# lenses for neotropical rainforest



## vlim (Jan 4, 2012)

What do you think if i buy this two lenses for my future trips in neotropical rainforest.

Canon lenses 300mm F/4 L IS for mammals, birds and some of snake species and the 100 F/2.8 L IS for snakes and frogs, one on a 40D body and the other one on a 7D Body...

I hope for a new version of the 300mm F/4 L IS this year but it seems unlikely.

Thanks, Vincent


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## vlim (Jan 4, 2012)

Other option can be the new Sigma 150mm F2,8 EX DG OS HSM MACRO...


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## neuroanatomist (Jan 4, 2012)

vlim said:


> Canon lenses 300mm F/4 L IS for mammals, birds and some of snake species and the 100 F/2.8 L IS for snakes and frogs, one on a 40D body and the other one on a 7D Body...
> 
> I hope for a new version of the 300mm F/4 L IS this year but it seems unlikely.



Rainforest and the 300/4 IS don't seem to go well together. The 7D has some weather sealing, and the 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS is a sealed lens - that's a good option for a rainforest. The 300/4 isn't a sealed lens (nor is the 40D a sealed body).

I'd strongly consider taking sealed gear if possible.

You might consider the 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS zoom, which is sealed, but then it's f/5.6 at 300mm and you may need the extra stop. 

If your budget permits, perhaps the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II with the 1.4x TC (II or III), which is a sealed combo that gets you to 280mm f/4 with very good IQ. In fact, the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II + 1.4x gets you to a native magnification of 0.3x, and if you add a 500D close-up filter to the front, you're at 0.84x with the combo (0.6x without the TC). The 500D limits you to a working distance of 50 cm, but the IQ with that combo is pretty close to what you get from the 100L Macro (although the latter is a more versatile lens).


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## vlim (Jan 4, 2012)

> The 300/4 isn't a sealed lens



That's why i want a new version of this lens !

I was thinking about this 70-200 and even about the new Sigma 120-300mm F2,8 APO EX DG OS HSM which is a little bit more expensive and heavier but apparently very very good !

Thanks for sharing your opinion...


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## KitH (Jan 4, 2012)

It's dark inside tropical rainforest. I found 1/15 f2.8 @400 ISO was typical and that was only 4 degrees south of the equator at midday, so the sun was about as straight downwards as it can get. 

Fastest possible lenses and high ISO are called for, along with the water sealing as per Neuro's advice. 

Keeping your camera and lenses warm and dry is important, switch off the aircon on the journey into the forest, chilling your kit will make condensation form as soon as you take it outside, have plenty of silica gel or a similar dessicant handy. I stuck small packets of silica gel to the inside of a body cap and used that to draw damp out after using it in steamy forest. Taking the battery out and stuffing that hole with silica gel packs also helps.


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## jasonsim (Jan 4, 2012)

I'd normally say a 100-400mm L IS for wildlife, but it's not weather sealed. The 70-300mm 4-5.6L IS USM is a good option since it has weather sealing and lighter than the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II + 1.4x III. And you don't need to fiddle with adding the extender and taking it off. You need to decide, if weight could be a deciding factor. I myself and considering trading my 100-400mm for the 70-300mm L. Plus it has the newest generation IS. 

There has been talk about a replacement 100-400mm L, but probably won't be anytime soon. Good luck!


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## TexPhoto (Jan 4, 2012)

Aside from weather sealing, the 300 f4 is a fantastic lens. If you intend to shoot in the rain, avoid it. If you'll put it away in a safe weather tight camera bag (try a LowePro AW), I highly recommend it.

But if those are the only 2 lenses you take, you'll miss a lot. Take a good wide to medium zoom. Heck, take an 18-55mm IS. The wide shot is critical to establish a sense of place.

And a small light weight monopod will real improve your long and macro shots.


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## kirispupis (Jan 4, 2012)

It depends on what you want to photograph and what type of trip you are taking.

I'll generally assume you want to photograph wildlife. Insects are certainly the most common and there are many unique ones there. At minimum you will need a 100mm macro to photograph them. If you're serious about insects, an MP-E 65 is also a good route. Note that realistically you will only have time to photograph insects around your camp (but they'll still be abundant and easy to find). When I went there the tour guide and others in the group were not willing to wait for the lone insect photographer. Better yet if you want to photograph insects take a private tour.

You'll also see a lot of birds, monkeys, peccaries, agoutis, and other critters. When I went to Manu, Peru I also saw giant otters, caiman (black and white), a tapir, and a jaguar. What type of lens you need depends on how you will be seeing them.
- By far the most effective way to see wildlife is by river. In Manu we travelled by motorized canoe for long periods of time and sat on a raft in an oxbow lake. The oxbow lake was absolutely incredible and every way you turned there was something interesting. A 100-400 would work very well there because some animals came very close (giant otters) while others were further away (monkeys).
- When travelling by canoe, basically the longer the telephoto the better. Many subjects were quite far away - though there were a few exceptions (we came close to a family of capybara). When I go back some day I would certainly want a 500/600 lens + extenders or at least the new 200-400/1.4x.
- At other times you will be in one place as the animals will come to you. We used this to view the macaw lek, cock-of-the-rock, and the tapir. For the macaws and cock-of-the-rock a 400mm lens would still be very useful as they were still quite far away. A zoom lens may give more flexibility. The tapir came quite close and could be reached with a normal lens - but it came at night so you'll need a camera that can handle high ISO and a fast lens.
- When walking in the jungle, you can generally forget about getting a good shot off. Most wildlife tends not to stick around very long when spotted so you're not likely to have the chance. The exception are some of the monkeys - and you'll need a long and reasonably fast lens to reach them. Be advised that if you approach too closely they may urinate or throw things at you. I did have more success walking alone on the paths around our camp - where I had a lengthy encounter with an agouti and several wooly monkeys and very brief encounters with a snake and a jaguar. To be honest I would spend more time photographing the insects and the trees/plants as few critters will give you the chance.
- Sunsets on the river and mist. Bring a decent WA lens for these situations as they can be absolutely magical. This is a shot I took when I went - before I got into photography at all or had an SLR.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirispupis/93468554/in/set-72057594067259015/

Weather sealing is a concern. Remember that they call it the rainforest for a reason. Regardless whether your equipment is weather sealed I would bring rain covers for you camera + lenses. Also note that if you cannot afford some of the larger lenses, renting is still an option.

Note that this advice applies mainly to neotropical jungles. If you are travelling to more open areas in SA - notably Los Llanos or the Pantanal - they aren't as applicable.


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## vlim (Jan 4, 2012)

Thanks for your advices and comments. The place where i'm going is the Osa Peninsula, the wildest area in Costa Rica. I've been there already two times and i know that the conditions for taking pictures are pretty tough. One my friend lives there and he owns a property with intense wildlife activity, even the big cats are coming... And with a lot of snakes and some of them like the Fer de lance have to be considered with a lot of care while taking pictures... that's why i'm hesitating between the 100 macro from Canon and the 150 macro from Sigma !

Right now i can't afford to have many lenses so that's why i'm talking about one lens for the birds and mammals and the other one for frogs and snakes. And i know that the big lenses like a 500 f/4 are extremely hard to bring in neotropical rainforest espacially while walking... The 400 f/5.6 could be an option too but like the 300 f/4 is not sealed.


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## neuroanatomist (Jan 4, 2012)

vlim said:


> Right now i can't afford to have many lenses so that's why i'm talking about one lens for the birds and mammals and the other one for frogs and snakes. And i know that the big lenses like a 500 f/4 are extremely hard to bring in neotropical rainforest espacially while walking... The 400 f/5.6 could be an option too but like the 300 f/4 is not sealed.



If you're willing/able to rent for the trip, you might consider the 300mm f/2.8L IS II. It's light enough to carry, has great IQ (far better than the 300/4, even with the 1.4x III it beats the 300/4), is weather sealed, and the f/2.8 will really help in the dark rainforest. For snakes and frogs, 0.25x magnifiation with the 1.4x TC combined with the high pixel density of the 7D will probably be sufficient. Plus, that 0.25x magnification is at a distance of 6.5 feet...handy for those venomous critters!



vlim said:


> And with a lot of snakes and some of them like the Fer de lance have to be considered with a lot of care while taking pictures...



Indeed! Here's a baby fer-de-lance that we ran across on a hike in Belize (babies are more dangerous than adults, because adults can control their venom injection, whereas babies just inject everything they've got).


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## wickidwombat (Jan 4, 2012)

i think those 2 lenses would be good but as neuro said the 300 isn't weather sealed, but you could get a rain cover for it from ebay which are cheap, I would also look at a fast wide angle prime for super low light and i'm sure there will be some greaty wide angle shots to be had too


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## vlim (Jan 5, 2012)

Ho yes of course the 300 F/2.8 would be the best lens for this environment but here in France we can't rent it ! This is one i'm dreaming about... A rain cover is absolutely needed you're right !

Any other comments about the macro lens ? i know the canon 100 f/2.8 L IS is terrific but the Sigma 150 f/2.8 might be a better option in terms of distance... Once again i'm talking about pictures of potantially dangerous snakes like the Fer de lance or Bushmaster. But the 300 f/4 could be used to for these guys...


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## briansquibb (Jan 5, 2012)

I often usd a 180 macro with 1.4 on a 7D to get me further away from a jumpy subject. That way you still get up to 1x. Need good light to get the speed for a steady shot (about 1/1000 works well). I used a homemade bracket with 2 580EX to get the light, although might be too clumsy in thick undergrowth - so perhaps a stadard macro light would be good


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## wickidwombat (Jan 5, 2012)

vlim said:


> Ho yes of course the 300 F/2.8 would be the best lens for this environment but here in France we can't rent it ! This is one i'm dreaming about... A rain cover is absolutely needed you're right !
> 
> Any other comments about the macro lens ? i know the canon 100 f/2.8 L IS is terrific but the Sigma 150 f/2.8 might be a better option in terms of distance... Once again i'm talking about pictures of potantially dangerous snakes like the Fer de lance or Bushmaster. But the 300 f/4 could be used to for these guys...



i have the 100 f2.8 it is really great if i want to get closer i stack a kenko 1.4 tc and extension tubes on it and it goes very very close, and i makes a great portrait lens too it's very versitile and light weight


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## vlim (Jan 5, 2012)

In terms of wide angle lenses, what do you think about this one :

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM

My package could be the Canon 100 macro F/2.8 L IS, the Canon 300 F/4 L IS (even not sealed the lens is relatively cheap and still terrific) and this last one (or a 70-200 F/4 L IS)... With this ones i'm relatively light and mobile (i have my binos and spotting scope too !).

With camo lenscoat and cover and a monopod (which one ?)

Thanks, Vincent


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## vlim (Jan 18, 2012)

Thanks for all your comments guys ! Finally i will start with a 70-200 f/4 L IS (weather sealed which is so important) and when the new 300 f/4 or new 400 f/5.6 i'll buy it !


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## vlim (Jan 23, 2012)

Do you think a compact monopod is a must have for this kind of environment ? I have a good offer ( 200 $) for an unused new Gitzo CARBONE GITZO Traveler 6X GM2561T... Even if it's not for the 70-200 i'm pretty sure to use it sometimes with the 300 f/4...


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## vlim (Feb 10, 2012)

So right now i've my 40D, a 70-200 f/4 L IS, a speedlite flash 430 EX II, my *Gitzo* monopod and i've ordered the Loka backpack from *F-stop* and *Lenscoat* gears.

here's a link for F-stop gear :

http://fstopgear.com/en/product/mountain

The 7d will come later this year with the 300f/4 L IS II ( i'm an optimistic guy  )


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## D.Sim (Feb 10, 2012)

I'm weighing in on this a bit late - but personally I think the 100 Macro would be a good addition - the tropical rainforest blossoms with nice - great shots of big animals, majesty of the forest itself... but theres a whole little world going on down there - bugs, smaller animals, etc - which could benefit from the Macro - and also offer a different view of a rainforest - 
As for a monopod - personally I'd use it as a walking stick, but thats about it... having your camera on a monopod in a rainforest.... could go wrong - but then again I'm a clumsy ox in a china shop, so i'm speaking from my viewpoint...


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## vlim (Feb 10, 2012)

> but personally I think the 100 Macro would be a good addition



I'll definitely buy the 100 macro F/2.8 L IS one day...

Thanks for sharing your opinion ! I've so much wildlife to shoot there ;D


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## vlim (Mar 5, 2012)

Talking about a macro lens, which lens should i buy ?

The 100mm f/2.8 L IS or the older version ? I'm thinking about the L version mostly because it's weather sealed and the Hybrid IS but the price is twice the non L version... This lens will be mostly used for frogs, snakes and a few portraits in bad light condition !

Any advice ?


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## ronderick (Mar 5, 2012)

If you'll find yourself in a rainforest situation (bad lighting and bad weather), you can place your bet on the 100mm f/2.8L IS.

A little shake can be pretty destructive when you're shooting macro, as I've learned with my non-IS version...


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## vlim (Mar 7, 2012)

Thanks for your quick answer ! that's what i'm thinking...


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## wickidwombat (Mar 8, 2012)

I have the L macro and its a brilliant lens very sharp great IS and nice and makes a really nice portrait lens too
It has fantastic colour


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## D.Sim (Mar 8, 2012)

vlim said:


> Talking about a macro lens, which lens should i buy ?
> 
> The 100mm f/2.8 L IS or the older version ? I'm thinking about the L version mostly because it's weather sealed and the Hybrid IS but the price is twice the non L version... This lens will be mostly used for frogs, snakes and a few portraits in bad light condition !
> 
> Any advice ?



I'd avoid using the 100 for snakes... its not quite as tight a crop as you'd think... 
Also, what with the macro capabilities you could find yourself getting a lot closer than you realise.... 

Lol

But on a serious note, the L's IS makes it a brilliant outdoor, on the move macro lens... took one out on a hike recently and it was brilliant. Its the next lens on my to-get list


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## vlim (Mar 8, 2012)

> I'd avoid using the 100 for snakes... its not quite as tight a crop as you'd think...



Yeah i think you're right, especially for the most dangerous like the Fer de Lance ! I know them and need for the adults, big guys like them or the Bushmaster a security distance of at least one meter and a half or two, it's too risky ! For them i think i will use my 70-200 or the 300 f/4 ! For the babies or small species like the Eye lash Viper i think it'll be ok, depending of their activity of course 

Thanks for your advices 8)


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## vlim (Mar 18, 2012)

Is there a difference in terms of results between the converter 1.4 I and the the 1.4 II with the 300 f/4 L IS ? Which one is most adapted to that lens ?


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## wickidwombat (Mar 19, 2012)

i use the kenko 1.4 DGX not weather sealed like the canon but it works nicely on the 100 macro and all other lenses too


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## briansquibb (Mar 19, 2012)

A Canon 180 macro with 1.4 might be a safer option


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## AnselA (Mar 20, 2012)

The rainforest is rather dark and the animals are high in the canopy many times. Make sure you have secured the services of the very good guide to have the opportunity of seeing and photographing the animals you want. The monopod with a good head is a great idea and some practice in a local dense forest to see how your kit works is in order.


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## vlim (Mar 22, 2012)

> Make sure you have secured the services of the very good guide to have the opportunity of seeing and photographing the animals you want



That won't be a problem take a look at my website (not finished yet, almost all the photos have been taken with Lumix bridges) 8)



> A Canon 180 macro with 1.4 might be a safer option



A safer option than the 300 f/4 and a 1.4 converter ? That's for the 300 f/4 the converter in my idea, not for macro/close up photography...

I just buy the Canon 100mm macro F/2.8 L IS today ;D

Thanks for your advices


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## vlim (Jul 19, 2012)

Hi guys, 

I'm back for a few advices... A friend of mine, who's actually in neotropical forest told to me that the 5d Mark II coupled with the 70-300 f/4-5.6 L IS is just awesome for most of the wildlife there, especially mammals ( a bit short for the birds).

I was thinking about buying the 300 f/4 L IS to complete my 70-200 f/4 L IS but this option my be an interesting one since the weight and mobility are huge factors there !

Or should i wait, i'm not in a hurry, and see if the new 100-400 f/4-5.6 L IS is what i need ?

Thanks, Vincent


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## ScottyP (Jul 19, 2012)

vlim said:


> What do you think if i buy this two lenses for my future trips in neotropical rainforest.
> 
> Canon lenses 300mm F/4 L IS for mammals, birds and some of snake species and the 100 F/2.8 L IS for snakes and frogs, one on a 40D body and the other one on a 7D Body...
> 
> ...



Of course, all these answers would be completely different were this a tropical rainforest rather than a NEOtropical rainforest.  j/k


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## vlim (Jul 19, 2012)

> Of course, all these answers would be completely different were this a tropical rainforest rather than a NEOtropical rainforest.



I'm from the old world


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