Western Railroad Discussion > I couldn’t have done it on K64: two at Sullivan’s Curve

I’ve gone down a rabbit hole with Canon’s EOS-M system this year.  Not that I don’t love my Nikons but there’s something to be said for size as time goes on.  Smaller and lighter do have their place in life.

But I digress.

i headed up to Cajon this afternoon as the sky began to break open a bit.  Traffic was so bad on I-15 North that I got off before 138 and went to Cajon Junction.  The real mission was to see what the new (refurbished) M50 and 55-200 could do.

i was getting ready to leave as the sun was behind the mountains.  I noticed the WB signal on the UP Palmdale Cutoff go yellow, and then green a few minutes later.  I decided to wait and see what I could do.

in the meantime, a BNSF eastbound came through the Junction on 1 Track and made its way into Sullivan’s Curve.  And then, along came the UP man.

In a fortuitous convergence, the headlight of the UP man lights up a bit of the hillside, the red signal reflects on the side of the train, and, to the right, the FRED of the BNSF man blinks to show it’s presence.

The camera and the lens did their job.  ISO 6400, 1/10 second handheld, f 6.3, 170 mm.  I can only take credit for the composition, pressing the shutter and holding still.

i think I’ll keep the camera and the lens...

Press 25

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Interesting shot.... I've seen comments that the mirrorless cameras take time to fire when you push the button and so several places I've read about them is that they're not as practical for 'action' photography; railroad, aviation, wild life. I'm curious as to what your experiences are.

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

I see no real difference btwn my 5Dmk4 and the RP.   Both will pass the "Acela Test".  DPReview also remarked on the AF and firepower of the new Sony.

There's no reason why mirrorless shouldn't fire the shutter every bit as quick as conventional cameras... in fact wothout having to get the mirror out of the way there should even be scope for mirrorless to be even faster on the draw...

I started down the rabbit hole with the EOS M100 and 15-45 kit lens as you can’t get the M100 body separately.  I added the 22mm f2 pancake lens.  The M100 with the 22 on it is a generally pocketable combination.  That is what I was seeking as i wanted an APS-C sensor street camera to replace the Nikon AW-100 and smartphone combination I was using for street and spontaneous photography.

I had researched and handled several APS-C street cameras and bridge cameras, and had more or less decided on the Ricoh GR III, but couldn’t get over the hump for the cost and fixed lens.  The M100, kit lens and 22mm were just over half the cost of the GR at sale prices when I first entered the rabbit hole.

My first test of the M100 was CalTrain and ACE at Santa Clara, both photo and video.  I was highly impressed, and i started going further into the hole, picking up the 18-140.  I recently added the M50, 55-200 and another 15-45 in a refurbished sale deal direct from Canon.

As far as my experience so far, I am highly impressed with the speed (as fast as the D7200), autofocus, and metering of both bodies and the system in general.  I had no intention of going down this hole, but the quality of the images coupled with the size made me do it.  I’ve shot with the M100 and 15-45 at EWR on the Northeast Corridor, and was not disappointed.

I have an extensive Nikon system and have had some complex thoughts as I climbed further down the hole.  I don’t see the Canon mirrorless system replacing my Nikon / Tamron / Sigma array.  I see them as having their place and role.  The Canons will be used when I don’t want to or can’t carry a lot of equipment.  Both systems will have their place for me.

Both of these images were on full auto as I wanted to see what the camera could do.  IMHO, based on 2000+ images with the M100, 22mm, 18-140 and yesterday’s experiments with the M50 and 55-200, I realize that I am still learning the capabilities, quirks and limitations of the system, but I have not discovered anything that would keep me from recommending it to anyone who asked.

Feel free to PM if there are any questions.

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