Hello All! Thanks again for all of the great advice!

We're planning a trip to CR in August of this year. I have a really great digital camera that I love, but I'm concerned about using it with all of the rain. We're going to do everything we can, from canopy tours, to hiking, to rafting, surfing & just hanging out on the beach & hot springs. I don't want to miss out on photo opps b/c of a high priced camera.

Canon makes a case for it, but I've read some really bad reviews about them breaking & leaking. I've seen some bags that are waterproof that you put your camera in & can take photos through, but I don't know if those are clear enough to take good photos.

I don't know if I should invest in a waterproof camera, take disposable cameras, or just risk it. Canon makes a waterproof 35mm for about $100, but then I won't have the convenience of digital & I don't know about the quality of the photos. Also, disposable's aren't the best for quality, but I don't want to ruin my camera.

Suggestions?

Dear tobewed,
as someone who uses her digital camera on a daily basis, and who lives in Costa Rica, I strongly recommend you bring your digital camera here. Although it is the rainy season, it doesn't rain all the time, it usually rains only a couple of hours a day, and if you are lucky, you will have a few days with no rain at all in August. You should get a plastic bag (even a big Ziploc will work), just to have something to put it in, in case it starts raining while you are out. You should close the camera and put it in your plastic bag, and not worry about it any more. If you buy a disposable camera, you will have less pictures, in lower quality, and you won't know how they came out until you return back home.
You should be careful not to leave your camera on the beach etc., because you may return and discover it is not there... But other than that, I wouldn't worry too much about the fact that you are coming in the rainy season.
Have a great trip!
I think wrote you a couple of weeks ago about Larissa from http://www.costaricanweddings.com/, did you ever contact her? I am just curious.
Pura Vida,
Neta Talmor

I have a traditional Minolta camera. It did get wet and stopped working when I was on a tour to the LaPaz waterfall gardens (jan 11). It was raining that day plus there was mist from the falls. I would like to have had one of those plastic housings. Maybe they just cover the camera housing and not the lens, but I would definitely investigate getting one because although its raining, you just have to have a picture so you pull out your camera and pray. My camera dried out overnight though and it started working again the next day. Whew!

I definitely would get a waterproof camera for rafting. Leave the digital in your room (plastic cover or not). With the canopy tour, just make sure you have it secured and not in the way of the harness equipment. I didn't take my camera on the canopy tour just because I thought it was way too big (not compact like a digital).

Thanks!

Neta: No, it wasn't me who was interested in Larissa, but thanks! I'm glad you use your camera all the time. I was just worried about whether I should take it or not. I don't want to miss the good photos, but I don't want to ruin my camera either.

katolb90: This past summer I went to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe & it was so wet, I only took out my camera for quick shots. I didn't even get any with me in front of the falls because I was scared to ruin my camera.

I think I might invest in a Canon Elf Sport (small waterproof APS) as a backup. I can make my *husband* carry that one & if we're out & it starts to rain, I'll take Neta's advice, put my digital away & use that one. And while we're rafting & surfing, I'll just leave the digital locked up at the hotel & use the waterproof one (we also didn't get any photos rafting the Zambize river b/c we were worried about our cameras). Don't want to miss stuff again! Thanks guys!

I took my digital Canon A70 to Costa Rica last July. It worked great until we got to the Osa Peninsula. The camera continued to operate, but I ended up with a circle of condensation in many of my photos. I kept the camera in a watertight bag with silica gel. It did dry out overnight, but that darn circle would return the next day. I am going back to Osa this July and will definitely invest in the waterproof case (plus, it'll be nice to have for snorkeling).

Dear obewed,
I was in Costa Rica for two weeks this X-mas.It is the dry season but there was a tropical depresion over the country and we had a lot of rain. I left my digital camer at home and took my Canon Rebel 35mm because I had read that the humidity was hard on the digitials. Well, the canon quit working on the third day. I put it in a zip log bag with a large desiccate and it was ok the next day. Mu friends Olympus digital worked just fine.