wotsmith Loc: Nashville TN

Well we have been to CR three times and got the best photos of birds ever. I did have a surprise, in that my Apple laptop quit due to high humidity. Fortunately I had a cheap PC that kept working so I could store our photos. Was told that computer failure due to humidity was common. So now I have a air tight bag for the laptop and a dehumidifier to keep in the bag. Eva-Dry E-500 Renewable Mini-Dehumidifier which is $30 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Probably on Amazon too.

I am a "take it all" person, I would take all your lenses. You'll see lots of birds, so you need longer lenses; I paid a kid $10 and he found a bunch of the "poison frogs" so you need a macro, lots of scenery, so take it all. Hotel suggestion: the Grano de Oro in San Jose is a small boutique hotel, that is fabulous at about $200ish per night with the best restaurant in the city.
Good luck, wish i were going back with you

bicyclerepairman Loc: North Central Texas

What is the difference between advice and advise?
Advice is a noun meaning "an opinion or recommendation offered as a guide to action".
Advise is a verb meaning "to give a counsel to; offer an opinion" or "to give advice".
Examples:
Please give me your advice about what to do next.
Please advise me about what to do next.
Reference: blog.dictionary.com/advice-vs-advise

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Go to "Search" and type in "Costa Rica." One item that will come up will be the La Paz Waterfall Gardens not far from San Juan. I'm sure that you'll find some other good tips that pop up in the search.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I think I would be traveling lighter - much lighter that what you have ! and much faster lenses for lower light focusing speeds......

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Oh, and with a monopod - with a manfro #222 or 322 grip action ball head on top.

charlespkeith

Agree with everyone in regard to taking silica gel packets and plastic bags to store things in. The humidity will get you. Now for the camera stuff. You will be shooting in moderate to lower light due to the forest canopy. Be ready to shoot at higher ISO settings (800-1500+). Off camera flash, on medium to low power will allow you to shoot hummingbirds with higher shutter speeds. On camera flash will be ok for the monkeys in the trees but there is so much that will be closer (10-20 ft). Check out Nancy Elwood on facebook..... has some of the most stunning photos of CR. She shoots with a Nikon D500, Nikon 70-200 (at times with a 1.4 teleconverter) and a Nikon 500. Her ISO is ofter in the 1200+ range and flash is handheld and off camera. Not saying you should go out and buy this stuff but I provide it so that you have an idea of the combinations that work well. Since there are a number of Nancy Elwoods on facebook, here's a link to her web site....you can go from there: http://www.naturesportal.net/
I am planning a CR trip as well and Nancy provided some guidance of what to take and what to leave at home. Good luck

hawkfan

We were in CR and got caught in a downpour. My camera was OK as I had a zip lock baggie around it but my wife's camera got wet. When we returned to the hotel (Lapa Rios in the Osa Peninsula), I noticed that they had a "hot" box where they stored their binoculars. The box was made of wood and had a light bulb in it that generated the heat to dry the equipment. I asked if we could store the camera overnight and it worked great, the camera still works great. You might want to check with the hotel for this type of storage to dry in the humid weather. Good luck.

nunyaman Loc: huntsville Alabama

Manuel Antonio is a wonderful area to shoot in. As previously stated, in the forest you will be in the canopy with low light. I used a 70-200mm f/2.8 (with the occasional 1.4 teleconverter) a lot for the monkey and sloth shots. Also used the 24-105mm (I shoot cannon) for most of the beach shots. Plenty of sunset pictures available there on the beach with lots of foreground subjects. The La Paz Waterfall Gardens, which is about 2 hours or so north of ya, is also a great spot to shoot with plenty of butterflies and humming birds. Well worth the ride up. Be sure to take the trail all the way down to the waterfall for a great shot there. A bus will take you back to the parking lot. On the way down to Manuel, (assuming you land in San Jose) you will cross the Tárcoles River. A must stop to take pictures of the crocodiles below. After you get tired of the beach and humidity, head out to Parque national park in the mountains for a breath of fresh air and beautiful scenery. You will have a blast!!!

MtnMan Loc: ID

Yes, so clearly the OP is asking for us to advise her/him.

oldpsych Loc: Indianapolis

very helpful. thanks much

oldpsych Loc: Indianapolis

Interesting. I will look for this for sure. thanks

oldpsych Loc: Indianapolis

Gee, that gets to the heart of the question.

AFPhoto Loc: Jamestown, RI, USA

I was in Costa Rica a year ago and I left the big heavy DSLR rig at home and took an Olympus Micro 4/3 system. Loved the country, the people and took lots of pictures. Never worried about the equipment and the humidity.

Robeng Loc: California

Costa Rica is a beautiful country with unlimited photo opportunities. You have fine equipment and all you need. I would leave the macro lens, gimbal head and flash at home, take just one tripod and you're all set. Might consider rain gear and a flashlight for that special frog shot.

Rob

Redeye Green Tree frog

Tpharm Loc: Central PA

I would find out when the rainy season is in Costa Rica. We had only less than a half day of rain in early June.