Costa Rica Trip

I've got a trip to Costa Rica coming up this summer. I am planning on taking most/all of my kit (7D, 10-22, 17-55, 85/1.8, 70-200/2.8IS, 1.4x, 580II). If I leave anything home if would probably be the 85. I am already planning to purchase a much needed polarizer. Two pressing questions...

First, I keep thinking about the 100-400. Do I really need it with the kit I already have? That would be alot of extra weight. Plus. I would have to rethink (i.e., purchase another) my bag.

Second, how do I keep everything dry? I already have a LowePro MiniTrekker AW bag. I've been looking at the Op/Tech Rainsleeves and Think Tank Hydrophobia. Any other suggestions or best practices? It will be the "wet" season.

I carry an OPTECH Rainsleeve for each camera/lens combination I bring with me. The Rainsleeve is a good emergency cover.

However, IMO, the OPTECH Rainsleeves are not sturdy enough to be considered a primary rain cover when I am traveling in areas which precipitation is frequent and heavy.

On a two week trip to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula in 2008, it rained every single day. I used a KATA E702 Raincover which worked great. It looks cumbersome but, it actually quite easy to use and protects the camera/lens quite well...

I have recently purchased a Chinese knock-off of the Kata cover on eBay as a back up. It only ran ten dollars and seems like it is well made.

I will also carry some squares of dry, clean tee shirt material in a zip-lock baggie. These are very handy to wipe off droplets of moisture from any of my equipment...

I agree with RPcrowe in regards to the raincover specifically if you go up in the rainforest areas late in the afternoons. You dont need the 100-400L since it does get dark under the trees in the interior regions and even using the 70-200 + 1.4 you will be at f4 versus the 5.6 of the 100-400L.

Been there and done this plus all thru the West Indies and Dominica where the elevations in the rainforests are between 2K-4K ft.

Regards & Have Fun !

i'd look at a macro lens maybe...or possibly some extension tubes to use on you 70-200mm instead...

If you do a search on Costa Rica on this forum, you will find a lot of suggestions, which I used myself when planned my trip there.
You may want to look into a few things:
- You need something around 300mm or longer. The birds and monkeys are on the high trees, sometimes on the other side of the river. A 200mm is not good enough, and even with 300 I had to do a lot of cropping when back home.
- You may want to have a macro - the flowers and butterflies are of unbelievable beauty!
- I do not think you will need an ultra wide. There is not much to use it for. I took only five shots total, of Poas volcano.
- And finally, you need to take protection not only against the rain, but also against humidity and condensation. As soon as you leave your hotel or an airconditioned car/bus, all you lenses and the mirror gets foggy! And I was there at the driest time of the year.

DreDaze wrote in post #12413161
i'd look at a macro lens maybe...or possibly some extension tubes to use on you 70-200mm instead...

+1 Since i forgot about ALL the little creatures you will see along the trails.

I also just booked a trip to Costa Rica and was going through the same thought process. I keep debating whether i need the 100-400 as opposed to the Tamron 70-300 VC i currently own. The 70-200 II with a 2x or the Sigma 50-500 os has also peaked my interest. From everything i have read so far it seems that a macro lens is a must.

mcon17 wrote in post #12414188
I also just booked a trip to Costa Rica and was going through the same thought process. I keep debating whether i need the 100-400 as opposed to the Tamron 70-300 VC i currently own. The 70-200 II with a 2x or the Sigma 50-500 os has also peaked my interest. From everything i have read so far it seems that a macro lens is a must.

You dont need to bring any slow lenses if you plan on venturing into the rain forests. The 70-200/f2.8 MKII with a 1.4 at 280mm at f4 is sufficient for your sea level captures and you wont need the 1.4 extender up high but will need the f2.8

And yes bring either the Kenko 3pc. set of ext. tubes or a dedicated macro lens.

Plus one fast lens for night captures around the clubs !

Regards & Have Fun,

Keeping the gear from getting wet is obviously one challenge. With a few smart purchases, that one seems manageable.

How do I keep everything from fogging up? I assume when I change lenses the mirror inside will fog as well. Correct?

Mr B Pix wrote in post #12414735
Keeping the gear from getting wet is obviously one challenge. With a few smart purchases, that one seems manageable.

How do I keep everything from fogging up? I assume when I change lenses the mirror inside will fog as well. Correct?

Correct. And then for about half an hour you cannot use your camera, even though it takes much longer for the lens to clear than for the mirror. Again, if you do a search on Costa Rica here, you will find many suggestions on how to prevent that (e.g., plastic bags, silica gel packets, etc). It helped me.

Aquatech, Think Tank Photo and Kata make great rain covers. Pick the one that you like, they are all pretty good. I also keep a stormjacket in most of my camera bags for emergencies.

Generally what I've found is that it's a lot better to take less stuff than you think you'll need. Schlepping all that stuff around is a lot of work. I tend to use my wider lenses more than I anticipated and my tele's much less. When I pack, I'm usually thinking the other way around.

J.