Hi y'all,
I'm heading to Costa Rica next week, emphasizing coffee, birds and beaches.

So far I'll be in San Marcos de Tarrazu, for the coffee business, then up north near volcano Arenal, then over to Nicoya, and south around Uvita and Drakes Bay.

If you have any places you'd recommend, let me know.

Also, I'm a rookie with the 7D, so if you have any warnings regarding lens management in the rainforest or on the beach, I'd like to hear them. Sea air concerns me in terms of corrosion.

Costa Rican Birds (http://www.costaricanbirds.com/)

Scott, in the Gulf of Nicoya area is a town called Puntarenas. Try finding a tour or another way to get to Tortuga Island. That was one of my favorite places in Costa Rica. A true tropical paradise. I also enjoyed the Tortuguero canals area on the east coast. I saw spider monkeys, toucans, sloths, kaman, etc on the boat rides through beautiful jungle scenery. Another great place is the Montevideo Cloud Forest.

Hopefully one day I'll make it back down there. It's a beautiful country.

Thanks guys. In particular, Marc, thanks for the link, that's some amazing audio work by David Ross. Hmm, parabolic mic, another toy to look at...

Hi,
Costa Rica, wonderful place.
Arenal Vulcano, hopefully you will see the top at night when it glows red. I did not have any problems filming, both east and west coast, bearing in mind the east coast is mainly rain(very wet) forest and the west coast (pacific) coast dry. I used a xl1 when travelling there , did not encounter any issues with it.
Have a great time

Mick

Costa Rica is on my short list of places I hope to visit within the next couple of years.
When you get back, let us know the best places to film!

Scott,

I've spent several months there on various occasions. Stayed in a little village on the Nicoya Peninsula called Nosara, for a month last year (and in '07). Highly recommend it if you want to relax... birding is OK, lots of howler monkeys, very warm and dry this time of year. Also recommend Arenal Volcano - Incredible birding, bugs, snakes, etc...

Here's a piece I bartered for some accommodation last year. Unfortunately I had my tripod ripped off on the first day so shot shoulder-mounted, and stabilized in post. Some of the footage is from my trip in '07 (most of the surfing). All shot on the XLH1.

YouTube - Jungle Surf Monkey Villa - Nosara Costa Rica 2009 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sBs88N3FME)

Well, you're probably back by now. I went to Costa Rica this past summer and it was pretty sweet. There are a lot of places to go, but even in a tourist hub like Manuel Antonio, as you walk among beach goers, it is like you are at the zoo. There are white faced monkeys, squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys, sloths, giant spider webs, crabs, all kinds of lizards (like, big lizards), etc...it is like walking onto a movie set as you get to the torquise colored water...I was amazed at the density and diversity of wildlife.

Hey Y'all
I'm in CR as I write this, Dominical on the South Coast, to be specific.

The trip got off to a good start. Got great footage and stills in coffee country (Tarrazu), including harvesting, processing, cherries, landscapes etc.

Unfortunately, when I arrived on the coast, near the beaches, I let my guard down and got spanked. Thieves cleaned out literally everything except the clothes on my back and the camping gear I was using overnight. Canon 7D, 2 HV20's, Sachtler/Vinten tripod, 4 Sigma lenses etc etc. They did leave the guidebooks and aspirin...

I´ve been here a week waiting on a new credit card so I can pay my way to the Embassy and replace the passport and hopefully head home.

Looks like insurance will cover a small amount of the gear, and the rest is gone.

It´s still great to be here, but not as great as it might have been.

Scott,

I feel your pain man, I was hit on my first day in a beach town (not Dominical), I hope your insurance will pick you up. I was lucky that I had full coverage. That totally sucks, and I hate to hear about it because I love Costa Rica.

Not to slam C.R. but after 30 years on the road, the only place that I was robbed was here.

Ken