Canon IS 1- or 2 Cameras for Railfanning?

[fordhamroad]

-my son showed up with one of these Canon IS 1 cameras, simple to use digital, with a 12x zoom lens and image stabilization. It works well on his fast child, but I wondered how good a job it would do with trains. Anyone out there using one to railfan? pros and cons?
- I understand model IS 2 is now on the market, but that an improved IS 3 will be out in May. These cameras are a bit bulky for a point and shoot, but a more sophisticated digital SLR will take me a long time to learn. I was looking for something still quick and simple, to use when travelling. Thanks for the help and advice.

Roger

[kevikens]

If you can get one of the digital SLR's. Like the older film versions they take auxilliary lenses and focus and fire quickly, a necessary function for photography of moving trains. The point and shoot digitals are barely adequate and do not hold their resale or trade value. Go for the digital SLR. Try the Nikon D50. It's affordable and its performance is excellent.

[fordhamroad]

-thanks, Kevikens.
I was originally considering an SLR since I have several film Nikons, but was fascinated by Image Stabilization. This is not a rollfilm concept, but struck me as possibly very useful for
-shooting quick snaps trackside, a relatively unprepared situation
-shooting closeups without a tripod, especially that neat model or layout at a rail show, to be photographed in low light in less than ideal lighting
-shooting places, like NY Subways where tripods are legally banned
-shooting over the fence and across the railyard to get that elusive rare piece of equipment with a hand held telephoto.

Any other Image Stabilization options?


Roger

[spRocket]

Canon makes a series of image-stabilized EF-mount lenses which will work on both the film and digital EOS SLRs. I've had very nice results with the 28-135 IS lens on my Digital Rebel.

The image stabilizer does suck up power, though, so you should turn it off when you don't need it.

[FarmallBob]

I was looking for something still quick and simple, to use when travelling.
Roger

Roger - I have been shooting trackside with digital "super zoom" cameras for almost 5 years.

They are relatively compact, fast and easy to use. And with 10x (or greater...) optical zoom they produce excellent quality images. The image stabilization is a particularly helpful under high zoom and poor lighting conditions - I would not now own a camera without stabilization.

For quick and simple the Canon IS-1 (and it's upgrade the IS-2) is hard to beat. My wife and a daughter both have them - both ladies have grabbed excellent trackside shots with their IS-1's. About the only (minor) complaint is the relatively small size of the LCD display.

I am currently shooting a Sony H1 (12x stabilized zoom) and am delighted with it. It recently replaced an Olympus C2100UZ which simply is wearing out after shooting 30,000+ images.

----

A few sample photos from the various cameras are here: http://farmallbob.rrpicturearchives.net/

...FB

[Terrapin Station]

I have a Canon S2 IS and it is great for all around photography. I only brought along my Canon G5 as well when I knew I'd also be shooting in low light (like in the subway) since the G5 has a fast f/2.0 lens.

That said, 5 months after carrying around two cameras when doing indoor/outdoor subway photography and rail transit photography, I upgraded to the Nikon D50 DSLR. Now, I carry around multiple lenses instead of multiple cameras. Much better One lens (Sigma 30mm f/1.5) replaced the G5 and two lenses (Nikkor 18-70mm and Sigma 70-300mm) replaced the S2 IS.

[FiatFan]

I've had my Canon S3 IS for about a month now and so far, I really like it. It takes good pictures and the 12X zoom gets you really close to the action.

It has a variety of preprogrammed settings or you can switch it to manual for full control of aperture and shutter speed. I'm still learning mine but so far it looks to be a good camera.

I got mine from www.buydig.com for about $425 including second day shipping. There are other places cheaper but the reliability of the vendor may nt be first tier.

Tom