alphadog

glad you are overjoyed over the Nikon 200 500 lens many are, I wasn't, it is NOT as sharp as a prime, but if not concerned about optimum sharpness, then it is good for the money, particularly if bought used from reputable seller.

No need to post sharp images of how great the lens is, I have seen many. My experience was not as joyful, hence I replaced it with a prime. thanks

willy6419

I'll check out the 24-120. I've seen that lense, it's a lot lighter. I also have a 28-300 f 3.5-5.6, which i use as a 'walk around'. It's pretty good in a wide range and compact, but that's a lot of range to be really sharp at. Reviews are variable, kinda like people. Maybe i'll do some more comparative testing at various lengths, f stops between the lenses and bodies i have.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Well, if you change your mind, let me know. I have hundreds of photos I could show you! A prime, no matter how sharp, is no where near as versatile as a zoom.

I have two of them, bought brand new from Nikon! They are BOTH good, great actually. Regardless of the money!

alphadog

Well, if getting picky, a PRIME will out work any ZOOM at the same range. Pros NEVER use zooms for their real work for a reason. They do use zooms for promotion and obviously get really good sharp images as well.

I AGREE zooms are a LOT more versatile, I use a zoom MOST times for LANDSCAPES where I find the sharpness is not as important, but FOR BIRD, CRITTERS... the primes are far superior IF you can afford one. Again, this does NOT mean good photographers can NOT get super sharp images from zooms as well.

I agree YOU have lots of great photos and zooms are more versatile. No need for further discussion here.

Burkley Loc: Park City

A long lens is essential. The trees are very tall. Wildlife is often a long ways away in the rainforest. Insects, snakes and toads can be seen up close just off the trails. But birds and wildlife are shy. The rainforest is a tough environment. We walked past a professional crew shooting sloths with stills and video equipment using 600-800mm lenses. They were about finished and had 20 seconds of video and a dozen stills after 2+ weeks of daylight stalking a known pod of sloths. They were very frustrated. I got just a few good shots with a 400 mm. Needed more length.

cahale Loc: San Angelo, TX

You're in a rain forest. Why would you need anything longer than a 55 prime?

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but one should make sure you have weather sealed body and lens against the humidity and possible rain. Your camera can shut down, and it might not quite ever come back.
I would consider renting equipment for a trip like this, plus a little extra for insurance (maybe).

Burkley Loc: Park City

The trees are huge spires. A lot happens in the canopy. I missed some beautiful bird shots with a 400 mm, even cropped.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Did you consider renting a 600mm lens or what other lens you may be thinking about instead of buying??

Don

druthven

Jared Lloyd, the instigator of The Journal of wildlife Photography, https://www.jaredlloyd.com has spent a great deal of time in Costa Rica. If you can find a way to contact him I'm confident he would be happy to help. Maybe also concerning good experienced guide.

tcthome Loc: NJ

I second Steve Perry. He has been down there a few times or more. Check out Lens Rental.com. Last time I checked, they had the 500pf 5.6 for $100 a week. I'm not sure what shipping & insurance would add to it. Might want to see what they charge for the 600F4 for a trip like that.
I would use Auto ISO. I'll attach a Max ISO recommendation chart from Steve Perry for Nikon cameras. It is a few years old & noise removal software has improved quite a bit since then.

Have fun, Tom

(Download)

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

What I would take = 850, 300pf, 105 macro, put the 1.4X on the macro - crop the 850 when necessary........
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larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I have spent a lot of days over the last seven years in the classroom with a number of art teachers. A couple of them are very strong photographers, two are experts in art history and museum & gallery exhibitions, a couple are experts at the craft of art, and a couple are really good artistic storytellers. We have lots of interesting and fun discussions, and I have been fortunate to learn a ton from them without having to take any exams.

Three things we have talked a lot about are context, scale, and perspective. We've looked at a lot of photographs together. And one thing we have discovered is that a lot of folks seem to spend a lot of money travelling to exotic places to take the same "head and shoulders" portraits of animals(and birds) that they could capture at their city zoo of exactly the same species. There is absolutely no sense of place and environment in the vast majority of the photographs. We've even come up with a descriptive term for it. We label the photographs as "over-zoomed."

With even with the middle of the road equipment available today (and for the past several years), there is pkenty of resolution available to simply back off from the subject. Let us, the viewers, be able to see that the animal is in the top of a very tall tree. Let us see that the gull is perched atop a very large iceberg. Yes, the hawk is very interesting, but so are the branches of the bristlecone pine it's perched in. I know what a bald eagle looks like. I saw one really close up at the state fair. But I've never seen anything like that nest the size of four king-size beds that she and her mate have been building over the past ten or twelve years. Get the ldea?

I know that this is a big trip and that you want to be ready for what you encounter. Just give some thought to what you want to do with it. The answer will guide you to what lenses you need.

Colosij

Costa Rica is not all rain forest. The west is very dry. The longer the lens the better. I used a 18-300 on a crop sensor camera and it was not enough is some cases.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

When I went to Costa Rica. I don’t feel there was anything dangerous. Monkeys would steal what they could. Don’t feel you need a 500mm lens. Check weather for rain.