Anyone using MF for Train Photography?

jmooney said:

Great shot Brian! You bring up some interesting points and I'll probably wind up using a combination of both. I've already go an RB67 on the way but it's not the most portable and I really miss my Leica M6 but would prefer the larger negative so I'll be adding a MF RF to the bag soon too.

Jim

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Jim, the RB67 is a great camera, and a beast! There's no getting around that a rangefinders strength is an SLRs weakness and vice versa. Nothing compliments a good rangefinder like an SLR. I just purchased a Bronica SQ-A system from KEH to compliment my two MF rangefinders. It's great being able to see through the lens and compose on a tripod, but sometimes that gets old and you just want to grab a camera and go and shoot handheld. This is where the rangefinder comes in. If you really like the 6x7 format the Mamiya 7 would be a perfect companion. Let me know if you have any questions about MF rangefinders. I have lots of experience with most of them, and have fun with the RB!

Jim:I've been taking pictures of trains for more than 40 years.I currently use a pentax 645 with the standard 75 mm lens.I find the lens to be more than adequate and the combination of the built in motor drive and the flexibility of aperture priority exposure allows me to catch those moments when I'm caught off guard and would have missed that special shot.Isn't the Morristown and Erie railway near your location?.With their roster of ALCO engines there are plenty of opprotunities to catch them smokin' it up.

Doug

I use a Mamiya C330 and a Bronica SQA.
I think the square format suits the subject. The cameras, cranky and old fashioned, suit the subject too.
There is nothing, IMHO, that beats a big negative.
On the minus side, they are slow and clumsy if you are in a hurry; and most standard lenses will provide a max aperture of only f2.8, so that means a fast film when you are trying to stop a speeding train in the gloom.
On the other hand they are robust and simple. I was in Mongolia chasing industrial steam. It was -32 degrees and my fingers were frozen. I dropped the Mamiya on a rock and broke the spool winder. I fixed it, in the field, with a few elastic bands and some duct tape and carried on shooting.

As everyone gets into digital. I may trade up to a 5x7 plate when I can.

A few examples here:
http://www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/mypics/712026

I know this locomotive. Where did you shoot this, Niles Canyon?

JonPorter said:

I use a Bronica SQ-Ai, mainly with the 110mm lens. I've also recently acquired a Pentax 67, since most railroad shots tend to be rectangular in composition. I use prisms with both cameras; waist-level finders are just too awkward for action shots, especially if I'm hand-holding the camera.

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