Costa Rica Photo Trip

So it's official I've booked my trip for Costa Rica later this year. It's a trip purely for photography. My main goal is to photograph as much wildlife as I can. I would like to get some sunset shots and general rain forest shots as well. I'll probably only be spending a day and a half at the most in San Jose, the rest of the trip will be in the vicinity of the Osa Peninsula. I wanted to get some opinions on what to bring/leave at home.

What I have:
Canon 5D Mark iii
Canon 7D Mark ii

Canon 100-400 L ii
Canon 24-70 L ii
Canon 16-35

Canon Speedlight 430 EX ii

One of the things I'm worried about is packing light but still having some versatility. The planes to get to some of the remote areas have weight limits for carry-ons. I can probably leave the 16-35 at home. The other lens I was thinking of getting before leaving is the Canon 100 L Macro. Going to be doing some evening rain forest exploration hoping to get shots of red-eyed tree frogs.

I've learned from other outings to always keep my gear with me and ready to shoot. I've missed some great shots because of that. So most likely I'll being carrying two lenses on most days. Yeah, it's heavy but I've done it before. At least my bag will be much lighter.

Any tips on what I should bring for photo gear and other essentials?

Costa Rica is amazing, enjoy your trip! I wish I'd been more into photography back when I went.

Good thought on the macro; the rainforest is full of small wonders.

I think you'll miss the 16-35 if you want to shoot any landscapes. Costa Rica has amazing beaches and sunrise/sunsets! If you're wanting to shoot landscapes, a good travel tripod doesn't add much weight or bulk.

If you're planning on any telephoto shots using flash you're going to want a flash beamer. Costa Rica has tons of beautiful birds that you're going to want to shoot pics of!

Definitely get the macro. There are so many great insects there!

Also, if you're staying in an air-conditioned room, be sure to let your gear "warm up" in air-tight plastic bags outside before trying to shoot, or you'll end up with fogged up lenses!

Have fun!

24-70 should be wide enough. Leave the 16-35 at home and take a light tripod instead. Shooting in the jungle is brutal.

kayl wrote in post #18374393
Costa Rica is amazing, enjoy your trip! I wish I'd been more into photography back when I went.

Good thought on the macro; the rainforest is full of small wonders.

I think you'll miss the 16-35 if you want to shoot any landscapes. Costa Rica has amazing beaches and sunrise/sunsets! If you're wanting to shoot landscapes, a good travel tripod doesn't add much weight or bulk.

If you're planning on any telephoto shots using flash you're going to want a flash beamer. Costa Rica has tons of beautiful birds that you're going to want to shoot pics of!

Thanks, I just picked up this MeFOTO tripod, much lighter and so much more compact than my Slik tripod, I hated lugging that thing around even in my car, so I knew that wasn't going to work in the rainforest.

JonQCanon wrote in post #18374674
Definitely get the macro. There are so many great insects there!

Also, if you're staying in an air-conditioned room, be sure to let your gear "warm up" in air-tight plastic bags outside before trying to shoot, or you'll end up with fogged up lenses!

Have fun!

Thanks for the tip. That seems like something that I would figure out after making the mistake on the first day. Either way, the place I'm staying is open-air, no AC, so that should be fun.

Mr_ipsum wrote in post #18381903
Thanks, I just picked up this MeFOTO tripod, much lighter and so much more compact than my Slik tripod, I hated lugging that thing around even in my car, so I knew that wasn't going to work in the rainforest.

Nice! I actually just ordered the same one. Enjoy!

the biggest challenge in the jungle is the low light - bring fast lenses.

Congrats on the adventure, will definitely be interested in seeing your trip report when you return! I'm especially curious about how your gear choices work out, as I'm definitely wanting to go to CR someday in the near future. Especially the 100L, I am imagining this lens getting a good workout.

So I finally made the trip to Costa Rica. I'll be posting the photos in this thread here... https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1490040

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/CTwm​yi

Wow. Always nice when people follow up like this. Thanks!