Best Camera To Take on Safari

I had my husband write up this review of our camera, Fuji X-S1, for the safari. I think he gives some great insight into picking a camera for safari. Hope it's helpful.

Fuji  X-S1 Camera Review By a Novice  – The Right SLR Style Camera for a Safari, and Every Other Important Picture Taking Opportunity

How We Got the Chance to Use the Fuji X-S1 Camera

Eight months ago, our family was invited to go on an African safari trip.  We said yes, and immediately I began thinking about cameras. 

Two years prior, I bought a Nikon D5000 SLR camera before a trip to Yellowstone National Park.  The pictures that I took were great compared to my pocket camera, but the Nikon had big setbacks. 

             * It came with two lenses, one zoom lens for wider angles, and a second zoom lens for telephoto shots.  I found that swapping the lenses on a regular basis was not easy, and required the use of a fanny pack to carry the extra lens. 

               *Another setback was the built-in flash.  It did a poor job of lighting inside and night photos for any subject over 12’ away.  I finally bought an external flash, but then I had a third item to carry. 

              *The Nikon D5000 also had a very long lag time between pressing the shutter and having the camera take the picture (2 to 10 seconds), when using the lcd panel instead of the viewfinder.  I found myself always using the viewfinder.

The thought of going on an African safari made me think about replacing our Nikon camera.  I began reading reviews of cameras that were used on safaris.  I found out that there were high performance cameras that had fixed lenses with incredible zooming capabilities.  Nikon makes a couple models, and I seriously considered buying one, because I was already use to the Nikon controls.  At around that time, our cousin offered to loan us a Fuji fixed lens SLR style camera for our trip (she works at Fuji).

How the Fuji X-S1 Camera Performed

The camera took great pictures right out of the box.  The camera feels good in the hands, with a soft rubbery skin and is shaped for a good comfortable grip (much better than my Nikon).  There was a small learning curve for the basic functions, but nothing that inhibited picture taking. 

Taken from 20 ft in dark with flash

Safari drives were done in the early morning and late afternoon/evening.  Lots of good pictures would have been very difficult to take with my Nikon, due to the low lighting.  The built-in flash on the Fuji camera worked really well, with great pictures of cats at 30+ feet, in the dark.  This camera has an EXR setting, which greatly improved pictures in low light situations where the flash was not effective.  I also liked the way the camera can be set to use the flash when manually popped up, rather than automatic at its discretion.

Taken in low light from 100 ft

          I quickly learned that the camera has an automatic setting that swaps the lcd screen for the viewfinder just by holding your eye to the viewfinder, which is a blessing.  The zoom lens had a better range than my Nikon had with both of its lenses.  Everybody on our trip envied the close-up zoom on this camera which is stated to max out at 624mm focal length, where my Nikon maxes out at 200mm.  The fast shutter speeds compensated for most of the jiggling, and I got a good percentage of crystal clear pictures at the maximum zoom, from the bumpy Range Rover, while it was moving.  I also toyed around with the panoramic features, which produced solid, clear pictures (but I am not sure what to do with them). 

I took over 2400 pictures on this trip. A lot of the bad and redundant pictures were deleted in the field, and the deleting process on this camera is easier to do with this camera than on the Nikon (two less button presses).

Taken from 600+ ft in low light

Only two downsides with the X-S1 Camera

Battery life was much shorter than the Nikon.  With similar use, the Nikon battery would have to be charged only once during this two week trip, where the Fuji had to be charged every night.  I was shocked when the Fuji ran out of juice after 400 or so pictures.  There was a lot of reviewing, sharing, and deleting, as well as some HD movies taken, but the battery life was less than I had hoped for.

Additionally, the price of this camera is higher compared to cameras with similar features. 

Summary

I love this camera.  Everybody we traveled with loved this camera.  The pictures from our safaris are brilliant and clear, even when taken from football fields away.  I doubt the comparable Nikon would stop the jitters as well at full zoom.  The battery problem is not a deal-killer, and charging the battery daily on most trips is not a problem.  The low light pictures were all so clear.  The feel of the camera as well as the other features make this camera great.

Not being able to test the other comparable fixed lens zoom cameras, I would still buy the Fuji.  Owning a fixed lens SLR camera rather than what I have, is for me, a no-brainer.  I am now going to seriously consider buying the Fuji, and selling the Nikon.  Thank you  cousin Dana, for the opportunity to use this camera on our big Africa trip (hopefully not our last time there).

Safaris At Lion Sands #SafariSA

 I really can't put into words how amazing the safaris here in South Africa at Lion Sands have been. I've seen so many  amazing animals in their natural habitats. Sometimes it's been a little scary, when lions are walking right next to the truck and you're sitting on the outside. Your heart catches in your throat and you hold your breath, but he just keeps walking by. Other times the animals are doing the cutest things and you can't help but baby talk to them or say Aww.

The one thing I hadn't anticipated before coming was the dead animals. It's the circle of life out here and you do see a bit of it. It's sad but then it is how nature works.

Below are examples of all of these moments. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Cape Buffalo drinking from the river in front of our room.

 Hippo hitting the beach for a little tanning time.

Leopard heading up a tree with her porcupine dinner. Sounds a bit prickly but she was happy to have it.

 Tiny little chameleon our guide spotted while driving home one night.

 Leopard just hanging out

Hippo chilling in the water hole, where he likes to spend his days.

 Lion cleaning up after dinner, he swiped a whole giraffe off two younger lions. One look at his claws and you can see why they ran.

 The two younger lions who lost their giraffe. Don't feel two bad for them, they had it for a day or two.

 Rhino

 Vulture getting a little giraffe snack when the lion wasn't looking.

Pretty sure this is water buck. I get my antelopes confused.

 Nyala, I think. See above,

 Wart Hog, unmistakable  Their babies are super cute, in a so ugly you're cute kind of way.

 This giraffe has a curvature in his neck. I made him look like he was sassing us everytime we say him. "yeah, what are you looking at" I imagined him saying.

Leopard hanging on a log. It's a little nerve racking sitting in the truck below one of these guys, wondering if he's going to decide to jump down. 

Short of Robert Redford coming and washing my hair, I really can't think of a thing that could have made this trip any better. I will definitely come back at my earliest convenience.

For more on our trip check out my Safari pals Jamie at I am Not The Babysitter 

and Shannon at The Women Formerly Known As Beautiful

This post is sponsored by More Hotel South Africa and Destination South Africa Travel 

Lions Sands, Sabi Sands South Africa #SafariSA

We arrived in Lion Sands at the 1933 lodge and were stunned by the beautiful surroundings. Our rooms have walls of windows, so when you look out across the Sabi river that flows by, you can see Cape Buffalo, Hippos, Impala, and more. Did I mention there are also monkeys in the trees.

Even the bathroom has floor to ceiling windows. It made me wonder, while an impala watched me showering, exactly who was on safari. Fortunately, the impala had no camera nor facebook account to post to.

The kids could not have been happier with their dormitory style bunk beds. 5 kids ranging in age from 4-10 had sweet dreams every night in their own special kid space. The bunk beds were second only to the pool in their hearts. Where else can you splash around in a pool and then look up and see elephants off the deck?

Finally, we were treated to a South African boma (bar b que) one night. It was delicious and gorgeous.

Tomorrow's post will be full of safari pictures from Lions Sands. We've seen some amazing things here the highlight being leopard cubs.

For more on our trip check out my Safari pals Jamie at I am Not The Babysitter 

and Shannon at The Women Formerly Known As Beautiful

This post is sponsored by More Hotel South Africa and Destination South Africa Travel 

Africa, You Can't Come Just Once

I have been saying for a year how this trip to South Africa was a once in a lifetime trip. Well, I lied, I don't care what I have to do I will definitely be coming back many times. Once, is not enough. (Is that a James Bond movie?) For 3 days we got on the safari truck at 5:30 am and 4 pm and in the beautiful lighting of the early morning and late afternoon and came so close to some of the worlds most beautiful and strange creatures. This must be what heroine is like. I can not get enough.

 

Just look at this video. Where our safari truck driver is forced to  face off with a gigantic elephant bull, who could throw us around like a rag doll should he take it in his mind to do so. I actually know what it's like to be completely speechless now. Sorry for the footage at the end, of the floor of the truck, I think my husband, who was filming, was in shock and forgot what he was doing.



I think the child asking the questions at the beginning was saying what we were all thinking.



Apart from the animals I really should give credit to the staff at Madikwe Safari Lodge, for making our trip so off the charts incredible. Everyone from the safari guides to the maid service was so kind and accommodating. They are all working 24/7 but appear to be having the best time ever and if there was one more thing they could do to make your stay better they'rewere happy to do it. I'm not exaggerating.

Our two safari guides, Billy and Andre were just incredible. Andre did 90% of the drives with the children aboard, and he was so sweet with them. He was like a favorite uncle who makes everything seem cool and fascinating. He was also very patient with them when attentions would wane or fatigue would set in. Billy was amazing at tracking and he would take time to show us how he did it. He was also very serious about preservation to the point of driving around bug, of which there are many. Both were extremely knowledgeable about all things safari.

At one point it looked like we would have to get transportation to come to Cape Town at two in the morning and they were all, at least outwardly, happy to get up in the middle of the night to drive us and feed us and basically try to make it as painless as possible. Thankfully that disaster was averted.

I really can't say enough nice things about these people. Hope to see them all again very soon!

For more on our trip check out my Safari pals Jamie at I am Not The Babysitter 

and Shannon at The Women Formerly Known As Beautiful

This post is sponsored by More Hotel South Africa and Destination South Africa Travel 

Madikwe Safari Lodge South Africa

We arrived at Madikwe Safari Lodge last night and were greeted by their amazing staff with cool towels and cold drinks. We had already seen several animals just on the drive up, giraffes, wart hogs, impala, spring bok, kudu, wildebeest and zebra. I’ll admit I got a bit emotional. It really felt like a life time dream was coming true.

Once inside the lodge your breath is taken away again by the beautiful décor, a mix of simple elegant furniture and nature. They really have mastered the art of combining inside and outside space while maintaining a feel of a 5 star resort.

Our rooms are gorgeous with stellar views of plains where if you’re lucky you can see some of the array of wild life passing by. I have been struggling with jet lag so it maybe that I was just incredibly tired but the bed was perfect and I slept like a baby.We even have a plunge pool on our private deck.

Once we had settled in we were taken out for our first game ride and it did not disappoint. So many great animal sighting and then to top it off some cocktails in the bush. Afterward we had a gourmet dinner under the stars on the veranda/dining room of the lodge.

And today has been just as amazing, but that’s a post for tomorrow.

For more on our trip check out my Safari pals Jamie at I'm Not The Babysitter 

and Shannon at The Women Formerly Known As Beautiful

This post is sponsored by More Hotel South Africa and Destination South Africa Travel 

Family Trip To South Africa

All my life I've dreamed of going to Africa. So when fellow blogger Jamie of I'm Not The Babysitter  asked if I'd be interested in joining her significantly comped More Hotel family trip in South Africa, I jumped at the chance.

The Hotels are all gorgeous. We will be staying in four of them. Two in game reserves and the other two in Johannesburg and Cape Town. More on them in future posts.

Now that the dream is a reality there are so many things to plan for. Not only flights and ground transportation, which thank goodness DSA Vacations has arranged for us. But also safari clothes and decisions about malaria prevention.

I'll be posting every month about the preparation for this trip of a life time, which will finally happen in February. Once it is actually here I will try to post a travel log every day with pictures and stories.

I really can't thank Jamie, The More Hotels and DSA Vacations enough for this opportunity.