Railfanning Cameras

[Cody J]

My family has asked for a christmas list from me and I need a new digital camera. I want a good one but I don't want a huge one like the Canon Rebel. My price range is around $100. I want it do be good quality, take good photographs and just be a nice camera.
If you have any ideas please let me know via a reply.

Thank you,
Cody

[ABC]

You may want to consider a Used camera that initially cost more than your budget allows, the reasoning behind this is that for $100 dollars there is not much difference between a $30 dollar camera, but say a $175 to $200 camera-cameras in this price point can take much better quality pictures, and you'd be paying around $100 for it.

[jonathan]

Cody,

I may have to agree with ABC.  You will have a tough time finding a new digital camera, for that price, that takes decent photos.

The good news:  this is the season when lots of stuff is on sale.  I bought a camera last year that cost around $300.  This year, that same model is less than $200 (even lower if you're willing to go to say a Best Buy at odd hours).

I have read in model railroading books and magazines, one can pick up great deals at stores that specializes in cameras only.  I haven't tried it, yet.  But I've read they take trade-ins, and one can pick up a nice used camera for a really great price.  Couldn't hurt to ask.

The perfect camera would be ANY D-SLR.  But the cheapest new one starts at around $500... without a lens or carrying bag.

I'm no photographer, but I hope that helps... a little.

Regards,

Jonathan

[pdlethbridge]

Tiger direct sometimes sells refurbished cameras at a good discount. I  bought one for my daughter and paid way less than half list price. Great camera.

[jward]

i think you can get some decent cameras out there between 100 and 200 if you know what to look for. the d-slr may be the ultimate, but if you are, like me, short on cash you can still get a decent point and shoot model. this is coming from somebody raised on manual slr's who shot film exclusively until about 2004.

even the low end digitals take sharper photos than many good film cameras did. for railfanning here's what i look for, in no particular order:

1. megapixels. the higher the number the better off you are.

2. optical zoom. once again, the higher the number the better off you are. optical zoom and digital zoom are not the same.

3. image stabilization. optical is best, but you don't want a camera without some form of image stabilization. it helps reduce blur when shooting moving objects.

4. card compatability. i stay away from sony in particular because they don't use the same cards as most other cameras.

5. battery. i look for cameras that use aa batteries, then buy several sets of rechargables, i also have a charger in my car.

6. response time (shutter lag).....when taking train photos the last thing you need is a camera that takes a long time after you press the shutter button to take the picture. or takes forever to be ready for the next shot.

7, burst mode. that train with 8 locomotives is bearing down on you. do you really want to have to pick and choose which ones you get pictures of?
burst mode allows you to continuously shoot until you release the shutter button.

[ALCOS4EVER]

     Cameras are like everything else, everyone has a favorite. I always used Canon film cameras but when I wanted a digital for general purpose including railfanning I couldn't afford a Rebel digital at about $750.00.
     I looked around an found the Kodak C140 at Walmart for $89.95. It is an 8.2 Megapixel with 3X zoom. It also comes with rechargable batteries and charger. With a memory card it cost me about $100.00.
     It does still and video and it very easy to use. It takes very nice quality pictures and has good features. Is it a "super" camera, no, but it is an excellent camera for $100.00. I would definitely recommend it.

[mabloodhound]

I will also recommend a 'last years model' or used camera as a good choice.
Buy from a reputable camera shop and you can get good deals.
I buy from Adorama Camera on-line and they are excellent people to deal with.   They have a good selection of older models and great prices. http://www.adorama.com/

I also recommend doing some research such as at  http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-reviews/ or http://www.dpreview.com/.
Do not buy cheap as you'll be disappointed.

[Cody J]

I found a Kodak C190 for 109 dollars at Walmart.com It comes with the camera, carrying case, two rechargeable AA batteries and a charger. It has 12MP. 5X Optical Zoom and 5X digital zoom. The max shutter speed is 1/1400 sec and the minumum is 8 seconds. It does not say if it has optical or digital stabalization but it says "blur reduction compensates for camera shake, subject movement or fast action"
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12456596#ShortReviewTitleBar

Does this sound like a good camera?

Thanks,
Cody

[john tricarico]

hi trainsrock

first its like trains or a new car 
go to the manufactureres web site and look up camers
there are many many good digitalcameras on the market
the price is up to you  and the features they have again your choice

look up nikon, canon, olympus and pentax
they all offer a great selection of camersa and slrs in
digital format for your use

i use a pentax K10 slr  ive been doing train photograpy for
almost 40 years

like i said its like buying trains   your have a big choice

now go buy one


good luck  john t  brooklyn ny

[ebtnut]

For railfanning, I find a few things you need to think about.  As noted already, look for higher megapixels, optical zoom, and uses standard, readily available batteries.  Some other things to consider--trying to shoot moving subjects (like trains!) with most viewscreens can be really frustrating, especially in bright daylight.  Try to get a camera with a separate range-finder viewer.  A lot of the lower-end digital cameras take their time recording the photo before the shutter is released to take another pic.  The higher the resolution you use, the slower the time delay.  These are some of the things that those higher-end D-SLR's deal with and why they cost more.

[jward]

i think the way to get into digital railfan photography is to buy the best camera you can afford, now...... then start saving up for one of the higher end ones. why? railroading is an ever changing situation. especially now, during a downturn, alot of older locomotives are parked while the railroad ponders holding on to them until traffic returns, or retiring them, and investing in new power at a later date. the last big recession we had, in the 1980s, meant the end of alco's on major railroads, and alot of the ge u series as well. this one has already killed off most of the ge dash 7s still out there on csx, and the early dash 8s on norfolk southern. this phenomena will also extend to the regional railroads as they find bargain basement prices on relatively new locomotives. in return, alot of their really old stuff will wind up in a scrapyard.

if you were just going to use the camera for model pics, i'd say save up. but since you're not, get a decent one and get trackside before the most interesting stuff is gone forever.

[jsmvmd]

Dear Cody,

Best Buy & Sam's Club have a Kodak digital for around $125 to 150 that takes fantastic pictures and videos with sound, and accepts the high capacity SD cards.  Very easy to use and makes composite or panoramic pictures;  what you do is go to panorama mode, and take one picture, shift the camera and take another, and repeat a third time, then wait for the camera to meld the three pictures into one.  Very nice for train and other shots.  Can highly recommend the Kodak stuff.

Please contact me via email if you would like to see some pics.

Best Wishes,

Jack

[TrainArts]

Used Nikon D100 should cost about $100 these days, I think.

And IMHO the best point made above, get a D-SLR. Between looking through the lens and the superior focus time, plus more manual settings, you will catch a lot more trains.

Many point and shoot cameras get confused by moving trains and won't focus until your shot is gone.

The corrugated and/or uneven sides of many freight cars will also throw off cheaper camera and point-and-shoot automatic zooms.

[jward]

i have owned digital point and shoot cameras by canon, vivitar, panasonic and aiptek (super cheap).....of these, only the vivitar had problems focusing on moving trains. even then, it was only out of focus when shooting the dark side of a moving train in sport mode. maybe i've had exceptionally good luck, but the point and shoots have consistently given me sharper photos than any slr film camera i ever had. one thing i have noticed, especially with my current camera, the canon, is that often in bright sunlight you need to adjust the aperture settings to slightly darken your photos or they can "burn out" the lighter colours.....i did the same thing manually with my film  cameras as well with similar results.

[TrainArts]

I have to agree that it seems the cheap little point and shoots can take crisper images than some SLRs.

Regarding the washing out of white areas, I am curious, does a polarizer help with that?