I take a crap ton of photo gear with me. I have a canon sx740 HS . It's small and fits in a shirt pocket. Has the best zoom of any small camera I've seen. Battery will last for 4 to 5 days , without recharge. Takes great photos. I use it for quick shots and shots on airplanes etc. Plus trophy shots.
I also take a canon 7d for photos I have time for, and when you want the best photo you can get. They make better cameras now but I've used this one for years and am very familiar with it. It's topped with a Tamron 18 to 400 zoom lens good for close up and far away pics. Its the only lens I take.
Than we have the canon xa40 for video. It's compact ,light weight and shoots great video.
So by now you've noticed that I'm a Canon fan. Only reason is, I like the menus and operating systems better. They are easier to operate to me than other brands.
Just remember to get what works for you. Small and compact is what most people want. Make sure it's 15 mega pixels or better if you can. If you do enlargements you need higher pixel count. The canon 740 that I have , I've done enlargements up to 24 x30 and they are great . Remember you will get a better photo of you with the animal if you stand back and zoom in a little to frame. It will make things look more proportional.
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