Rainforest photography with Canon 400mm f/5.6?

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Greg

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I will be traveling to Costa Rica, and am planning on using a Canon 40D with a Canon 400mm f/5.6 lens. Will an aperture of 5.6 be efficient for the dark rain forest? The 40D has good images even up to an ISO of 800 an 1600.

Other tips appreciated...
 
A tripod or monopod will help immensely, especially with such a large lens. It depends on how this the jungle is where you're going.

One gigantic danger with the rain forest for cameras isn't light, it is moisture. It's humid all the time and this can reek havoc on electronic equipment. It wouldn't be a bad idea to toss some packets of silica gel (that stuff that says DO NOT EAT) into your camera bag. I believe that lens is weather sealed but I could be wrong. I don't think the camera is.

If you're not going to be camping in the jungle for more than a day this shouldn't be too problematic. Consider this more of a precaution. I had a friend who's 20D completely died when we brought it into the Jungles of Malaysia. The moisture and humidity destroyed it after two days. My D200 did just fine as it was weather sealed (the bodies are sealed by the factory, not by your own doing). Just make sure you take care of your equipment. If you're at a hotel make sure that you're able to keep the camera dry.

You'll enjoy the jungle. It's a really great place to see. Just don't make the moneys angry... trust me.
 
With the speed of the Camera, you should be fine, but if I were you, I might reconsider the lens length! 400 mm lenses are hard to handle, subject to camera movement, and will require a shutter speed of up to 1/2000th second to prevent camera blur! Remember, the equivalent length of that lens is about 600mm compared to film cameras, and hand held, I doubt you will be successful! You would probably prefer a lens, say 18-105 mm for general shooting for your trip...consider it, at any rate. I take back the 1st sentence...in greatly subdued lighting, and at shutter speeds you will have to work with (unless you are taking a tripod), you may not have a big enough lens....think this through carefully before committing to that lens. I cannot imagine why you would need a telephoto lens in a rain forest, where vastness of picture is often more important than tiny parts of the total picture. IF your lighting requires F 5.6, Iso 100, 1/60th second, you do not have the headroom in shutter speed and ISO to take successful pics!
With the above conditions, you would only be able to go to 1/500th second at ISO 1600 !!!!! Ask the pro here, Fhotoace in email and see what he has to say..cut and paste my reply and see if he agrees. I bow to his experience. Happy Holidays
 
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