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KŽC 749 253flagLhotka Lhotka

When the leaders were red, everything was !

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©  Apr 22, 2023


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Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Exposure: 1/800
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal length: 40 mm
ISO: 250
Time: 16:17

When the leaders were red, everything was !



Very nice shot!
Excellent! How did you get your elevation here?
@Maersk.146 It's with a 6 meters pole. But not at maximum height here, maybe 4 meters.
@Loyzz
Wow, that’s very interesting! Can you describe how you mount and operate the camera with such a device?
@Maersk.146 That's very easy, like a tripod for night pictures.
https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0052WQBPO/ref=twister_B075DG4P7W?_enc..&th=1
@Maersk.146 90% of train photographers in the Netherlands also use one of these.
@ddz7504 Dutch and English yes !
@Loyzz @ddz7504 - How about that! I use a tripod, too, but have never seen an extending-height version advertised in the US, let alone one in use here. I’ll be looking into that, and could have used one last weekend. Thanks, both of you!
@Maersk.146 Most people I know actually use actually Light Stands, like the one @Loyzz linked. I think the most popular one in The Netherlands is the Falcon Eyes LM-7300HA, which is 7.3 meters tall when fully extended. I got one of those myself with an additional tripod head on it. Although I also have a 14 meter high one as well (which luckily is something only a very few dutch people have, in fact I only know 2 others).

What I use besides the tripod is radio remote trigger, my phone and the wifi function of my camera. First of all I set up a wifi network using my phone. Starting the network by using the camera, which is its default setting, proved to be much more unstable. Then I connect my camera to the network and use my phone to see what the camera is pointing at. You can use the default app made by Canon, but some guy called Rupiapps made a much better and faster app for doing the same thing. That was I set up my camera and get ready to take the shot. Then I use the radio trigger to get my shot off in case it's a faster moving train, as the trigger on the app usually is a bit slower to react.

I put some one the photos I made: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stefang_photo/albums/72157719524012868
It's quite handy when you're a bit lower than the tracks and want a better sight. I used it get it through bushes and trees as well, using a rain cover to protect the camera.
@stefan
Thanks very much, Stefan! Nice shots; very much what I would like to do.
@stefan sounds like a great replacement for trees and electrical towers, but how stable is it with a heavy camera and lens?
@LevPavliuk96
Some items I've read about their use suggest that wires anchored by ground stakes are necessary or advisable for stability.
@Maersk.146 @LevPavliuk96
It's not all that unstable. I've used a Canon EOS 6D mk2 with battery pack and a 24-104mm L-series lens, which isn't a light combination. However, for security I hang my backpack on the base of the tripod area, giving me a few kg's counterbalance. That way I don't have to hold the pole for stability even when there's quite some wind. So far I haven't had problems, except for one time when I didn't use my backpack and someone hit the tripod quite hard 5 meter in the air (it was rather an exceptional circumstance). In the spots section I added a photo of a train passing with one of my tripods near it. In that photo I had even a flag waving on the mast, which made it even less stable.

But as @ddz7504 said, quite a few people in The Netherlands got one of these tripods or similar ones. Most of those have problems with their trigger system, having malfunctions or a slow reaction time. Which is mostly a result of a bad set-up. The other downside is that it takes a bit of time to get ready to take the picture. It's simply not as fast as getting a foldable/telescopic ladder ready, get up, aim and take your shot. If you arrive only a short while before you want to take the picture it simply won't work. Although I can do it within a minute if I got my camera prepared in advance.

Above all it requires practice and skill to use a high tripod or mast. A photo like this one isn't just made with equipment, it means @Loyzz got some skill with the equipment and situation as well. I'll make a post of the forum during the weekend with a guide and some more information if people are interested. Then we can continue there, since I guess the amount of comments not related to @Loyzz's picture could get higher 😉
amazing!
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