- Cameras -
For years, I used my first and only camera for train picture-taking, an Ansco Vision Mini-MAF (Motorized Auto Flash) that had no additional lenses or attachments.  Almost all photos posted on the site before May 2003 were taken with this camera.

There was a short-lived (3-day) experiment in the middle of July 2002 with a Kyocera Samurai X3.0 motorized SLR half-frame camera; a slow focus time rendered it impratical for shooting moving trains.  The photos of the March 28, 2003 SLR/SLQ derailment were taken with a borrowed Olympus OM-1 manual SLR camera.

As of May 03, 2003, I've used a new second-hand Chinon GS-7 Reflex Zoom motorized SLR camera complete with a wide angle, telephoto and macro built-in lens and a number of major improvements over the Ansco camera (no more fuzziness, darkened edges or vastly incorrect exposure).  This is now my standard trainspotting camera, and it has served me marvelously.

The Chinon GS-7 is an automatic SLR camera from the early 1990's.  Reaction time is short, and it will take roughly 1 photo per second.  Incorrect focus or film exposure are extremely rare.

- Scanners -
Another change was the purchase in July 2003 of an HP Photosmart S20 film scanner to replace an HP 5100C flatbed scanner.  Combined with the new camera, photos from 2003 and later are much sharper than any featured on the site in previous years.

The HP S20 is a consumer-level film scanner capable of scanning up to 2400 DPI.  Colour balance, contrast and shading are accurate.  The software allows many possible corrections or crops, and is easy to use.  The scanner does produce some noise in dark areas, which is why shadow detail tends to be better with negative film than with slide film.

- Film -
The standard film I used since 1993 was Kodak MAX 400.  Starting in 2004, I experimented with other films after the Chinon camera's sharp focus and the film scanner revealed the graininess of Kodak MAX 400.  My current film choice is Fujicolor Superia Reala 100.  Click here to see the results of the film types I've tried.

Film Reviews

- Digital vs. Film -
I've sometimes thought about getting a digital camera, considering the large number of roster shots I've been taking since 2003.  However, a full-resolution film scan made with the HP S20 scanner generates an image the equivalent of an 8-megapixel digital camera.  To buy such a camera would cost as much as buying and developing film for 2500 photos.

Furthermore, digital photos are restricted by their limited colour range, which leads to much more difficult exposure correction and, often, less detail in dark or light areas.  Film has an infinite colour range--which comes in handy when photos are improperly exposed.  Consider the following:

A very overexposed photo (actual film exposure shown)

Exposure correction of original version using scanner software (32-bit colour, 4.3 billion colours)

Exposure correction of digital version using photo editing software (24-bit, 16.7 million colours--standard digital JPEG colour spectrum)
Note the loss of all detail in very bright areas (such as the sky) in the digital (JPEG) version.  Correcting an underexposed digital photo would result in the loss of shadow detail.

- Tape Recorders -

I started recording trains in 2000 with a Radiola N2234 tape recorder dating from about 25 years ago, and it remains in use today.  The sound quality is pretty good for an old mono tape recorder with a small built-in microphone.

On a summer 2002 trip to Europe, I bought a Sony Cassette-corder TCM-939 to record the trains there.  At first the sound seemed adequate, but in attempting to record a run-8 North American freight upon returning, it was discovered to be inferior to the older tape recorder.  The Radiola recorder is still used for all recordings.

A different tape/CD player plugged in directly to the microphone jack is used to transfer the recordings.to the computer.

- Train Notes -

As of the end of 2001, all recordings included the day the train was recorded and the number of the leading engine in the filename.  By early 2002, this also applied to photos.  This made it a lot easier to identify the files and indicate when they were from.  As of July 2002, I also started a trainspotting list that includes date, railroad, engines, cars, speed, etc. to further keep track of the trains I photograph and record.

Michael Eby 2006