Thanks for the info about your travels. Its always good to have more information to help make better decisions.
I used a shuttle service (Morpho Vans) because I had not been to the country before and didn't speak the language. It worked out very well for me and my travel partners because our driver, Karla, did much more than just drive. She translated for us, helped us shop, did currency conversions, talked to the locals and found us the best places to eat along the way. She also called ahead and spoke to the owners/operators of several places to verify current conditions, hours of operation and pricing. Her efforts allowed us to spend our time worrying about photography, not all the other logistical issues associated with travel in another country. As I become more familiar with area, I will probably move more toward driving myself, but not at this point.
With respect to my gear, I've found that my Canon 100-400mm IS v2 is quite capable of replacing several lenses in my bag, and worked extremely well at photographing reptiles, flowers and bugs due to its minimum focusing distance of 3.2 feet. 400mm (640mm with a crop sensor) at 3.2 feet gave me plenty of magnification and working distance at the same time..... especially helpful when photographing a fer-de-lance.
As a result, I was able to pack a Gura Gear 22L with a 16-35mm, 24-105mm, 100-400mm, 500mm, 1.4x, 2x, 580ex, 6d and a 7d2. This setup allowed me to shoot with effective focal lengths of 16mm-1600mm with near-macro capability as well. The compact size of the bag meant that I was never concerned the bag wouldn't fit in an overhead or under the seat. I was pretty happy with the way the gear worked out.
Magnificent! Thanks for listing the gear you brought. Any changes/additions/deletions that you might suggest to that list, for benefit of those who are thinking of going? Thanks.
I'd make sure to take the best "low-light" camera I had, a flash magnifier like a "better beamer" and, if my flash would take one, an external battery pack to improve cycle times.
You'll also want to take a tripod if you can fit it in your luggage. Not having one can make it much harder to get sharp photos in low light conditions and/or with long telephoto lenses.
Spectacular set! Costa Rica is one of my all time favorite places, and is a world class place for wildlife watching and photography. Can't wait for my next trip back!
I took a Bataflae 26L in which I had a 500mm f/4, 80-400mm, 105mm macro, 200mm macro, 18-35mm, 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, two speedlights, flash arm and two cords, a APS-C camera and a full frame camera, and a battery charger for the camera batteries.
I used the 500mm with and without the 1.4x on a tripod when I could do so. The Quetzals in particular were often at a distance and the 700mm on the APS-C camera was what I used for them. This is also where the tallest possible tripod is invaluable.
By far the majority of my pictures taken in Costa Rica were with the 80-400mm lens and the 400mm was often long enough. I do realize though that a 400mm focal length on a APS-C camera may provide the angle of view of a 600mm lens on a full frame camera but it is still providing only the image magnification of a 400mm lens. Even the 500mm lens provides an image size that is 56% larger than that from a 400mm lens.
Superb shots Jeff, all of them! We visited CR a couple of years ago and had a great time. We didn't focus (pun intended) specifically on wildlife, but you sure saw and shot some amazing critters. Makes we want to return.
