Thread: Tops Camera Gear

Hey All,
I'm looking to get a Camera with good zoom and a tripod etc for the 8 day solo roar trip I have coming up. I've just started seeing a lot more animals on trips and would like to get some inages/ footage. I was wondering what everyone takes with them camera wise. I'm thinking bag, camera, tripod. Bit know I'll be missing some key gear.

Also I'm looking at either the SX60HS but the higher zoom of the P900. These seem to be the highest occurrence on here bit are there better options. I'm leaning towards the sx60hs based on size and quality.

One last thing is where are people getting the best deals on these cameras etc. All the details I have visited even with CDHB discount are still way more than online etc.

I'm going to start a long range photography thread for photos if you would like to put up examples.

I have the P900 and if buying again I think I would go SX60HS.

The cannon seems to take nicer photos, is smaller and lighter and you don't loose out too much real world zoom as the clarity falls off at the end.

With that said it's pretty cool to be able to take photos and videos of animals at 2km+, Just don't expect amazeballs quality. Moon mode is nice for shots of the.... moon... but also handy for framing where an animal is and hit the ok button and have it go to full zoom for you.

I think in the future I'll change to high end spotting scope and adaptor for my DSLR.

Originally Posted by Nibblet

I have the P900 and if buying again I think I would go SX60HS.

The cannon seems to take nicer photos, is smaller and lighter and you don't loose out too much real world zoom as the clarity falls off at the end.

With that said it's pretty cool to be able to take photos and videos of animals at 2km+, Just don't expect amazeballs quality. Moon mode is nice for shots of the.... moon... but also handy for framing where an animal is and hit the ok button and have it go to full zoom for you.

I think in the future I'll change to high end spotting scope and adaptor for my DSLR.

Thats what I'm looking for was thinking if i got the P900 I might have wished i got the SX60HS and saved some coin. I've also looked FZ80 but cant find near as much about it. I just need useable quality really but the nicer photos the better provided I want to carry it. I'm tempted to pick up a second hand camera however having not had any experience with them I'm not sure on the longevity of cameras etc.

Originally Posted by Unihunter

Thats what I'm looking for was thinking if i got the P900 I might have wished i got the SX60HS and saved some coin. I've also looked FZ80 but cant find near as much about it. I just need useable quality really but the nicer photos the better provided I want to carry it. I'm tempted to pick up a second hand camera however having not had any experience with them I'm not sure on the longevity of cameras etc.

I have the P900 I use bird mode for animals when I'm in a hurry, push ok button and it goes straight to 800mm. The canon is old tech now, so why not the Nikon b700? You will get better results doing some web research on the best modes to use with the P900. I have picked up heaps from Matt Winters articles in NZ Hunter using manual modes on DSLR and applied it to the p900.

Taken in fading light and cloud at 900m at about 6pm

Same animal but digital zoom used

Take at 11am 1100m with digital zoom

1350m optical zone only and before I worked out the timer option

Most modern cameras do a pretty good job these days. Anything that's not full frame with a multi thousand dollar lense is going to struggle for resolution at long range, so pick one with a decent zoom that fits your budget.

Personally I would be picking a good quality micro 4/3 camera (Sony alpha series are excellent) and zoom lens but this will be much more expensive than an integrated platform.

It takes alot to wear out a camera so provided the electronics are working most recreational use cameras will keep going for years and years.

I have the SX50hs, and a mate has the SX60hs, they are both great cameras. The 60 obviouslt has another 15x optical zoom and a couple of extra little features. I will be upgrading to the 60 as the 60 has a input for an external mic which is important to me (camera gets used for making videos for my business too).

Can a SX60 actually replace a good spotter for judging heads etc at long distance? It certainlyy looks considerably cheaper which makes me think no....

Thoughts from people that have tried both?

Originally Posted by PerazziSC3

Can a SX60 actually replace a good spotter for judging heads etc at long distance? It certainlyy looks considerably cheaper which makes me think no....

Thoughts from people that have tried both?

I just bought one a month ago.

If you get the light right yes they are good enough to around a Km I reckon.

The screen lacks resolution as pointed out to me by @stug.

Maybe better if you carry a tablet or something to view pics.
I haven't had mine long enough to know if I can link my phone thru wifi or the like which would be good.




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Originally Posted by R93

I just bought one a month ago.

If you get the light right yes they are good enough to around a Km I reckon.

The screen lacks resolution as pointed out to me by @stug.

Maybe better if you carry a tablet or something to view pics.
I haven't had mine long enough to know if I can link my phone thru wifi or the like which would be good.




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I was thinking that would be the limiting factor and hope to link to my phone which would be way better...

Are you going to sell your spotter and just use camera?

Originally Posted by PerazziSC3

I was thinking that would be the limiting factor and hope to link to my phone which would be way better...

Are you going to sell your spotter and just use camera?

No. In my case I don't think the camera will replace the spotter but if I am walking in somewhere the camera is easier to pack and lighter and will do me.
Camera has wifi but not sure in what capacity. I have not dug into that yet.
I always have my phone as it has other stuff I might need like GPS and ballistic app.

To be fair I haven't used it a whole lot yet and I am not a photographer's asshole anyway.
I think a remote will be a must as when your zoomed in on an animal you will be able to shoot when it provides the best view. Not wait 10 secs and the thing walks off while the timer is going

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Another option is just carry an sd card reader and usb adapter for your phone / tablet and pops the card out of camera