I know, I know, Costa Rica again?!
Yep.
Not only are there seemingly endless photographic opportunities down there, but now a trip to Costa Rica for me is a chance to reconnect with friends and do research for future photography workshops. I was in Mal Pais and San Ramon, Costa Rica last week with friends and family for a vacation.
Naturally I managed to make a few photos and videos while I was there 🙂 I was particularly excited to try the Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6 lens. I had a copy of this super-tele over a year ago and I had pretty dissapointing results with it. I decided to give it another shot and I’m glad I did.
While it is not as razor sharp wide open as the Lumix 35-10mm f2.8, with good technique I was able to get some great shots with the 100-300mm. I found that treating it like a 600mm lens is the key. Basically I only used it on a tripod and kept the shutter speed as fast as possible. My travel tripod (Manfrotto BeFree) was OK for still frames, but I found that I needed my larger tripod for shooting video. My Gitzo basalt sticks with the 701HDV head did a great job in that role.
It’s tough to get away and shoot on family vacations (see my tips here), but I got some good shooting in and had a great time. I’m really excited to get back to Costa Rica for my photography workshop in September. I know the Lumix 100-300mm will be one of the tools I use the most.
Very nice, Rob. I particularly liked the “rain on the chain” shot. DCS
Thanks David!
That shot has generated more comments than anything else I’ve shot recently 🙂