretty quickly on a camera like this and so can you. Great pictures and lots more versatility than a phone. Depends what you want though.

We go on safari a lot and I’ve never had image stabilizing binoculars. A good pair from Nikon will last you a long time!

We actually used Beyond the Plains Safaris for our safari and had a really good experience. One thing that was particularly useful was that we were able to hire camera equipment in Nairobi, so we didn’t have to invest in a big zoom camera just for the trip.
For an 8-year-old, I’d probably lean towards a decent compact/digital camera rather than a cheap kids’ camera. It could be a fun part of the safari for your DS too, and they might surprise you with some great photos! The iPhone is brilliant for general shots, but having a proper zoom can make a big difference when you’re trying to photograph wildlife at a distance.

@madisonramirez That gives you no time to learn how to use the camera though. And what quality of camera and lenses? You can get brilliant second hand cameras and learn how to use it before you go. Lenses will be more but you have the kit for every subsequent holiday so it’s an investment if you or dc are interested.

I would consider a monocular rather than binoculars - so long as he can close one eye. I find them much easier to use and are smaller and lighter.
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/buying-guides/best-monocular

I used iPhone 14 Pro on a Kenyan Safari and one thing I noted was how much stabilisation it did when I took short videos.

i was bouncing around inside the safari vehicle, but the videos were smooth.