Im new to this sport but i have several questions about taking pictures. I know most tradionalits prefer taking slides because of the better quality. is it ok to take prints and then scan them into the computer. Second is ther a book or resources for california. Im always taking of Cajon Pass and its starting to get boring. So if you people can give me ideas about how to go my new hobby so I can post my pics.
Hi ralphie,
Cajon Pass boring??? [:O]
I can’t answer the questions about California, but print and slide scans I can.
It depends on what level of quality you prefer. You can scan prints with a flatbed scanner. However, the quality is far less than a scan from a slide. With a good slide scanner that can scan at least 2,000 dpi, you can get a nice scan. Mine can scan up to 4,000 dpi, which does very well for me. I don’t know the largest dpi setting on the newest flat bed scanners, but my old flat bed only goes as high as 400 dpi. Of course, digital cameras take out the “middle man scanner”. Again, it depends on what level of quality you prefer.
Take care,
Russell
Hey Ralphie boy, howyadoin? Welcome to the forums!
If you are primarily going to be posting pics on the web, I would go the digital route…
a reasonable digital camera is no more expensive than a slide scanner, and if you get one in the 8mega pixel range you can still do great prints from your photos…plus, you can see right away how well your photo came out…in the long run it would be cheaper, because you will feel free to take more shots, and it doesnt cost you anything for film or developing… not to mention storage and retreival of photos. It’s a lot easier to browse through thumbnails of shots on the computer than scores of slides on a light tray…
like any other hobby, you can spend lots right up front or start modest and grow as your style and needs become better defined through practice.
As far as locations, I am sure there are lots of great places for photo ops…if you like commuter trains, for instance, try San Onofre Beach just south of the power plant. In the summer, there are lots of sunbathers while waiting for trains to arrive…[:-^]
P.S…welcome to the forums![#welcome]
Seconding JSGreen’s comments on going digital. What you save in film over time will more than make up for the cost of the camera.
I’ll add something to that as well. Get a camera with removable memory and a card reader for it (if your computer didn’t come with a built-in card reader). You can then pick up extra memory cards and shoot until you run out of batteries. If you still have batteries, and a laptop, you can download what you’ve shot, clear the card, and keep right on going!
I’d recommend something with removable batteries, too - it’s so much easier than looking for an outlet and watching trains go by while your camera charges up.
With plenty of memory and batteries, you can take pictures to your heart’s content, and you’ll only curse the fact that you have so many pictures to review and pick from.
While I haven’t even pushed things that far, I can shoot around 500 pictures with the spare memory and spare batteries I have for my Digital Rebel - and that’s at the highest settings (but not with RAW - that takes the 250 pics I can put on a 1 Gig card down to about 60).
I’d go the digital route. I have a Canon Powershot S2IS. A pretty decent camera. It comes with not only a USB cable for your PC,but another cable that lets you hook the camera to your TV and view the pictures/video you’ve taken on the TV itself.
Get a diiiiiiiigiiiitaaaaaal.
^This guy knows what he’s talking about.
Also, prints =/= slides, not by a long shot.
So, Which one is Eolafan?
Welcome aboard Ralphie. I have been a southern California railfan most of my life and can help you out on locations, just tell me what you are after. I’ll leave the photo questions to others more informed then myself, and there some very knowledgable and skilled potographers here on this forum (ahem… Chris where are you).
Russell, believe it ore not even to a die hard Cajon fan like myself it can get boreing watching endless strings of stack trains with the standard BNSF pumpkin on the point.
[(-D]
Chris,
Yes, I do know what you mean with boring stack trains. Coal trains rank the same. I don’t spend as much time at trackside like I used too. What I like is walking around some areas of the West Bottoms here in KC (in daylight of course) where there are areas of old rail exposed (spur tracks) where some spots in the streets have been worn away, especially the covered ones that still exist beside delivery doors in some of the old buildings. I could just imagine the busy SW7s switching 40 ft boxcars in and out.
Russell
Actually neither, but if I had to say which one is closer to the real me, it would have to be Ralph Cramden (the pudgy one).