Which Camera for Cape York- Kodak or Panasonic

About time you started using that camera a bit more or maybe time you upgraded as from that old 5 megapixel dinosaur???

Having said that, you took a nice Croc & Buff shot after you visited my backyard this year, maybe you should post them?

A sneaky croc that almost had Voxson in East Arnhem Land

Nasty Buffs with serious attitude problems!!!

Yeah, The one difference between the crocs i saw in your back yard and the ones i dont see on the cape are the ones in your back yard are always ready for a challenge and are not afraid to show themselves in your face.....

I was more afraid of the buffalo anyway...
They have no fear at that property we were at....

The Saratoga and Tarpon had no fear either.....
I would rather go back and fish in that billabong anyday as apposed to catching a metre long Barra....

It is the only place i have ever fished where there is a huge bite every cast,,, and quite often several..

PS Forgot to add, on that web site click on the albumns on the left for more photos....

Ive had its older brother th FZ50 for 3 years - very happy.

seeing as they are no longer available I would be looking for a runout Panasonic FZ28 with its venus4 processor and 18x zoom.

it recently tied for 1st in a superzoom test of all brands on DPreview

I have an FZ30. Doubt that it has really been surpassed by the later "ultra zoom" cameras such as the FZ28. They have moved in a different direction. The expensive "bridge cameras" like FZ20, FZ30 and FZ50 are no longer made.

You can get a bottom end SLR for less money and that is largely why they are no longer made. The current "ultra zooms" are not in the same class as the earlier cameras. They have been cheapened down.

For ultimate wildlife photography something like the new Nikon D3s or D300s and the new 70-200 VRII lens would be hard, probably impossible, to beat.

For a small fraction of that price a good second hand FZ30 or FZ50 or one of the numerous newer ultrazoom cameras would do much the same job except in poor light or quickly moving subjects where the D3s Nikon is unsurpassed.

Flynnie

I bought an oympus Tcon 17 for mine.screws straight on and gives you a DSLR equivelent of 700mm of full optical zoom and contrary to what has been said elsewhere the OIS makes clear images at full zoom easy

Can second the Nikon Digital SLR's.

Have had a D70s for a few years now with lens ranging from 12 mm to 400 mm.

Whilst you don't need 400 mm with it you can see the decay on a croc's teeth without feeling threatened LOL.

Advantages of SLR whether it be Canon, Pentax, Nikon or any other brand is that any lens you purchase can be used on upgraded cameras should you wish.

At this time of year some great deals are around on SLR's that offer better value for money.

Don't be afraid to purchase offshore from reputable dealers. I know I did and have saved heaps.

Cheers Dazza.

A word of warning here

If you buy offshore and it has a fault Nikon Australia wont want to know you.

Nikon cameras have COUNTRY OF ORIGIN warranty only

That means buy it in the USA on holiday and it goes back there to get it fixed.

Or Hong Kong through EBAY. Some Ebay sellers say they have an Aussie

Warranty but who is it and are they any good.

Lens however have a worldwide guarantee.

I bought mine here and glad I did as had a problem with the lens Took 45mins

to fix it but had to drive from Albany to Perth andback to get in done straight

away.

I am aware of a Canon Digital SLR repaired under warranty by Canon Australia. Only cost was postage to the repairer. No doubt Nikon would provide a similar service as they do stand by their products. Worst case would be the cost of postage back O/S.

Appreciate you had a problem with your lens Graham, however you did say it was Tamron not Nikon.

With the cost savings available from O/S IMO the risk is worth it if you buy from a reputable dealer and a worldwide brand.

The choice is yours.

Below is the information regarding Private imports or "Grey Imports and Nikons stance on them.

When You buy a Nikon Camera you have to register the s/n with Nikon If its not correctly imported the data base wont accept it.

I had a 5700 bought in Hong Kong and couldnt register it.

Some will fix it but at about $100 per hour plus postage both ways

I checked all this with Nikon BEFORE I bought my D200

From the Nikon Site

Question
What is the Grey Market?

Answer
What is "Grey Market"?
Generally, a manufacturer works with a single importer who can sell and support their products in a given region. The importer usually has local dealers and distributors who resell the imported products; this is called a "distribution channel". Grey Market refers to merchandise that is imported and sold by methods other than these normal channels.

For local safety regulations and certifications and government requirements a manufacturer provides special packaging (manuals in the appropriate language, power cables designed for the local receptacle, etc.) and product engineering designed to meet local codes. Manufacturers also have service and support agreements with the authorized importer.

Grey Market items are not designed to be sold in a particular market and cannot be supported by the authorized importer because they may not meet mandatory safety and certification codes. Because these items are not designed for a particular market they may not function properly, or the authorized importer may not be equipped to provide service, support or software.

With the opening of international borders and the use of the Internet to sell goods, Grey Market equipment has become extremely common in the photographic and consumer electronics markets. Many different types of equipment are brought into the country for sale without the proper documentation and many consumers do not always know what they are purchasing.

Because the resellers' cost is less they can sell Grey Market items for less. Unfortunately this price savings is only on the initial purchase; because service and support is more difficult to obtain it may end up costing the consumer more in the long run.

Who is the authorized importer of Nikon Equipment into my country?
For a list of Nikon Authorised Distributors in the Asia Pacific region, please click here.

Nikon Authorised Distributors cannot provide service, support or downloads for products that have not been imported by them.

How do I know if my Nikon product is "Grey Market"?
If the deal is just too good to be true, it probably is. One of the first indicators that a piece of Nikon merchandise might be Grey Market is if the price is considerably less than most other resellers.

Additionally, a genuine Nikon product will include an Owners' Manual and Warranty Registration card in English. It will also include power cables (if applicable). Any other language (example Japanese language) on the printed material or wrong cables indicates a Grey Market item.

Another indication of a Grey Market product would be photocopied manuals or manually created software CD's. Authorised distributors in a country always provides professionally printed or duplicated materials with genuine products.

What does owning a "Grey Market" Nikon product mean to you?
Nikon Authorised Distributor in a country cannot provide any technical support or warranty service on Grey Market items. Additionally they cannot perform any fee-based repair work on Grey Market items. Please do not contact any Nikon Authorised Distributors for help with any Grey Market products. Please contact the reseller or importer of your Grey Market items for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads.

Does owning a "Grey Market" Nikon product mean I don't have a warranty?
No! All Nikon products come with a warranty by the manufacturer. The designated Nikon service center will always repair "in warranty" Nikon products and perform "out of warranty" repairs. If you own a Grey Market product it will need to be returned to the reseller or importer for service. Refer to your reseller or to the warranty cards included with the product for service contact information.

If that works - Thats what the Oly can do at 200 metres .

Rgds

Steve

Hmmm

Wedgetail and breakfast

How about that then

Rgds

Mandrake