Railway Video Focal Length?

[Harryeurostar]

Hi, I've just purchased my first interchangeable lens camera (apsc) and I'm about to buy a prime lens for it. My options right now are the sony 16mm f2.8 or the sony 35mm f1.8, Ideally I would want the 35 as I shoot alot of photos and videos in low light and I feel like that wide aperture would help alot to keep pics and videos sharp but I'm worried that the 35mm focal length would be too 'tight' to make for a good video on the station platforms? Obviously the 16mm would fix that but then it would be worse at night/ low light. What do you think?

 

[Sun Chariot]

Welcome to the wonderful world of railway photography and videography

Longer focal lengths, in my view, give more "drama" to videos and photos of trains. 135mm with a 2/3 size sensor; 200mm with a full size sensor / 35mm film camera equivalent.
In my 35mm film photography days, I used 100mm-400mm image stabiliser lens, with a 2x tele-converter where needed; giving me 100mm to 800mm focal range. I rarely shot railway subjects wide angle, except for a specific effect (e.g. taking a wide & low shot of an HST power car, to exaggerate the raked angle of its nose).

Even with a digi compact, I often shoot between 135mm and 400mm. Here are a few examples.

 

[Harryeurostar]

Welcome to the wonderful world of railway photography and videography

Longer focal lengths, in my view, give more "drama" to a train photo. 135mm with a 2/3 size sensor; 200mm with a full size sensor / 35mm film camera equivalent.
In my 35mm film days, I mostly used 100mm-400mm image stabiliser lens, with a 2x tele-converter where needed; giving me 100mm to 800mm focal range. I rarely shot rail subjects wide angle.

Even with a digi compact, I often shoot between 135mm and 400mm. Here are a few examples.

Ooo okay thank you, I'll look into some telephoto lenses aswell as the 35 to go alongside, I'm hoping that should give me a nice variety really nice photos by the way!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Ooo okay thank you, I'll look into some telephoto lenses aswell as the 35 to go alongside, I'm hoping that should give me a nice variety really nice photos by the way!

Thanks and good luck!

 

[Sun Chariot]

I found these on YouTube, two great examples of the "drama" that can be achieved by videoing with a longer focal length.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Hello @Harryeurostar how did you get on with your choice of prime lens? If you have bought it, have you had opportunity to take some videos using it?

 

[Harryeurostar]

Hello @Sun Chariot yes in the end I decided to go for the sony 35mm f1.8 oss lens! I have used it a bit and am enjoying it! Eventually I do want to purchase a wider lens and a telephoto, especially since I'm thinking of getting into aviation photography, but, as an all rounder lens I am very happy with it. It's kind of the perfect focal length for me, not too zoomed in but not to wide at the same time, which helps with my street photography Also the f1.8 has been very handy for night shots/ videos aswell. Once I have access to my files over the weekend ill post some of the stuff I've taken

 

[Adrian Barr]

I bought a canon M50 a couple of years back which comes with a 15-45mm lens, and also bought the 55-200mm zoom lens. I'm not used to having different lenses, so this is a beginners perspective of things I noticed (some of it might sound a bit daft or obvious to more experienced photographers):

I find them both useful for different things. If I'm standing on a bridge taking pictures of passing trains, the zoom lens works very well and I prefer the resulting images. You do need more light because of the higher F numbers being used, but I also noticed that trains are, relatively speaking, travelling more slowly through the frame than with a wider angle, allowing a slightly lower shutter speed. It feels like you have more time to frame the shot which makes it easier to photograph moving trains - switching back to the other lens I noticed the difference, much harder to shoot an oncoming train at a wider angle because its much closer and moving relatively fast across the viewfinder when you take the shot. Also the zoom lens gives you more options to frame the picture and "get closer" to things, very useful for taking pics overlooking yards and things like that. I notice this on some video footage - somebody is shooting an interesting scene from a bridge, then at the end the camera pulls back and suddenly it feels like the action is half a mile away and the actual view from the bridge was not that great without the zoom. You can also zoom away from station clutter to photo trains on the approaches to a station, which can be a more interesting shot.

The wider-angle lens is good around a station or somewhere the trains are close - like if you were at an open day at a depot or something. With a zoom lens you sometimes can't get back far enough to shoot something in front of you. Wide-angle is also good for taking side-on shots of rolling stock that would need you to be much further back with a typical lens (I like taking photos of wagons for example). It's also handy for getting the entire train in the picture when its close to you. For taking photos of buildings in the street, the wide-angle is great for those moments when you can't step back far enough to get something in frame with a normal lens.

Another thing is that changing lenses is a minor hassle, so it makes sense to pick one depending on what you're doing at the time rather than constantly swap between them. But it's nice to have the option to change lenses when you need it!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Hello @Harryeurostar how's your videoing going, with your 35mm lens?
Down south, sunshine has been intermittent this month; but I did manage the Snow & Ice Treatment Train on Portsmouth's Direct Line; and a "meet" of West Coastway's two aggregates services.

 

[Harryeurostar]

Videoing has been going pretty good, I haven't been able to get out much due to school and exams but I've taken some in the dark to see how it pairs to my old point and shoot and I was impressed of the low light performance!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Videoing has been going pretty good, I haven't been able to get out much due to school and exams but I've taken some in the dark to see how it pairs to my old point and shoot and I was impressed of the low light performance!

Great stuff! We look forward to seeing your videos once you have the chance to post a link here.