Need Help With Equipment Selection To Costa Rica

aman

Leaving for Costa Rica in 3 weeks .My problem what lens to take .Any input would be appreciated . Here is my arsenal
D-800 ,D 810
Sigma 150-600
Nikon 300 2.8
Nikon 70 -200
Nikon 24-70
Sigma 105mm
TC 1.7,1.4
I'm thinking 300 2.8 , 24-70.105mm,& both TC's
Looking tp photo birds,frogs,landscape,flowers
Thanks for any help
arnie

Rx4Photo

Buy a 14-24mm for some really creative perspectives. Buy a 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 for portraits of locals, and take the Sigma 150-600. Use the in-camera crop factor when desired.
The only problem I usually have with individuals going on these exotic trips like African safaris and such is that many come back home with a ton of close ups which basically look like they were taken in a local zoo.

Ironheart

24-70 for sure, and the TCs, as they are small.
Then it's a toss-up as to whether to bring your primes, or the 70-200. With the TCs you have pretty good coverage, the zoom getting the edge in convenience, and the primes in quality. Plenty of light in Costa Rica, so you don't need the speed. Personally I'd go with those two zooms, one on each body so you don't have to change lenses as often. As Rx4 indicates, you may want to think about the wide end... Complete the trinity?

proudgeek

Did this trip 3 years ago. Here's what I brought:
2 D800 bodies (there was no D810 yet)
300 f/2.8
70-200 f/2.8
17-35 f/2.8 (may have been better off with my 24-70, but was looking for any weight savings I could get)
105 mm (didn't see a lot of frogs, but leaf cutter ants were really cool)
TC14

Your bag, based on your equipment list, is going to be pretty heavy. Not sure how you're traveling. I was on a boat and did beach landings several times a day via zodiac, so I didn't have to bring every lens every time.

Overall I was very pleased; it was a good mixture of having all my bases covered and while my bag was heavy it could have been worse. There were a few instances where I could have used more length, but overall 420mm was ample. You can look through my shots to see what focal lengths I used most frequently here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gdanford/albums/72157639295351024/page1

Just thought of a few other things:
Rain covers, even cheap plastic ones. Depending on where you are you might see a constant fine mist.
Anti-fog wipes. Humidity is high and if you're moving from a temperature controlled environment to the outdoors your gear is going to fog up. Fortunately the ship I was on had an "outdoor" protected area where we could store our gear out of the A/C.
I brought "lens armor" for my 300 2.8.

proudgeek

Rx4Photo said:

The only problem I usually have with individuals going on these exotic trips like African safaris and such is that many come back home with a ton of close ups which basically look like they were taken in a local zoo.

I've heard this zoo argument before, not sure I buy it. These were all shot at 600mm; doesn't look like any zoo I've been to. That's not to say I don't have some very portrait like shots, but if you want to see this life in all of its gory detail you've got to find a way to get close. Length in Costa Rica is going to be critical, especially for birds. Quetzals (if you can find them) are pretty shy.
https://flic.kr/p/CGGc4Y
https://flic.kr/p/BUSgUg
https://flic.kr/p/Cq9vZm
https://flic.kr/p/BUTxEn

proudgeek

Ironheart said:

24-70 for sure, and the TCs, as they are small.
Plenty of light in Costa Rica, so you don't need the speed.

I actually found this not to be the case a lot. Shot a ton in the rainforest at ISO 2000.

Ironheart

proudgeek said:

Ironheart said:

24-70 for sure, and the TCs, as they are small.
Plenty of light in Costa Rica, so you don't need the speed.

I actually found this not to be the case a lot. Shot a ton in the rainforest at ISO 2000.

That's plenty of light in my book... But point taken, I was speaking in the general sense, as Costa Rica is near the equator, not the arctic circle Of course, you can find dark areas inside of night clubs, bars, or deep in the jungle

heartyfisher

I am on a trip to Malaysia at the moment... only brought d7200 and 18-140.and 50 1.4.. photography was not the main aim. I find I am missing the reach... as there are lots of interesting tropical birds and animals... also wide is missing as there are a lot of environmental sceneries (some of you know I am not usually a wide angle user but..it would be nice on this trip.)... still the d7200 with 18-140 is covering most of what I want. have not mounted the 50 yet. hope this helps.

paulr

Take a Nikon B700 and you have a 24-1440 range in RAW and 20mp they are cheap to buy and then sell it on Ebay when you get back and virtually get your money back.no weight to carry and just get shots you cannot get with a normal lens I took one on a trip to Cuba and took pro gear too , finished up using the B700 just because it was easier than dragging all the heavy gear with me and sometimes it better to look like a tourist than a pro photographer.

rmp

Two camera bodies and two different zooms. I've made this journey twice. Both times I carried more than I used. Lighten up.