Costa Rica Animal Photography - Lens Recommendations for R50
I'm going to Costa Rica this summer and plan on visiting at least two of the major national parks for some hiking and animal photography. I love shooting reptiles/amphibians, but due to where I live, that's typically limited to zoo settings with stable lighting and enclosed environments.
I have a R50 with a 16mm pancake and a 100-400mm telephone lens. I also have the stock 18-45, but don't care for it.
The 16mm is great for landscapes and macros (but only if I can get crazy close up). The 100-400 does very well for larger, stationary animals in brighter lighting at a medium distance, but struggles with low lighting, closer distance, or movement.
My concern is that a lot of the reptiles/amphibians tend to prefer darker areas, get skittish if you get too close, and deserve a respectable amount of distance for safety reasons.
I'm not a pro by any means and do this as a hobby.
Looking to see if the lenses I have will be good enough or if something else may be necessary to take advantage of the opportunity. Not looking to spend thousands, but I'm happy to buy used.
Posted May 4, 2025, 4:49 PM UTC