Getting my son started

[Suzanne y]

I was wondering if you kind people could help.me. My son is an everything rail enthusiast and has been since he could say the word train (his current read is about the history of british rail for example, and when he's not researching or tracking trains he's on a train simulator).

We have started taking him to different stations spotting, and to spot trains at our local spots. I only know and understand a tiny bit of what he does but it is his birthday in a few weeks and I would really like to start getting him set up with things he needs.

I am certain trainspotting is going to be a big part of his life moving forward and he is almost old enough to start going it alone.

He has mentioned a camera or a tripod for his phone, but as I want to surprise him I'm not sure what I'd be looking for; and ofcourse as he is young we won't be starting out with top of the range gear straight away.

Does anybody have any tips for a clueless mum who wants to feed her child's passion? Thanks

 

[Travelmonkey]

Welcome the forum your anorak will be in the post ,I recommend a trip to a steam railway that is a good family day out not just for the train buffs.

Personally I'd shy away from tripods to start with as some rail staff aren't welcoming, besides this phone cameras are very good in this day and age also worth before he goes out on his own a gentle saftey reminder as the consequences can be quite dire. I think I can speak for all of us here to say we don't want the BTP turning up cap in hand with bad news.

Looking on amazon can give you a idea of what can be good it all depends on the type of content he wants to capture is he after just the trains or does he like the travel too. I'm more the latter camp (if the name Travel Monkey didn't give it away), a decent trip to one of the mainline intercity interchanges would be a good shout for your lad, that or looking into a railtour, get a unforgettable experience in for you both.

 

[yorkie]

Welcome to the forum

What age is he going to be?

When you mention a camera or tripod for his phone; what phone does he currently have?

Is he into videos, photography, or both?

 

[sad1e]

A camera like a Sony a6000 is a good camera that is nice and compact , can do video and photos and is decently high resolution so it should gat good use from your son for a while. they are a little pricey at about £300ish for a camera and a lens though.

A Nikon d5300 is also a good camera if your son is looking do take more photos than video , it is a bit larger than the a6000 and does not do video as well but it is quite a bit cheaper going for £100-£150 and it has an inbuilt gps so you can check where photos were taken.

The Sony NEX cameras are also good they are basically a more budget version of the a6000 but they are quite old and i do not have any personal experience with them so i personally would not recommend them

All prices listed are prices from eBay. always buy camera gear used it is insanely expensive new

 

[sad1e]

If he would want to take photos and videos at the same time look into a hotshot phone mount. they allow you to attach your phone to your camera so you can easily take video on your phone and photos on your camera at the same time easily.

 

[Suzanne y]

Welcome the forum your anorak will be in the post ,I recommend a trip to a steam railway that is a good family day out not just for the train buffs.

Personally I'd shy away from tripods to start with as some rail staff aren't welcoming, besides this phone cameras are very good in this day and age also worth before he goes out on his own a gentle saftey reminder as the consequences can be quite dire. I think I can speak for all of us here to say we don't want the BTP turning up cap in hand with bad news.

Looking on amazon can give you a idea of what can be good it all depends on the type of content he wants to capture is he after just the trains or does he like the travel too. I'm more the latter camp (if the name Travel Monkey didn't give it away), a decent trip to one of the mainline intercity interchanges would be a good shout for your lad, that or looking into a railtour, get a unforgettable experience in for you both.

Thanks for your reply. Yes we have visited alot of steam railways, the north Yorkshire is a favourite and beamish museum for the trains and trams. He likes the trains and the travel as well as the history. I can see him trying to get onto as many different trains as possible. We are planning a train trip to London in the summer with them to go to the transport museum and let him try out the underground. We have already done the York museum and he knows the east coast main line, our local trains and metro system like the back of his hand. In terms of safety he is the wisest and most diligent rule follower I know the oldest 11 year old I have ever met, as soon as I allow access to social media I expect he will be on this forum getting involved in discussions with you all - but that will be quite a while yet.

 

[Travelmonkey]

Thanks for your reply. Yes we have visited alot of steam railways, the north Yorkshire is a favourite and beamish museum for the trains and trams. He likes the trains and the travel as well as the history. I can see him trying to get onto as many different trains as possible. We are planning a train trip to London in the summer with them to go to the transport museum and let him try out the underground. We have already done the York museum and he knows the east coast main line, our local trains and metro system like the back of his hand. In terms of safety he is the wisest and most diligent rule follower I know the oldest 11 year old I have ever met, as soon as I allow access to social media I expect he will be on this forum getting involved in discussions with you all - but that will be quite a while yet.

Sounds like a clever young lad, I still need to do Beamish myself just a shlep from where I'm based. Shildon is a good shout then if your NE based. Also look at the "acton depot open days" for the London transport museum if the timing syncs its a fascinating facility with all the old London transport parfinalia.

 

[Suzanne y]

Welcome to the forum

What age is he going to be?

When you mention a camera or tripod for his phone; what phone does he currently have?

Is he into videos, photography, or both?

He is going to be 12. But I say that lightly - he is very old beyond his years and as far as general parenting I'd say my job is done . He has an android Nokia at the moment. I think he only mentioned a tripod as he saw somebody else with one. He like to video them normally.

 

[StephenHunter]

Does he log his sightings at all? There's an app called Spotlog that might be up his street.

 

[Class15]

I literately hold up an iPhone, recording and taking stills at the same time!

 

[Howardh]

Dunno what they are called, possibly gimble (?) but when attached to the camera or phone they make the videos look really smooth.

Although many phones and cameras now do the same thing internally such as a GoPro.

 

[sh24]

Agree - an gimble is the best starting point. Plenty on Amazon, just don't pick the cheapest as it'll be rubbish. No need to invest in a standalone camera as smartphone cameras are now remarkably good.

 

[Willie Bee]

As a few folk have mentioned, modern mobile phones have great cameras for both photography and videography.

Furthermore, in many cases, 3rd party camera apps provide even better quality than inbuilt cameras. Some are free and others just a few pounds.

For Android .. Proshot, Open Camera, Manual Camera

For Apple, Blackmagic, Moviepro, Beastcam, ProMovie

A gimbal is useful, but most of the camera apps have built-in stabilisation now.