I will probably be shooting in dark places and even at night. If you can afford one a Nikon or Canon DSLR would give you more flexibility. If not the same companies make excellent 35mm cameras
You will need two or three lenses depending upon what you are intending to shoot. I use Nikons do the lens list will reflect that fact.
Landscapes of the forest a super wide angle lens (or zoom) (digital, the 12-24mm zoom, 35mm the AF Nikkor 18mm f/2.8D or new AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED)
For close ups of plants or butterfly's, a Macro lens ( AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D or F-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED)
And for shooting animals, a AF-S Nikkor 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED II or the new VR lens of the same length.
Last summer I shot in the Caribbean for nine and a half weeks using an older Nikon D100 and two lenses (12-24mm and 24-85mm macro). I had no problems with rain or other tropical issues. You'll either want a fully waterproof camera or one that Ike Lite or Sea & Sea or Ewa Marine offers a waterproof housing for.
Even then you'll have to be aware of possible condensation inside the housing. You'll also need a waterproof flash for dark areas.
demo.elasticpath.com for 35mm underwater film cameras
waterproof digital cameras/housings:
waterproofcameras.com
camerasabout.com
ikelite.com
seaandsea.com
ewa-marine.de/english I'd go for something light, durable and versatile - in other words, a "super compact" like my Canon S3is, or the newer S5is.
They're not waterproof, but they're well constructed and have excellent lenses - 12x optical zoom in both cases, image stabilization, great movie mode. A lot of power and features in a very small package.
If you're going to be shooting in the jungle - even at midday - it's going to be very dark. The newer S5 has a hotshoe (S3 does not). You could add a Canon 430 flash and be prepared for just about anything. | 