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WhoozOn1st

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Maybe not actually show it - though you could I suppose - but how 'bout telling us what camera you usually use for taking pictures of trains, how it works for you, and why it's your choice.

As the major travel season rolls around for Team Whooz - and lots of other folks, I suspect - I've been kinda dusting off my photography tools and skills that have maybe been getting a little rusty. That got me to wondering about how other AU folks and guests go about their rail photography, beginning with their cameras.

As for myself, I was never much of a camera guy until digital photography came along. Too cheap and too lazy to make a regular habit of buying film, the cost or hassle of processing, printing, and so on. But then I received a hand-me-down Sony Mavica MVC-FD-83 in 2000. A camera so archaic even then that it used floppy disks as it memory/storage medium, it was nonetheless digital, and a revelation (revolution?) to me. No more film hassles, I could shoot all I wanted without shelling out big bucks for film, and I could see the results immediately and redo shots if I didn't like 'em. WOW!

I've been a camera guy ever since, though not as serious, wealthy, or fanatical as some, and certainly not professional.

It wasn't 'til 2004 that I started becoming more involved in rail photography. As part of planning a cross-country, all-Amtrak vacation I bought a Kodak DX6490 camera and a Dell laptop as a sort of matched pair for pursuing photography along the way. That was really the beginning of dedicated rail photography as a hobby for me, and it's a pursuit I continue to enjoy and find rewarding.

No doubt everybody has a good story about how they came to rail photography - pre-digital even - so maybe you'd like to tell your here as well, along with talking about current hardware, its whys and wherefores.

The Kodak EasyShare DX6490 was originally purchased because everything in my research pointed to ease of use, which was pretty important to me, as I considered myself (and rightfully so) pretty much of a digital klutz; not too swift with complex electronics. That, and a 10X optical zoom (excellent at the time), were the main purchase factors, and the camera worked so well for me that when it came time to upgrade I went with another Kodak, the EasyShare Z1015 IS.

Aside from the fact that the 1015's sensor blew out after only 3 months, aboard the California Zephyr while going over the Sierras on the first day of a rail-centric Utah vacation (warranty repair), I was never really happy with its performance. Like the DX6490 it was also simple to use, and for the most part I had no complaints with the photos and videos it turned out. I say for the most part because there were occasions on which it did let me down, for reasons that seemed to have nothing to do with my own ineptitude (always a factor to be considered). There were focus issues like sluggishness, or a strange indecision that made videos useless when the subjects went in and out of focus as the camera couldn't settle on anything. With no real manual option to go to, there were missed or botched shots when the camera wouldn't lock on anything at all.

These cameras were "point-and-shoot," or P&S cameras, in a category that has come to be called "superzooms" or "ultrazooms." (EDIT: Also sometimes called "bridge" cameras, a term I believe is a misnomer, as it implies a middle ground between P&S and DLSR types. Superzooms, for all their features and capabilities, remain squarely in the P&S category due to the small size of their photographic sensors; the heart of digital cameras and the element that collects the light to be processed into a viewable image.) A more advanced - and more expensive - type is the DSLR - Digital Single Lens Reflex - camera, which is also popular for those rail photographers with bigger budgets and who look for attributes beyond those offered by P&S cameras. And of course there are the simple compact and subcompact cameras that many more casual photographers might prefer, those for whom rail photography is more of an incidental thing than a dedicated pursuit. Such cameras might also serve as fine introductory models for those who are interested in trying rail photography as a hobby, but without making a large investment to begin with.

Back on the Whooz front, the Kodak Z1015 was frankly getting on my nerves, especially during the major Ragin' Rails Raid last summer. I was definitely in the market for a replacement, and finally decided on the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. It's another P&S superzoom, and though I've had it since November there have been no major opportunities to take it trackside and give it a good first workout and get to know the camera better. Soon, though, and thinking about that is what got me thinking about posting this topic to see what others are doing in their photo world as well.

Recently, while looking forward to taking the SX40 out and about bigtime, I started hankering for a smaller, cheaper, camera that I could easily keep with me; a sort of everyday walkaround camera that would maybe help improve and maintain shooting skills without lugging the larger, heavier SX40 all over the place. I chose another Canon, the small and simple A1200. I've been using it for a couple weeks now, and it's working just as intended - I carry it whenever I go out, and when I see something interesting just haul it out of a pocket and snap away. It hasn't been used for any rail photography yet, but as noted at the beginning the major travel season is almost upon us, and I'm thinking the A1200 will come in handy for, say, lesser or simpler shots that don't require the SX40's capabilities.

So show us your camera!! What are you using for shooting trains these days, how does it work for you, and oh yeah, maybe tell us about what kind of camera you'd like to have - a sort of wish thing involving features you'd like to have or be able to afford.

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Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. What are YOU using lately?

 
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Great idea for a thread.

DLSR all the way for me. I like the flexibility given by interchangeable lenses and the performance given by the larger sensor size (which in my opinion is the most important camera feature - the bigger the sensor, the more light you're capturing). No shutter lag and multi-frame-per-second are icing on the cake.

Started out with a D60 to see if I was going to use it enough to make paying for a DSLR worthwhile. Took pictures like crazy, and quickly graduated to a higher end D90. That's served me well for at least 2 years, and I have the huge itch to upgrade to full frame. I see a D700 in my future in the next 6 months.

My everyday carry lens is the super awesome 18-200. If I need a little more reach, I also love my 70-300.

For the "little camera" needs, I've found that the camera on my iPhone takes a pretty decent picture, and I've always got it on me.
 
I use a Nikon D80. I use a basic 18-55mm and also have a 70-300mm. It's a great camera. Works well. Fits in the camera bag perfect. I also my iPhone 4S as my secondary. It gets 2MP less then the D80 and it's just as good sometimes.
 
I have a Sony DSC-H20. I would love to get a DSLR, but unfortunately I have to prioritize my spending. Back in the pre-digital era, I had a Sears SLR camera of my dad's that my mom gave me after my dad passed away. I really loved that old SLR camera, with several interchangeable lenses and the ability to hold the shutter down for a long time. I once sat (in my car!) and used that feature to capture lightning for a period of half an hour or so during a storm in Spokane. I also one time set it up on my mom's back porch on a tripod, pointed at the Big Dipper, and let it sit for a couple of hours. You have to trust me when I tell you it's so cool to see a photo of the Big Dipper when the shutter has been open for two hours. :lol: :lol: I'd love to have that feature back. For the time being, my Sony works well for my purposes. It has a multiple variety of settings, a 10X zoom lens, and 10.1 megapixels. I can also change the shutter speed on this camera. I had a couple of Kodak Easy-Share cameras before that, and they weren't nearly so flexible as far as settings were concerned. They weren't much more than point-and-shoot cameras. I chose this camera because it had the features I wanted and because I also have a Sony CCD-TRV138 NTSC camcorder, and I have had very good luck with any Sony product I've owned. As we speak, in fact, I'm in the process of converting all my many, many hours of VHS tapes to DVDs. I film all my Amtrak trips, and any time I get the itch to go on a trip, I just pop in a tape (or, now, a DVD). I've saved thousands of dollars by watching tapes and DVDs instead of going on an actual trip. :lol:
 
All of the DSLRs I've seen require two fully-functional hands, which I don't have, so I use the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS. It has quite nice specs for something without interchangeable lenses, including a 14x optical zoom, and is small enough to take anywhere. Its only downside for me is a proprietary battery and charger, which is pretty archaic these days. I bought an extra battery after losing power quite early in a steam trip behind the SP 4449 last summer.

When I was in the market, I did a lot of online research, but then went to my local camera store to try out options in person. This is imperative for me since my physical limitations mean that I just can't operate a lot of cameras due to the placement and size of some of the controls. Here in Seattle, we're lucky to have an excellent, professionally-oriented camera shop called Glazer's Camera, which I highly recommend. They have very knowledgeable staff, and their prices are comparable to the online alternatives. They do sell online, also.

I find, though, that I also take a lot of pictures with my HTC EVO 4G, simply because it's a snap to post them directly to Facebook. The quality isn't bad for many uses, though not anywhere near as good as the Canon.
 
When I was in the market, I did a lot of online research, but then went to my local camera store to try out options in person. This is imperative for me since my physical limitations mean that I just can't operate a lot of cameras due to the placement and size of some of the controls. Here in Seattle, we're lucky to have an excellent, professionally-oriented camera shop called Glazer's Camera, which I highly recommend. They have very knowledgeable staff, and their prices are comparable to the online alternatives. They do sell online, also.
Aloha

The quoted paragraph points out the most important aspect of Photography. No matter how good the camera is, it does not make it feel right in your hands, and your comfort/skills is what lets you take a good picture.
 
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Good early response. Seven cameras so far, so that's only 5,019 more members left to hear from!!

When I was in the market, I did a lot of online research, but then went to my local camera store to try out options in person. This is imperative for me since my physical limitations mean that I just can't operate a lot of cameras due to the placement and size of some of the controls.
This is a crucial issue for Team Whooz Executive Assistant Alice, too, who also must try out cameras in person before reaching a decision. She's in the market right now, and is still doing her online due diligence to winnow the field before heading into stores. Maybe she'll have something to tell us about that, too. For the past several years she's been getting multiple specimens of an out-of-production Sony model because she finds it easiest to work with.

Ryan mentioned his iPhone, CHamiton cited a phone, and that's a category I neglected to mention. Phone cams are becoming more popular as go-to cams as their capabilities improve, and even becoming main cameras for some, cutting into low-end digital camera sales. The phonecam route wasn't an option for me when looking into an everyday camera, since the one in my LG Optimus Slider produces junk shots that are barely worthy of embedding in text messages. Yuck!

So far we're hearing about the cameras themselves, and that's great, but aside from JayPea hardly anything about the way the hardware is used by the software (the owner) for rail photography. Hopefully we'll get some expansion into that area as we go along... And don't be shy about including examples!

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This is a high zoom shot from the Kodak Z1015, Fillmore & Western Railway, July 4, 2011. The train is almost a mile away, seen through a break in a river levee. I like the way distance gets compressed in long shots like this, in which the uphill grade facing the oncoming train is emphasized by the compression, and by the viewpoint from down low, near track level.

 
The digital camera I use most often is on my iPhone. I like how it usually records location. Here's an image I took while on the Texas Eagle last fall.

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The film camera I use most is the Lomo LC-A+. Here's a view taken during the Southwest Chief's layover in Albuquerque.

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The lenses on both cameras are recessed, so if I'm shooting through a window, I can hold the camera flush with the glass and avoid reflections. The main benefit of the iPhone camera is that it's always with me. I love the quirky distortions introduced by the LC-A+. Another plus for the Lomo is that it can take super-long exposures.
 
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This is a photo taken last spring at a railroad crossing near Ritzville, WA. This is on the old NP route, a heavily used route by BNSF and is also used by the Empire Builder on its Portland run. I was using my Sony camera and using the 10X zoom to its fullest capacity. For some perspective, the elevators in the background are about half a mile or so away.

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I'm not a particularly serious photographer; I use a compact Canon point-and-shoot model, the PowerShot A720IS (wasn't advertised as pocket-size, but it does fit in my jeans). Like Ryan, my "backup camera" is the iPhone.

Both taken with the Canon in Cork, Ireland, earlier this month:

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So far an interesting array of rail and rail-related photos, and an equally interesting array of cameras, including those whooz owners didn't grace us with photo examples. One I find particularly intriguing is Ithanlon's Lomo LC-A+, first because it's a film camera in our digital age (not that there's anything WRONG with that!), second because I'd never heard of the brand before. I wasn't familiar with a number of the models noted, so Googled 'em all to get a clearer picture (rotten pun intended) of what folks were talking about in showing us their cameras. With the Lomo I was starting from scratch, without any idea of what to expect, and came up with this from Wikipedia for starters, though there's plenty more info out there:

"Lomography is the commercial trademark of Lomographische AG, Austria for products and services catering to lo-fi photographers. The name is inspired by the former state-run optics manufacturer LOMO PLC of Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), Russia. LOMO PLC created and produced the 35mm LOMO LC-A Compact Automat camera — which became the centerpiece of Lomography's marketing and sales activities. This camera was loosely based upon the Cosina CX-1 and introduced in the early 1980s."

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Lomo LC-A+.

 
Lomo cameras are spectacular for their rotten optics, impossible to predict how a shot will come out. They are favored by artists. Users can add to the randomness by purchasing expired film from them.
 
Lomo cameras are spectacular for their rotten optics, impossible to predict how a shot will come out. They are favored by artists. Users can add to the randomness by purchasing expired film from them.
Alice, I'd forgotten about Lomography until you mentioned it. Here's a great overview and sample images from Smashing Magazine.

The characteristics of Lomo photographs are oversaturated colors, extreme optical distortions, rainbow-colored subjects, off-kilter exposure, blurring and alternative film processing, all things usually considered bad in photography. In short, Lomography is the act of taking photographs without thinking, and ignoring the established rules of “good” photography.
 
Here is a picture of my camera (with me hiding behind it) taken by tracktwentynine.



DSCN7656 by tracktwentynine, on Flickr

He shoots a Nikon P7000(?), and is a constant reminder that you don't need a DSLR to take an excellent photograph.

I also neglected to mention film, I am starting to dip my toes back into that arena with a Nikon N80. No train pictures yet, but here is on of my recent favorites:



Smile! by Ryan Stavely, on Flickr

And a train picture to round out the set. One of the very first I took, back in the days of the D60:



DSC_0050 by Ryan Stavely, on Flickr

This wasn't the shot I had intended, my intention was to focus on the train, but I was still learning to use the camera and it focused on the guy in front of me. Pretty happy with how it came out.
 
While I use only digital now, and that has been the case for a number of years, my first camera was a Kodak Pony 135 which I used to take slides. I received this camera in the late 1940's and used it until about 1965 when I purchased my first SLR. Took may train slides with it and fortunately I keep those old slides which have now been digitized and saved at this LINK.

Picture of the Pony 135

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Taken in Chicago from Roosevelt Rd about 1957.

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Taken in Cincinnati about 1955.

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Taken in Louisville (my hometown) about 1955.

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Going for extra credit here. Heres a photo of me and my camera from the 2009 AU Gathering in Boston. Photo credit belongs to member Chuljin.

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Although I no longer own the lens shown in that photo.

I have a Nikon D40 and an 18-105VR for everyday use, and when I'm feeling adventurous I have a 70-300VR for the distance stuff. I keep thinking about getting a straight 50mm lens so I can focus more on composition, but I guess I enjoy taking bad pictures ;)
 
What's this "extra credit" crap!? Nobody's gettin' any extra ANYTHING around here, see? Okay, maybe Long Train cuz he's got a shot of that Boston guy whooz name included "II" and used to post at AU all the time but pretty much disappeared after Gathering III... :D

More cool cameras, cool photos, and another nod to film with MrFSS' contribution. Tom also mentions digitizing his slides, and in perhaps expanding the initial scope of this thread maybe he could tell us something about the process. I know I'd be interested! Kinda born into railfanning, I've got a ton of virtually unviewable slides that I'm sure could benefit from DIY digitization. I know he's a Photoshop advocate too, and so might wanna discuss post production and editing as well...

While the focus (so to speak) has been on still photos so far, I wonder how many use the video capabitlities of their cameras as well. Of course there's the Sony camcorder of amtrakwolverine, who extracts stills from a dedicated video machine, and if memory serves I believe Long Train Runnin' has - or had - one of these as well. By the very nature of trains they lend themselves well to video, so are you folks who do the rail video thing multitasking your still rigs, shooting with small camcorders like we've already seen and using them for stills on the side, using mini vidcams like the late, lamented Flip or the Sony Bloggies, or what?

So far we've seen some really nice photo samples from people showing us their cameras. In my first post I complained about focusing problems with the Kodak Z1015, so to balance out all the good stuff we've seen so far here's something rotten! This is an example of the focus hunting I noted - in autofocus video mode the camera can't decide what's what, thereby wrecking an otherwise perfectly good video (and fueling my desire for a new camera):





Nice, huh? For those who do the video thing, have you ever experienced this phenomenon, and if so how did you deal with it?
 
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Don't need a dedicated video machine. Any laptop or computer running the sony software that comes with the camera can extract the photos that go to the cameras built in hard drive instead of the SD card. for videos I just upload right to youtube or photo bucket or imageshack right from the card. As for auto focus not much you can do if there is no manual option. I used to use a vivitar vivacam but it fell in a public toilet during a monster truck show and stopped working. I used to have a Kodak easyshare 4MP camera can't remember the model but it stopped turning on. I have a Nikon D60 camera but does not have video capabilities plus it got dropped and the lens does not stay attached(I'm hard on cameras).
 
Don't need a dedicated video machine.
All that's meant by "dedicated video machine" is a camera that's primarily designed to shoot video, like a camcorder, that only does still photography as a secondary thing. The opposite would be "dedicated stills machines," I suppose, which do video as a capability secondary to their designed main purpose.
 
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Here is a picture of my camera (with me hiding behind it) taken by tracktwentynine.



DSCN7656 by tracktwentynine, on Flickr

He shoots a Nikon P7000(?), and is a constant reminder that you don't need a DSLR to take an excellent photograph.
Thanks for the compliments, Ryan.

I have had great success with my Nikon P7000, which is a mid-range camera. Larger than a compact, but one I can still fit in a jacket pocket. I like it for its size and flexibility. I generally carry it with me on a day-to-day basis (never know when you're going to need to take a picture!). The best accolade I can give it is that it is super easy to switch into HDR mode. However, I am very disappointed in the speed of the camera. It takes far too long to start and to focus. I've heard these issues have been fixed with the newer (P7100) version. But the performance (or lack of it) was a factor in pushing me back to Canon.

Here are a few photos with my P7000:



"Waiting for a Train" - Silver Spring, Maryland [Washington Metro].

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(HDR) "Philly Departures" - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [30th Street Station].

I have recently upgraded to a DSLR (it was a Christmas present). I'm now using a Canon Rebel T3i for when I know I'm going to be out taking photos. I'm still getting used to it, since I've only had a chance to practice on rail fanning/transit fanning trips a few times this year. If anyone has any tips for newbies with DSLRs, I'd love to hear them.

I'm very pleased with the speed. I'm also pretty happy with the ability to play with focal length, though I still need to learn how to do it better.

Here are a few photos with my Rebel T3i:

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"Moment in the Sun" - Colesville, Maryland [National Capital Trolley Museum].

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"Green Reflections" - Tempe, Arizona [uPRR and Metro Light Rail bridges over Tempe Town Lake].

And of course, I use a phone, too. I have an Android HTC Thunderbolt, which takes surprisingly good photos.

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untitled - Tempe, Arizona [Metro Light Rail]
 
I just came across this topic today. I'm in the same boat with Whooz and currently own a Canon SX40. So far, I have been very happy with it. In the past, I had the Canon S5 and upgraded to the SX30 in early 2010, but became frustrated with it as it seemed to be loaded with too many megapixels (14 mp) on a CCD sensor resulting noisy and soft pictures many times (could be operator error, but I was getting nice shots from my s5 previously). The SX40 was switched to a CMOS sensor and dropped to 12 MP which made a huge difference in low light shots and overall sharpness. I did flirt heavily with an SLR--seriously considering the Canon T3i, but I decided that a bridge camera was best for me.

I also loaded the CHDK (Canon Hackers Development Kit) on my SD card which allows me to access other features such as the ability to take RAW photos. If I wish to do star trails, I can set the shutter speed up to 34 minutes. If you have a Canon P&S, be sure to Google CHDK and they website can give you directions on how to install it.

I also have a pocket camera - the Canon ELPH 310HS which has the aforementioned CMOS sensor as well. It's handy to bring when I go to dining car or if I was to take pictures of a train station and want to remain subtle about it.

If you're at all interested, you are welcome to check out my Flickr photostream here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56878150@N04/

Dan
 
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