Posted by Patrick Nixon on December 22, 2007 at 12:54 PM
I have a relative who is a noted railroad photographer and author. He has always photographed with film, notably Kodachrome 25, but is thinking of switching to digital. While most of his photography is for print in books (small images), he also gives slide shows.
What megapixel camera would NPN photographers care to suggest? for LARGE print purposes (greater than 10"), I assume he would need to go greater than 6 mpx.
For projection purposes, I am not sure that large mpx are any advantage because most projectors have limited resolution (1024 x 768) anyway.
What do NPN photographers think about these issues?
Posted by David Bostedo on December 22, 2007 at 2:18 PM
Patrick - If he's getting a new camera (as opposed to used), going larger than 6 MP won't be a problem, since just about all DSLRs are greater than that now. Most are in the 10-12 range now. I think anything in this range is plenty for the purposes you mentioned. Of course, there are advantages to going to a higher number if you talk about really large prints, and croppability, but it seems like 10 would be just fine. (And 10 would easily get you good prints at 8x10....and with good technique could go MUCH larger.)
As far as the projectors go, some have much higher resolution than what you mentioned, but still no where near 10 MPs. Pictures will probably always need to be resized to make sure they display properly - but I don't know too much about that.
Posted by Dan Borzynski on December 22, 2007 at 8:10 PM
If he is an author and is photographing for his work, any current prosumer digital body will be fine. Even an older 6 mp will probably be good, assuming that he isn't making HUGE prints. I can easily get 11x14's with my 8 megapixel and have gone to 16x20 comfortably.
If budget is a nonissue, there is always the Canon 1 Ds Mark III, which is a mere $8,000, with no lens. He'll be set for years with that one
With regards to the projector - that is even easier. Once he gets the photo ready, just downsize it to something smaller than the 1024x768. Try to use as much of the screen as possible, but keep in mind that the cropping may not be exactly this size. The image is more important than that size anyway.
Larger files just take longer to open up and have to be resized by the software anyway. It is better for him to resize than software opening the file since there won't be any surprises.
One more thing - digital has a very different color palatte than film. That, for me, has been the toughest thing for me to get used to. It will "feel" a lot different than film.
Any other questions come up, just ask, either you or him.
Posted by Pat Warfield on December 23, 2007 at 3:49 PM
Patrick,
To recommend a digital SLR, I think it best to know his budget for new equipment & a few other things.
What film camera & format does he use now?
What is his photographic skill level?
What features does he like best or want to have in a new camera.
What lenses does he have that could work on new digital SLR's?
Does he need fast action capability, and does he want to sell art prints in addition to publishing?
Does he make 'good' money doing this that could pay for new investment?
Pat Warfield
Posted by Kent Staubus on December 24, 2007 at 1:24 PM
Believe it or not, I am a "railroad photographer," otherwise known as a foamer. I have worked for one of the three major RR magazines as a photographer/columnist and still submit several times a year to different ones. I had a photo published in "TRAINS" magazine this year (LOL!) Because of my traveling job, I take RR photos pretty much daily. Few take more than I do, or with as much variety. My latest article is in Railroads Illustrated, the November issue. It's two pages on the DME Railroad history/sale. I should have some more photos in the March issue too.
Anyway, the camera really doesn't matter. I use a Nikon D80 which is about perfect in terms of value/performance. Here's something I bet you would never guess. The tripod is likely more important than the camera. There are thousands of people sending photos to these magazines and the number one technical reason for rejection isn't because there weren't enough megapixels, but rather because the shots just aren't sharp. I use a tripod for about 75% of all my shots. I obviously don't use one while on a train etc., but just about any time else I do. You generally don't need fast action capability (e.g frames per second) for RR shots.
The tripod is crucial for most shots. I also have a large collection of first rate lenses. I actually have a set of lenses for day use and another for night use. Not many people take train photos at night though. The other two people who do it with any consistency are Gary Knapp and Micheal Ross Valentine. (Yes, I know them.)
Anyway, the camera itself just doesn't matter much. I know and email the editors of all the large RR magazines (Jim Wrinn, Steve Barry, Cythia Priest) and they all say the same thing--as long as the camera has about 10 MP, it just doesn't matter. If you are serious about making photos bigger than 8x10, you would be FAR better off spending the money on a solid tripod and tripod head. To give you an idea, my camera cost $900 and my tripod/head cost $900. Spend at least ~$300 on a first class ballhead. The AcraTech is about the lowest priced one I've found that works well.
As for making "good" money selling RR photos, ROFL!!!!! By the time you pay for the gas to chase the trains etc., you end up losing money. Pay for these kinds of photos is notoriously low. That's partly because the audience is small and partly because there are so many people out there with decent photos who will give away their photos for free just to see them published somewhere. It's even worse than nature photography if you can believe that. I don't know of anyone who makes a living just selling railroad photos, and I pretty much know everybody out there.
So who's your relative that still shoots K25? Plowden? Howard Ande? JIm Boyd? I don't think Steinhammer is still out taking photos. Hopefully it's not ol' Garland McKee, LOL!!!
Posted by Patrick Nixon on December 27, 2007 at 11:04 AM
I'll have to keep my relative anonymous for the moment. He is not a noted RR photographer, but a noted RR author/editor of books containing photos originating from his own 35mm slide collection from as far back as the 50's, and those of others. Because his images almost always wind up being printed at 8 x 10 or less and as photographed (i.e. no cropping), I've tentatively concluded he can get away with a 6-8 MP camera with low noise characteristics. But I can understand why photography for magazines (potential cropping or even printing larger) would require more.
Discussion
5 repliesWhat megapixel camera would NPN photographers care to suggest? for LARGE print purposes (greater than 10"), I assume he would need to go greater than 6 mpx.
For projection purposes, I am not sure that large mpx are any advantage because most projectors have limited resolution (1024 x 768) anyway.
What do NPN photographers think about these issues?
As far as the projectors go, some have much higher resolution than what you mentioned, but still no where near 10 MPs. Pictures will probably always need to be resized to make sure they display properly - but I don't know too much about that.
If budget is a nonissue, there is always the Canon 1 Ds Mark III, which is a mere $8,000, with no lens. He'll be set for years with that one
With regards to the projector - that is even easier. Once he gets the photo ready, just downsize it to something smaller than the 1024x768. Try to use as much of the screen as possible, but keep in mind that the cropping may not be exactly this size. The image is more important than that size anyway.
Larger files just take longer to open up and have to be resized by the software anyway. It is better for him to resize than software opening the file since there won't be any surprises.
One more thing - digital has a very different color palatte than film. That, for me, has been the toughest thing for me to get used to. It will "feel" a lot different than film.
Any other questions come up, just ask, either you or him.
To recommend a digital SLR, I think it best to know his budget for new equipment & a few other things.
What film camera & format does he use now?
What is his photographic skill level?
What features does he like best or want to have in a new camera.
What lenses does he have that could work on new digital SLR's?
Does he need fast action capability, and does he want to sell art prints in addition to publishing?
Does he make 'good' money doing this that could pay for new investment?
Pat Warfield
Anyway, the camera really doesn't matter. I use a Nikon D80 which is about perfect in terms of value/performance. Here's something I bet you would never guess. The tripod is likely more important than the camera. There are thousands of people sending photos to these magazines and the number one technical reason for rejection isn't because there weren't enough megapixels, but rather because the shots just aren't sharp. I use a tripod for about 75% of all my shots. I obviously don't use one while on a train etc., but just about any time else I do. You generally don't need fast action capability (e.g frames per second) for RR shots.
The tripod is crucial for most shots. I also have a large collection of first rate lenses. I actually have a set of lenses for day use and another for night use. Not many people take train photos at night though. The other two people who do it with any consistency are Gary Knapp and Micheal Ross Valentine. (Yes, I know them.)
Anyway, the camera itself just doesn't matter much. I know and email the editors of all the large RR magazines (Jim Wrinn, Steve Barry, Cythia Priest) and they all say the same thing--as long as the camera has about 10 MP, it just doesn't matter. If you are serious about making photos bigger than 8x10, you would be FAR better off spending the money on a solid tripod and tripod head. To give you an idea, my camera cost $900 and my tripod/head cost $900. Spend at least ~$300 on a first class ballhead. The AcraTech is about the lowest priced one I've found that works well.
As for making "good" money selling RR photos, ROFL!!!!!
So who's your relative that still shoots K25? Plowden? Howard Ande? JIm Boyd? I don't think Steinhammer is still out taking photos. Hopefully it's not ol' Garland McKee, LOL!!!
http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/duckgrabber/?action=view¤t=LaMonte-1.jpg
Kent in SD