Monkey World - Dorset

Well after a very early start we were on our way to Monkey World in Dorset. A lovely coach trip and Lara and Kian just didn't stop talking the whole way there and we were on the coach for 3hrs .....they put us to shame
Now they had predicted heavy rain, thunder and very strong winds, well, yes it did rain very hard but there was no thunder and the wind wasn't too bad, but it did mean that when we first arrived none of the Monkeys were out, so we decided to quickly visit the shop where I brought Lara and Kian a Monkey umbrella each to go with their rain coats and then we had lunch as they said that about 1pm the rain should clear and as if by magic, it did and the sun came out
Now I did take my camera but that doesn't really give brilliant shots and the flash just gives huge glare on the glass, so I used my phone as that actually does give better pictures I think, however, they are still not fantastic, so instead of asking you to look through loads of terrible pictures that will only mean something to me I will just post the very few best ones so as not to bore you.
So here are two little Monkeys you have heard loads about but never met, they wanted to do their own impression of a Monkey.
Lara & Kian

The Lima's are the only ones that you can really get close to, you have to go through two sets of gates as they are fully enclosed but have a free run of their encloser which means the public can get up close to them. Lara and I were on the hunt for the Bronze statue of Jim Cronin and you had to go through the Lima's, the keeper had just finished their talk and these two were still sitting on the fence. They both love people apparantly and also really like having their pictures taken, so how could I not oblige them.








3 Ring tailed Lima's sitting taking in the sunshine

Finding the statue of Jim Cronin and his favourite chimp Charlie was not easy, I think Lara and I walked the whole park but I must admit when we found it we both thought it was well worth the effort of finding it. The statue is so magnificent and there is such a warm feel about it especially the eyes of Jim and Charlie; they are both looking at each other but the eyes of them both just seem to ooze affection and it kind of makes your heart stop a little. It is in a very tranquil setting and you really do feel the peace and if a statue can ever pour out the feeling of love, then this one does, it's hard to explain but even Lara commented on how special the feeling of being by the statue was.
Charlie and Jim





I had been to Monkey World once before but new to the park were these guy's, they were very friendly and I am not sure of how they came to be at Monkey World but my guess is they needed a home and there was no way they were going to upset the Monkeys. They are in one of the picnic areas but they do ask that you don't feed them but it doesn't stop them coming up or should I say running up and trying their luck.
The Chickens



Kian decided it was time for an afternoon rest under his brolly

My pictures of the outside enclosers really needed a better camera (on my list to buy this holiday) and inside they are not to fantastic but this chimp was enjoying playing a game, he walked up to the glass

sat down on the ledge and looked at you and everytime you put your hand up to him he looked away and then as you took your hand away he looked at you again, you could see it was his game and you were playing it his way.

These two on the other side were enjoying a good grooming session and ignoring the game going on on the other side

I am not sure which Orangutan this is as my phone was on full zoom and it's a dreadful picture and I can't match it to any in the park but I think it is one of the females and it does look a bit like Ro-Ro but I really can't be sure.......hence the need for a new camera.

I do know who this is though.....It's Lara giving my mum a not impressed look of her Monkey impression whilst holding her walking stick.......I daren't take a pic of my mum looking like a Monkey

Those are my best photo's and we really did have such a lovely day, the early rain didn't dampen our fun and the afternoon sunshine was lovely.
What I really need now is advice from you on a camera, I want one that zooms in a long way,photographs through glass, blocks out glare from the sun and one I can just go snap snap snap. I'm not looking for cheap but not thousands either.....help please guy's I need better pictures
littlewid-x-

Great photos LW, as you only used your phone for most of them. Looks as though Lara, and Lian really enjoyed themselves. We love the Monky impressions . The Limas look really friendly, and some of the expressions are very funny. Fantastic statues of Jim, and his Chimp, are they just head, and shoulders set on the rock ?. Not sure about which would be the best cam for you, proberbly Lai, and Safariman would have a better idea of todays choices. Apart from filters, the only way to avoid glare is to have a flash that can be detached from the camera, and the you bounce the flash off the sides or cieling if its near enough.
WS

*** just lost my post ******

Bother!

I had just said what wonderful photos Littlewid. Lovely to see Lara and Kian and their monkey impressions and the limas on the fence are great. The statue of Jim and Charlie is very clever, you can really sense what the sculptor was trying to portray, what an art to be able to do that. Also great to know those chickens have such a nice home now.

Taking photos through glass is never easy, and I am not one for using flash unless really essential as it bounces back at you!

It really looks like you had a fantastic time and how lucky that the sun came out for you. Thanks for sharing some lovely photos.

I'll get back to you with camera suggestions. So much choice out there!

Lai

I've been thinking about cameras Littlewid. I am not sure what sort of camera you are thinking about ie a Single Lens Reflex or a small compact.

A couple of camera reviews might help or maybe confuse.

Compact
http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equipment/reviews/1/compactcameras.html

SLR
http://www.which.co.uk/technology/photography/reviews/digital-slr/

I suppose it really depends on what you want to achieve and how much you want to spend. I would ignore the prices quoted as they seem high. I'm a Canon person myself and recently bought a new second hand one (hardly used) on Ebay and it was a good price. Also how much you are going to use it, no point spending £££s if it's not going to be used (this comment is a reminder to myself )

If you go for an SLR you need to consider lenses as well.

Hope this helps a bit.

Lai

Thanks for your comments WS and Lai, it was a fantastic day.

The sculpture WS is the two head shots of Jim and Charlie and the anchor of the sculpture is Charlies elbow, there is no other point of fixture and I think that also makes it special as there is nothing at all to distract from the sculpture, it is very cleverly done.

Thanks for the info on the cameras Lai. I think I am looking for an SLR. I want something that is really good quality, a bit idiot proof but really does the job. I want one with a really good zoom, great focus, good quality pictures, a screen you can review your pictures on and one that also takes a few pictures at a time so you can do sequence shots.
I will use it quite a lot as I am always tring to take pictures either of the animals, birds in the garden, at the WWT, the kids and also at the animal sanctuarys etc that I go to, so I dont mind spending the money I just don't want to get talked into something that you need to be a film maker to use and I want it to be solid enough but not so heavy I can't carry it.......is that a tall order or does that make sense?

littlewid-x-

I re read what I posted and thought it was about as helpful as a chocolate fireguard Littlewid. So I'm glad you expanded on what you are looking for.

I'll come back with a few thoughts later .............

Lai

Thanks Lai, I would really appreciate your help and advice otherwise I can see me getting all baffled and ending up with something far too complicated for me to use.

littlewid-x-

Still Littlewid. I may take a few days but will get back to you. I am very limited in my knowledge and can only talk about Canon !!!

Meantime here's an interesting bit

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/digital-slrs/best-digital-slr-for-beginners-49286113/

Lai

Hi Littlewid, I have been reading your post about cameras. Unless you want to become a keen amateur photographer, I would not advise a DSLR. To get what you need you would need to by not only the camera but an additional zoom lens, apart from being very expensive the result will also be very heavy to carry around, with the need of a big camera bag and you will always be changing lenses. I would advise a compact superzoom camera which can give you everything you need in one camera. This was the type of camera I used for several of my safaris until I felt confident to graduate to a DSLR. Most have lenses capable of wide angle or extreme zoom and when set on automatic are easy to use. Similarly they will all have manual over-ride so that when you become more experienced you can choose the various settings you prefer. You will also need to decide if you need a viewfinder on the camera or happy with just the rear screen. They will also all be capable of video recording. A good super zoom will cost you between £250-400. Whatever you decide on always try it out first before you buy to make sure you feel comfortable holding it and operating it.I have listed below some of the current best superzoom cameras and you should also read the various reviews of the different cameras on the internet.

Panasonic DMC-FZ48 and DMC-FZ150
Canon Powershot SX40 HS
Nikon Coolpix P150
Sony Cyber-shot HX 200V
Fuji Finepix HS 30 EXR

I would also recommend buying an additional battery at some stage so that you never miss that important shot. Always choose what is best for you and what you feel happiest with, do not necessarily go on other peoples recommendations!!

Safariman

I would agree about hiring a camera to try before buying Littlewid.

Just did a quick Google for Sussex. Worth a thought.

http://www.hireacamera.com/index.asp

I have to differ with Safariman. I would go for a SLR but that is my personal choice. Pete has a Canon powershot G12. It's a really neat little camera.

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_Camera/PowerShot/PowerShot_G12/

Lai

Thank you so much Lai and Safariman, you really have both been very helpful, although I am now none the wiser as to what I want, I see benefits to both. I really need to take my time and study all the information and then go and have a look at a few and then yes I think I will hire a camera that I think may suit me best.

The links and lists of cameras are truely helpful and I will study them all.....although I have already had a peak at them, I do need to write things down and do a comprison on them all.

It would be so easy to go out this week and just buy one but I don't want to fall into the trap of getting something I think may be right to find to find out it really isn't.

My sister brought a new camera a few weeks ago and it looked and sounded great but when I checked the zoom on it, it was no better than my little digicam and would have been no good when trying to zoom in on the birds at the WWT, so I really need to think carefully and I do think hiring one is a great suggestion, it's best to pay out a little money to try than waste a load of money on something thats not right.

Trouble is I am now swinging between both types of camera so I need to take a deep breath and be calm about it all.....................and for me that is something because I usually just go and get but this time I am going to weigh up everything you have both said and advised.

I really am very grateful to you both and hopefully quite soon I will have my new camera and decent shots to post on here.

Thanks both of you.

littlewid-x-

Good advice from both Lai, and Safariman, but the wisest is try before you buy. Excellent advice.
WS

Good idea to take your time Littlewid. A camera can be a very expensive investment. Hiring gives you options and if you are not in a rush I would really recommend this. You can also hire different lenses if you want to try a big one with an SLR.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Lai

OK Guy's we have an update......much quicker than I expected but first of all I must again say thank you so very much to Lai and Safariman for all their advice and also the time and effort it took to help me out and I really can't thank you enough. I did look at all the links and camera suggestions that you both posted and also read what you put in your other animal pics of the Mara yesterday Safariman. I think I fell asleep dreaming and thinking about cameras as I knew it had to be right and I also had to think hard and truethfully about my own capabilities.
I had made a little tick list of what I wanted and had done some comparisons last night. So this morning I went into town to Jessopps which is a pure camera shop which I am sure you have heard about, well the first thing I noticed was that you could try every single camera in the shop and the people serving in there were actually consultants and not just people serving that didn't know how to answer your questions.
I hooked onto one guy who was patient enough to listen to what I was looking for for myself and then to try and match me with the right camera that I felt comfortable with.
I told him that I was just looking today but that I wanted to try out many different cameras so that I could go away and decide what one matched all my expectations and that I could easily understand and feel comfortable using from the word go.
So we explored all the many cameras on my list and more and believe me they were tried to an inch of their lives, every button was pressed, we took pictures in the shop, zooming in and out, close up's, clever picture working, we went on to the street and took moving shots, sequence shots, long distance shots, bright light, dim light, videos, you name it we did it. We talked about what accessories you needed for each camera and different lenses for SLR's the difference between compacts and SLR's I held the cameras for ages to see about the different weights and then I tried to recall all the cameras and what I could remember about them and how they worked. I found it great fun and he was so patient especially as I said I was just on a good trial mission today.
I thought I was going to end up a bit bedazzled by it all but I must say it was actually one of the best shops I have ever had and I really liked a few of the cameras but some were just too heavy and later I would need to consider different lenses which would be hard for me to carry and some of the compact superzooms just didn't match up but I kept coming back to one camera in particular and thats the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, everything about it felt right and it ticked all my boxes and I was really happy using it and more importantly, I could remember how to use it. So after spending hours in the shop and it really was hours, I decided to go ahead and buy it and I really am very chuffed that I did and with it I got a free camera bag, Tripod and a 16GB memory card so I should get over 5,000 pics on that and I sensibly brought a spare battery, as suggested by Safariman.
So my battery is charging, I have read the manual for getting going and setting the clock etc and now I can't wait to get using it.
Although it seems quick to get one, I did read all the info you both gave me, made my lists and tried so many cameras I can't believe how many I tried but I am so happy with the one I have brought.

So at the end of the day I have a mixture of your suggestions, I have a Canon but a compact superzoom and I believe that is the right step up for me from my little digicam so Canon PowerShot SX40 HS here we come

Again, thank you so much for all your help Lai and Safariman, I don't think I could have done it as well as I did without you both

littlewid-x-
PS
To prove I can use my new camera, I have just put the charged battery in and the memory card, formated the memory card and taken my first few pictures and manged to load them on to my pc......I am feeling really very clever
This pic of Nero was taken from the back of my kitchen zooming right to the end of the lounge, not bad for a first attempt.

Well done Littlewid, you have now got a camera you wanted and decided on and I am sure you will happy with your purchase. Jessops is a very good shop and I often go into my local branch to see what is new and try them out. It makes a big difference if you can hold the camera and play with it before you buy so that you know it is suitable for your needs. The choice today is mindblowing and very confusing; I am glad you found somebody to help you who knew what he was talking about. Now you need to thoroughly read the manual and start experimenting with all the different options the camera will give you. The early signs are look pretty good. I tend to use automatic most of the time and have it set so that I can just pick it up and instantly take a photo without thinking about it. I always work on the principle that if I take enough shots some are bound to come out.
Good shooting!!

Safariman

Thanks Safariman, I m really happy with it and was confident in getting it all sorted and then start using it. I have even taken a few pics of the trees in the street behind my house and they have come out alright as well, I would never have been able to capture them on my other camera.
I have it set on automatic for now but I will also play around with it and try things for myself and I can set the pictures for different printing and also detect certain colours in pictures so they stand out more, there is lots to play around with.
I was really happy with the guy in Jessopps and he made it all the more interesting and fun and what I liked was he didn't try and bamboozle me either by being clever and if I want anything else I will surely go there again.
I will now probably drive you all nuts with the amount of pics I will be posting but hopefully along the way you will all see an improvement in what I am posting.

littlewid-x-

Littlewid, that was quick, well done for making a decision and for taking the time in Jessops to try before you buy, such a good idea. I've just had a quick look on the Canon website and reckon that looks like a great camera (I am biased towards Canon) and I love the shot of Nero looking very chilled.

A good idea to start with automatic but much more fun to play around with aperture and shutter speed when you're ready. You might find a book other than the manual helpful. I found one called 'From snapshot to great shot' which applied to my camera and certainly helped with hints and information.

Really looking forward to photos and camera news.

Lai

Thanks Lai. I have downloaded the user guide from the web today as it came on disk and I can't put discs into my little notebook, it's quite useful but I amy look for a book along the lines you have but I am also a great fiddler and today I have already tried sequence shots, they were not brilliant but at least I had go with relying on the camera to do it.
I am dead happy with this camera and I know it was the right choice for me and Jessopps were fantastic.
I have posted some pics of where I went today in a new thread and be warned I am going to dominate this picture malarky I am sure.......I am just so excited

littlewid-x-

That camera looks very familiar Doogs and boy how I love it and I really do owe a lot to Lai and Safariman for all their help, they have both been amazing and I really am very grateful.

We all had a fantastic day at Monkey World and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to visit, it is money well spent and you wont be dissapointed in the least.

I forgot to mention that whilst we were there we saw Jeremy and Alison which was nice.

The statue of Jim and Charlie is just exceptional and the power of love that oozes from it is just incredible and really one of those things that you have to be there to understand and it certainly brought a lump to my throat as well.

littlewid-x-