Photophys.com: The Science of Photography

Exploring Costa Rica with a camera was a great adventure.  We spend spend two nights each at five life zones:  eastern lowlands (Selva Verde), northern wetlands (Canon Negro National Wildlife Refuge), northern Gulf of Nicoya (Ensenada Wildlife Reseve),  Ville Lapas (Carara Reserve), and Savegre Mountain Hotel (Talamancaa Mountain range).  We also had two nights close to San Jose.

The trip was arranged by Elderhostel under the title "Birding the Hot Spots of Costa Rica."  The group (16 in all) was congenial, and we had a great leader/guide.  A sample of my photos can be found here.

 The Canon 70-300mm IS lens performed well, but the reach was limiting.  Next time I might carry a 100-400mm lens.  There is a trade off.  We hiked for over four hours some days, and the added weight of the 100-400mm lens might have been too much.   The Better Beamer was a necessity since the forests are dark, especially early in the morning.  I also found the monopod to be very useful.  It supports the weight of the camera and lens in addition to reducing vibrations.