For a first camera, the first consideration is budget, and the second is how it feels in your hands. The third consideration, of course, is what you’re going to do with it. I have a bunch of Nikons, but I also use a couple of Canons, and those are the two brands I would stick with, but that’s just a personal opinion. My friends who use Sonys take great pictures. One big consideration is lenses, and once you get hooked, you’ll want to stick with one brand and increase your lens diversity. My advice would be to start simple and give yourself a wide range of options creatively. For example, although I have D850 and Z7-2 Nikons, I still use my D3400 with an 18-300mm lens quite a bit simply because I like it, it feels good in my hands, and that lens gives me a lot of composition options. I also have a Nikon P900 and use it a LOT, simply because I take a lot of video in addition to stills, and its zoom capacity is excellent. I bought the D850 used from my local camera store that I trust completely, and have never had any problems. Shutter count is a main consideration for used or refurbished. Good luck and enjoy!

First, don’t trade in any of your old equipment, at least for a while. I’ve been a Nikon user since we bought them for use in the lab back in the 90s, although I also have Canon pocket cameras (SX7100 and 710) which I use quite a bit, depending on the situation. My Nikon mirrorless is a Z7-2; my lenses are 24-200mm, 105mm macro, 100-400mm telephoto, 2X converter, and the adapter to let me use the F mount lenses. My DSLRs are D3300, D3400, D850, and the P900 Coolpix. I’m very happy with the Z7-2, and especially the fact that you can use the viewfinder when shooting video. The Z7 was an economic decision; I looked at the specs and felt like it was adequate for any of my needs, so didn’t need the Z9. Your transition to mirrorless should be easy. Finally, I sill use all my cameras and most of my lenses, depending on the situation. So my suggestion is to get whichever Nikon you can afford, and that feels good in your hands, and enjoy. My only negative learning experience with the Z7 involved the location of the f stop adjustment wheel, which makes it vulnerable to being changed inadvertently just by handling the camera, if you’re right handed, so that’s something I now pay attention to.

If I’d been at that gathering, my response would have been “don’t.” If you’ve grown up on Macs, and have the resources to get good equipment, keep it updated, and there is a business fairly close that can service Macs if needed, then go ahead; but otherwise, don’t. That recommendation is based on the fact that I’m a longtime PC user and my wife is an equally long Mac user.

We’ve done two safaris, one to Botswana and one to Tanzania. The Botswana one involve severe luggage and weight restrictions, and a lot of small plane travel; the one to Tanzania had much more bus and van travel. In general, if I were going back, I’d maximize the flexibility and minimize the weight, understanding that I’d give up some image quality. My choice would be a Nikon P900 or something similar, that you could shoot video by looking through the viewfinder instead of having to do it with the screen. My backup would be something like a Canon SX740. I’d also take along a digital video recorder, one that allows you to download files with a USB connection when you get home. There will be a lot of sounds to capture. I’d take a bunch of SD cards, pre-labeled, and extra camera batteries, along with your chargers. The “tents” we stayed in all had 110V electricity. Enjoy.

Try using the cable that comes with your phone charger. I have a Galaxy A50 and a “regular” USB-C cable wouldn’t work, but the phone charger cable does. You may have to hunt through your phone’s folders to find your pics.

As a textbook author, I can assure you that if you use that photo for any reason other than your personal use, e.g. as a desktop image, especially if there is money involved, then you need to get permission. However, someone who posts photos on social media accepts the fact that those images will be used in ways, and by people, that they may not know about, and probably don’t care about.

I know another color blind photographer, and he does interesting work. But black and white is the way to go!

I took my Nikon P900 and a Canon SX710 on our Galapagos trip in 2019 and was satisfied with the results. You’ll give up a little bit (some folks will say a lot) but what you gain with portability and flexibility more than makes up for that fact. I’m a serious Nikon user for historical reasons, but the location of the video button on both those cameras is a real plus. The Nikon P1000 is pretty heavy. There are later versions of the SX710.

I think that for a beginner, what the DSLR provides is an easy and time-cheap instrument for exploring composition, different subjects, etc., in other words, learning, through doing, what kind of a photographer/artist a person wants to be. Image quality concerns will come, as will a desire to learn post-processing, but I find that the real benefit of my DSLR cameras was the easy and rewarding ability to eventually decide what kind of an artist I was trying to become.

I suggest something like a Nikon D3400 with an 18-300mm lens. The purists on UHH will go ballistic with this recommendation, but for a beginner, you want flexibility, especially with composition and decision-making. There is enough functionality in that kind of a camera to serve as a great learning tool, if she decides to get more serious about her art in the future. I'm sure there are Canon equivalents to the D3400, but stop by Rockbrook Camera at 70th and Pioneer and talk with the folks there. Or, take her into that store and mention this recommendation as well as the reasons for it. For a beginner, the images will be good, but the flexibility and decision-making options are what will make her the artist.

I have the 18-300mm on a D3400 and love it for the creative flexibility it provides.

I opted for the distance only lenses, mainly because I’ve worn glasses for 80 years and just don’t feel right without them. I also have trifocals, and have had for many years. I’m very happy with the cataract surgery; clearly the correct thing to do. I also use several cameras, including Nikon Z7-2 and D850, and adjusting the viewfinder focus helps. But I’m also a very patient person (inherited from my father?), with a variety of photographic subjects, but mainly landscapes, local birds, and macro. The cataract lenses are a very minor problem compared to the uncooperativeness of some of my photographic subjects!

I have the 18-300 lens on my kitchen window camera (Nikon D3400) and use it for a variety of other situations. I also have a D850 and a Z7-2, with a suite of FX and Z lenses, so the 18-300 is not the one I use all the time. However, I like it for the compositional flexibility it provides because I'm that kind of a photographer, shooting the same scene in different zoom settings and picking out parts of a scene to capture. And with the processing software available nowadays, one can improve just about any photo up to a point. Given how I use my cameras, would I buy it again? Sure.

A world of discussion on this topic. My contribution is on my blog: www.fridaycoffee.blogspot.com

I also took a small digital voice recorder on our two trips and recorded quite a few sounds that I used in later video programs, including, for example, driver conversations, night sounds outside our tent, etc.