Camera Labs

Hi all. Was hoping someone could point me in the right direction for the following

I am going on Safari soon for my honeymoon which has prompted me to buy a new Compact camera. I will then look to use then when i get back to take on nights out with friends and on walks etc. I know very little about photography so mainly would be using in Auto mode, however dont mind learning a little to improve my shots. Now with going on safari I'm thinking a good zoom would be benficial, plus some panaromic setting and something which can cope with moving objects. Also must allow zooming whilst in recording mode.

So far I've been looking at the Lumix TZ-20, Olympus XZ-1, Canon Powershot S95, and a Nikon I believe. All seem to be better in certain areas than others but none seem to tick all the boxes. I've been reading that the TZ-10 is better than the TZ-20 if im not interested in the 1080 or 3D shooting, so this would save some money.

Budget is about £350

Thanks in advance for your comments

Welcome to the CameraLabs forums!
I think you need the highest possible magnification, dont you think? You should get a compact superzoom with good quality pictures to crop later -if needed- with a large zoom range.
Are the superzooms not something for you? The Canon SX30 IS has 35x zoom, the Panasonic FZ45 as 24x zoom I thought, have a look at them too.

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Ruben

Panasonic DMC-FZ18, Panasonic DMC-FZ28, Canon G5, Canon 350D, Canon 50D + BG-E2N
Tamron 17-50 2.8, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM,
Canon 18-55 II plus lots of Minolta MD/M42 lenses and bodies

If you really want quality shots (& a nice viewfinder to go with that) I suggest a DSLR with a tele-zoom. If you could get a nice price on a D3000 + 70-300mm lens (second hand,at least one of them),that would be the best solution.
Brand new they're ~200 pounds more expensive than your budget,but the quality is incomparable,so it's worth hunting down some sweet second hand offers.

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Gear: Nikon D80, 18-105mm, 35mm F/1.8, 85mm F/1.8, SB-600
Visit my work here

Although a superzoom would be good on safari, I need to think about something which will also be good to use on walks and going out with friends. As mentioned I need something pocketable which is also why I have gone against the DSLR. Also I feel a DSLR will be a bit overkill considering I dont know anything about photography and am unsure if its something I will take up or just stick to point and click

Anyone able to comment on the TZ10 vs TZ20?

Both the TZ10 and TZ20 are fantastic cameras, and are in my opinion, two of the best compacts money can buy at the moment. I would always advice you to buy the latest technology your budget can allow. Not only does it future proof your investment, but it means it will be worth more if you come to sell it. Hope this helps.

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Nikon D3100; Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AF-S VR; Tamron 80-210 Adaptall-2 F3.8 103A