Fast film, filter and lens choice for a tropical jungle

[felipe]

I�m going to spend a little more that a month in a remote area in the

Amazon starting this November and I don�t want to miss out on the

wildlife. I�ve decided that this trip justifies buying a good

telephoto lens and maybe a camera with better autofocus. I also need

advice on chosing a fast film.

 

- What is a good fast film for shooting wildlife? I�ve seen some

discussions comparing Provia 100F pushed two stops with the 400F and

users tend to favor the 100F. What�s your oppinion? Would you rate it

at 320 or 400? What other fast film would you recommend? (I�ll be

taking many rolls of Velvia.)

 

- Does anybody uses a filter to enhance the green of the forest? John

Shaw recommends 81B and Green CC. Have you used this combination or

have other suggestions to make the green stand out?

 

- Should I go for the Canon 300mm f/4 + 1.4 Canon TC or the 100-

400mm? I�m leaning toward the former, but I like the convenience of

zooms. Is there any reason you would go for the 100-400mm?

 

- Finally, can the heat and humidity of the jungle make the Rebel

2000 fail? I�m considering the Elan 7 as a more dependable camera

since I�ll have no access to repair. Would the Elan be significantly

better for shooting wildlife?

 

I have a Canon EOS 2000, Bogen tripod with ball head, 20-35mm f/3.5-

4.5, 50mm f/1.8, 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 and 550EX flash.

 

Many thanks for your input.

[alex_p._schorsch]

There aren't many shortcuts to filming in the jungle. For landscapes velvia is great,with a polarizer it makes the green really stand out. The best time to shoot is early morning and late afternoon because at other times the light coming in from the canopy makes a dappled look with too much contrast for the film to register everything. I've always thought that the minimum lens for birds and animals is a 400mm. If you take a digital camera you will have better reach and can change the film speed at any time for different subjects. During the hot daytime hours you can get a lot of photographs of insects and plants,for that you need a macro lens. The 100 f/2.8 is great. Visit Arthur Morris's site www.birdsasart.com for some good info on getting photos of birds. Good Luck. If you com down to Iguaçu Falls send mean email,as I can give you somegood pointers. I consider a tripod a must, but sometimes your travel companions mighht find that to be a pain in the arperture.

[greg s]

"Finally, can the heat and humidity of the jungle make the Rebel 2000 fail?"

 

Not sure about that, but it can be a problem for fungus in lenses. A Costa Rica resident of the humid south Pacific slope told me he keeps his equipment in a special dehumidified room of his house... having learned the hard way.

 

So, you may want to familiarize yourself with the do's/dont's of lens care if you'll be going into steamy places. When I hiked into Carara NP (about as humid as Borneo), I left my best stuff behind and carried a $200 75-300mm zoom.

[ShunCheung]

A couple of suggestions: (1) You are buying a new lens not merely for this trip; most likely you'll own it for years to come. So I would get a lens that suits your needs in the longer run far beyond this trip. (2) Make sure you have a good flash with flash tele extender and plenty of batteries. That could be your main source of light in a jungle.

[vandit]

From my experiences photographing in Indian jungles: a zoom is invaluable to have wheen trying to photograph wildlife in forests, as your own ability to move is relatively limited. For that reason, I think a 100-400 may be a more flexible choice.

 

As for films - forget Velvia. You are not going to get enough light for that, unless you have a tripod. Even then, the shutter speeds may be too slow for action shots of game. By all accounts, Provia 400F seems to be better than 100F pushed - and as per National Geo photog Peter Burian, Sensia 400 is pretty much the same as Provia 400F (he doesnt notice enough of a difference to use Provia 400F).

 

Heat and humidity is not likely to be a problem, unless you are getting rained on (in which case, even the Elan 7 may not be enough). However, the Elan's faster fps and more AF points, as well as easier-to-adjust exposure settings make it a better camera for shooting wildlife. I dont know if it is *significantly* better or not, though. I'd make all the other purchase decisions first and only if there is cash left, then get the 7.

 

Hope that helps.

Vandit

[thomas_vanagt]

Some suggenstions:

 

1. don't buy a cheap consumer body, but a second hand professionel body, eg the eos 1N. You should be able to find one under 450USD. Much more reliable in tropical rain forest. My eos 1N kept on working in the Bornean jungle, the elan 2 didn't.

 

2. sell the 75-300, and get the canon 100mm macro USM. You will LOVE a macrolens in the jungle. For that purpose: buy the canon off-camera shoe cord 2 to work with your flash (mail me if you need more info on how to work with flash for macro shots).

 

3. I think the 100-400 is the best investment for the future, BUT because of its construction, I'm afraid it is extremely prone to fungi. If you can afford it, get the 70-200 2.8 IS and the 2x converter. If you can't afford the macro and the 70-200, buy a canon 77mm 500D diopter for macroshots with the 70-200.

[alex_p._schorsch]

Vandit, the Amazon isn't like India where one can sight a lot of large mammals like elephants, rhinos, large deer, etc. Almost the only thing you get to see down here are birds and insects with an occasional monkey,cabivara or agouti. For that reason many times the photographer will find himself doing landscapes and close-ups of the exuberant plant life. That's why I suggest Velvia. Ideally this would be a two camera gig, one camera with velvia(or similar) and another camera with 400ASA for those quick opportunities. Digital cameras like the d10 would be great because of the added "pull" of the 1.6 crop factor and the fact that one can change ISO "mid-roll". As for humidity,careful with spray from boat trips and rain that can cripple your camera instantly.Amateur cameras like the rebel and Elan definately do not support high levels of moisture and usually stop functioning imediately. I am not refering to simple jungle humidity but am referring to jungle downpours and the perils of navigating with camera equipment. The pro models support the aforementioned situations quite well and will hold up. (EOS 1v, etc.) As for your normal humidity, when you get back to your base (Hotel or Lodge) put your camera equipment into a closet or bedside table with a low-watt (Maximum 40watts - careful of high watt bulbs that can damage your equipment) light bulb turned on. Keep it in this makeshift dry-box overnight. Fungus can get into your lens and it can be difficult to clean them afterwards. FWIW this is my experience as I live in a tropical rainforest. Thanks and have a nice trip.

[greg s]

"sell the 75-300"

 

I'd have to disagree with this advice. I like to have a light zoom avail for when I'm roaming around with less equipment. Sometimes you'll want to de-emphasize the serious photography and not carry heavy primes or a larger 3 lb zoom. But, it's nice to have a camera body with a 1 lb 300mm zoom at hand for when that monkey or parrot or something cool makes a surprise appearance.

 

I'm way into reptiles and took this shot of a small snake with my 70-300 while strolling through the rainforest.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/1182165

 

While it may lack excellence in quality, I was sure glad I had my camera available. It's a matter of preference and philosophy, but I always bring my 70-300mm zoom along on a trip and try to always have it with me for any casual roaming around in the rainforest.

[vandit]

Hi Alex -

 

Point taken about the difference between the Amazon rainforest and the Indian forests (although I wish it was that easy to see game in Indian forests. Africa has spoiled me :)). I have to admit my advice was geared more towards photographing animals in thick undergrowth.

 

More for my edification (and also because I see a trip to Amazonia developing in the not-too-distant future): when I think of the Amazon rain forest, I have this vision of thick plant cover, narrowish trails and not too much visibility due to the bushes. Is that a roughly accurate understanding? What is a typical way to photograph animals here - handhold+high speed or can you get away with a tripod and slower film?

 

Regards,

Vandit

[alex_p._schorsch]

Vandit, I myself just could never accept the rather blasé, less sharp, less saturated results I was getting with high-speed film. It is really tough to photograph animals in the bush. What I do is use velvia or 100 ISO slide film because the results are better.That means always using a tripod. A lot of patience is necessary when photographing birds and monkeys. The birds will keep fleeing to the next perch and you must just keep following them, but they often stop and remain still for a few seconds and I've gotten some good results.Mainly for these long telephoto shots I am using Digital nowadays and am very happy with the results. The monkeys are much more difficult than the birds because they won't stand still. All in all the best photos of mammals have normally been in more open areas when thay come out of the bush along trails and roads or when they are in open trees. I now use a 400mm f/5.6 and with digital I can use a faster speed like 400 or 800 equivalent and I am very happy with this lightweight rig. I think it would be almost impossible to use the big guns like the 500 and 600mm lenses in the tight bush which I enjoy going through. I suggest you give the D10 a try. I would love to go to Bill Corbett National Park or to Nepal to shoot rhinos. I lived in India in the 70's and found it to be a very beautiful place, "Zindagi, ek safar, chal, chal, chal , madi hatik" From the film 420. I worked in the movies back in those days. Cheers, Alex

[felipe]

Vandit -- the forest is not too thick. You can expect some visibility (although low light) inside it. Because the canopy blocks most of the sunlight there isn't much undergrowth in the forest floor, unless you're near a river or close to the forest edge. I have some literature on the Amazon if you're interested in checking it out before you go there.

 

Thanks to everyone for contributing with an answer. I realized I need to pay more attention to the macro opportunities and now I will. I can't wait. If you have more thoughts, please keep them coming.