Gspeed Loc: Rhinebeck, NY

I did speak with staff at Aperturent. They do not have the Nikkor 500mm PF 5.6 but I filled out a form on their website to inquire about the possibility of them acquiring it as a rental option. Apparently you get a lot of lens for not a lot of weight with this particular prime lens. I value that for this particular travel. We'll see. I have plenty of time. Thank you for letting me know about Aperturent.

~ Eileen

ppkwhat Loc: Gibsonton, FL

Gspeed,
I am a Brazilian by birth and American by Citizenship. I fished many, many times in the Amazon Region and love the area.
1- The city of Santarém is bordered by the Amazon and the Tapajós rivers. Both run along many miles in the front of the city, side by side, without mixing. Amazon's milky colored water carries sediment from the Andes in the East, while the Tapajós's water is somewhat warmer and has a deep-blue tone. This phenomenon is called "The meeting of the waters" by the locals. (Encontro das Aguas)
2- Parintins - is the second largest city in the State of the Amazon, located on the right bank of the Amazon River and is famous within Brazil due to the folk festival which takes place in June each year in town showing a bit of the indigenous Amazonian handicraft in their presentations.
3- Manaus - is the capital of the State and its largest city. You should not miss visiting The Amazonas Opera House, inaugurated in 1896, has 700 seats and was constructed with bricks brought from Europe, French glass, and Italian marble. Several important opera and theater companies, as well as international orchestras, have already performed there. It is a site to behold - The Mercado Adolpho Lisboa, founded in 1882, is the city's oldest marketplace, trading in fruit, vegetables, and especially fish. It is a copy of the Les Halles market of Paris. (go inside and look around, mainly the area where the local fishermen bring their catch for sale).
4- Recife, the Capital of the State of Pernambuco is a beautiful city and the Praia da Boa Viagem is a very nice beach to see. Recife stands out as a major tourist attraction of the Northeast, both for its beaches and for its historic sites, dating back to both the Portuguese and the Dutch colonization of the region. The beach of Porto de Galinhas, 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of the city, has been repeatedly awarded the title of best beach in Brazil. The city is located at the confluence of the Beberibe and Capibaribe rivers before they flow into the South Atlantic Ocean.
5- Maceio - Pronounces Maceioh...Maceió is home to numerous beaches, the color of sea varying from emerald green to blue; the water is always clear. The sand is white and there are many coconut plantations.

The Maceió sea has natural pools and reefs a few meters off the coast, that can be accessed by boat or raft sailings. The Mundaú lake is another option for sailing and bathing in transparent water. The city has beautiful beaches, clear blue waters.
6- Salvador - Salvador remained the preeminent city in Brazil until 1763 when it was replaced as the national capital by Rio de Janeiro. Chief among the points of interest its famous Pelourinho (named after the colonial pillories that once stood there) district, its historic churches, and its beaches.
7- Rio de Janeiro - Early capital of Brazil, before it moved to Brasilia. The city has one of the most fantastic bays"Baia de Guanabara" that can be seen from the top to the Sugar Loaf Mountain in its full beauty. Take the cable car all the way up and you be blessed with a gorgeous view of the whole city. Another fantastic place to visit is the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redemer) Statue overlooking the City of Rio de Janeiro.

Now a word of caution:
Around the cities of the Amazon area - be very careful with your belongings and never, never be alone - just travel in groups. That saying goes to any city you are visiting. Pick pockets people are all over.

Swiming: be very careful in swiming in Recife, mostly around Praia da Boa Viagem - Bull Sharks are all around. In fact, the area is where most shark fatalities occur in Brazil. My youngest son lives in Recife and diving is one of his favorite sports. My middle sister, Maria Luiza, is a Radiologist in Rio, at the Hospital Miguel Couto, one of the largest in Rio.
I sincerely would love to be doing this trip - if you are careful with yourself and your belongings you will have the time of your life. Brazil is a great country to visit and enjoy the culture, food and most of the people, but there are exceptions of course. But this will be a trip for you to remember. Enjoy, take lots of pictures and share them with us. I'm looking forward in seeing them. "Boa Viagem" (have a good trip).

ppkwhat Loc: Gibsonton, FL

Nikon has a great lens: 200-500mm F5.6. I have it and is excellent, but quite heavy, around 5lbs. I have one and love it. I don't use a tripod most of the times with it and the pictures come real good. Another lens you can use is 28-300mm F.3.5-5.6 that is a fixed figure on my D750 and D810. I use it as a "walk around" lens. Has a great range, is sharp and very light. It will be great for your trip.

Bill_de Loc: US

I used the Nikkor 200 - 500 for quite a while, hand held. It's doable. Then the Nikkor 500mm pf was introduced. Unless you need the zoom, it is a much better choice as it is easily hand holdable, and very sharp!

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riderxlx Loc: DFW area Texas

Do you prefer the 500 over the 600 ? I rented the Tamron 600mm and it worked great.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

Reading through the replies so far it seems you have seen from others' experiences and decided a longer lens is worth taking. My suggestion would be to get the 300 f4 PF lens. It is smaller and lighter than the 500 5.6 and if you add a 1.4 converter, you will have a lens at 420 f5.6. This gives you a lens with two lengths rather than being locked into one with only one usable length. A good do-everything lens is Nikon's 28-300. It has the special ability to close focus to a foot even at 300mm. This could be very helpful if you run into some exotic flowers. 300mm from a foot away makes for a good macro lens.

Gspeed Loc: Rhinebeck, NY

OMG!! Thank you so kuch fir this inspiration and kniwledge!! I am a Brazilian by birth and American by Citizenship. I fished many, many times in the Amazon Region and love the area.
1- The city of Santarém is bordered by the Amazon and the Tapajós rivers. Both run along many miles in the front of the city, side by side, without mixing. Amazon's milky colored water carries sediment from the Andes in the East, while the Tapajós's water is somewhat warmer and has a deep-blue tone. This phenomenon is called "The meeting of the waters" by the locals. (Encontro das Aguas)
2- Parintins - is the second largest city in the State of the Amazon, located on the right bank of the Amazon River and is famous within Brazil due to the folk festival which takes place in June each year in town showing a bit of the indigenous Amazonian handicraft in their presentations.
3- Manaus - is the capital of the State and its largest city. You should not miss visiting The Amazonas Opera House, inaugurated in 1896, has 700 seats and was constructed with bricks brought from Europe, French glass, and Italian marble. Several important opera and theater companies, as well as international orchestras, have already performed there. It is a site to behold - The Mercado Adolpho Lisboa, founded in 1882, is the city's oldest marketplace, trading in fruit, vegetables, and especially fish. It is a copy of the Les Halles market of Paris. (go inside and look around, mainly the area where the local fishermen bring their catch for sale).
4- Recife, the Capital of the State of Pernambuco is a beautiful city and the Praia da Boa Viagem is a very nice beach to see. Recife stands out as a major tourist attraction of the Northeast, both for its beaches and for its historic sites, dating back to both the Portuguese and the Dutch colonization of the region. The beach of Porto de Galinhas, 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of the city, has been repeatedly awarded the title of best beach in Brazil. The city is located at the confluence of the Beberibe and Capibaribe rivers before they flow into the South Atlantic Ocean.
5- Maceio - Pronounces Maceioh...Maceió is home to numerous beaches, the color of sea varying from emerald green to blue; the water is always clear. The sand is white and there are many coconut plantations.

The Maceió sea has natural pools and reefs a few meters off the coast, that can be accessed by boat or raft sailings. The Mundaú lake is another option for sailing and bathing in transparent water. The city has beautiful beaches, clear blue waters.
6- Salvador - Salvador remained the preeminent city in Brazil until 1763 when it was replaced as the national capital by Rio de Janeiro. Chief among the points of interest its famous Pelourinho (named after the colonial pillories that once stood there) district, its historic churches, and its beaches.
7- Rio de Janeiro - Early capital of Brazil, before it moved to Brasilia. The city has one of the most fantastic bays"Baia de Guanabara" that can be seen from the top to the Sugar Loaf Mountain in its full beauty. Take the cable car all the way up and you be blessed with a gorgeous view of the whole city. Another fantastic place to visit is the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redemer) Statue overlooking the City of Rio de Janeiro.

Now a word of caution:
Around the cities of the Amazon area - be very careful with your belongings and never, never be alone - just travel in groups. That saying goes to any city you are visiting. Pick pockets people are all over.

Swiming: be very careful in swiming in Recife, mostly around Praia da Boa Viagem - Bull Sharks are all around. In fact, the area is where most shark fatalities occur in Brazil. My youngest son lives in Recife and diving is one of his favorite sports. My middle sister, Maria Luiza, is a Radiologist in Rio, at the Hospital Miguel Couto, one of the largest in Rio.
I sincerely would love to be doing this trip - if you are careful with yourself and your belongings you will have the time of your life. Brazil is a great country to visit and enjoy the culture, food and most of the people, but there are exceptions of course. But this will be a trip for you to remember. Enjoy, take lots of pictures and share them with us. I'm looking forward in seeing them. "Boa Viagem" (have a good trip).

OMG!! Thank you so much for this inspiration and for sharing your knowledge and passion. Your love for this spectacular country shines theough your words.

This as been so incredibly helpful. Thank you!!

~ Eileen

worldcycle Loc: Stateline, Nevada

I travel extensively. My travel kit is a 16-35mm, 24-105mm and 70-300 mm. Covers practically any situation you may encounter. Packs easily. Those claiming you need a 500mm are unrealistic in my opinion. Unless you are traveling specifically to capture wildlife, it is total overkill, big heavy, ungainly to transport for as much as you will be using it. I have acquired lots of fantastic images of birds and wildlife with a 300mm. Anything further requiring more, I just enjoy the experience. Realistically, if it is that far away, it will take time for the set up to acquire the image. You being on a cruise and tours, not being the independent traveler are really not going to have the time unless you are on a dedicated photography tour where they allow extra time.

riderxlx Loc: DFW area Texas

I have to chime in again. You have received some very very good advice from the brain trust here. I mentioned the 600 because it was not as heavy as the Nikon 500. But it allowed me to grab some good shot HAND HELD from a boat so I had to mention that. Depending on where you are going and how and how long, this maybe not a good choice as has been mentioned to you.
Now I want to also chime in on the other post about thieves and pick pockets. There are many that are professional thieves. When I went to South and Central America, I wore pants that were thief proof. There are on the web and stores and this is a safe option to free your mind and focus on the experience. Now I am not picking on South and Central America Ok. If I was going to 'certain cities' here in America I would do the very same and probably more in protection procedures.
Bruce. Have ah good'un Ok.

Gspeed Loc: Rhinebeck, NY

Makes sense.

~ Eileen

Gspeed Loc: Rhinebeck, NY

I have the Nikkor 25-300mm so I may just take that and see what I can do. Bringing a lens that is awkward but awesome might not be the pragmatic choice. I do so appreciate all your varied and excellent points of view on this forum. You all have not disappointed.

~ Eileen

Gspeed Loc: Rhinebeck, NY

Thank you for this advice about security and safety. I have supreme confidence that I can deter any high jinx from the professionals. I will search for the pants, though.

~ Eileen

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

That Tamron is a full pound heavier than the Nikon 500mm PF lens.

MG Audet

Eileen,
If you are considering renting, look into LensRental.com. I believe first time renters get a decent discount. There is not much a learning curve on a lens. Just getting used to the focal length, but no real technical skills, other than getting the bird in focus. Most of the skills involved with shooting birds in flight comes with practice and the use of various focusing points, e.g. group, vs. spot or 3d. Most importantly setting your camera up properly for the conditions.
Good luck,
Michael