Shooting From a Train. Canon EOS M50

[Far-Out-Dude]

My girlfriend died in September and I have been selling off a bunch of stuff so I can take her ashes from NY to MI on an Amtrak Train to spread at her family cabin that she loved. Jane and I had been planning to take a train trip last Fall to look at the leaves and spend time together but she passed away before we could do it. She absolutely loved trains and riding them, I have never been on a train other than the Metro Rail in the city so it would have been new to me. I very much want our last ride together to be on a train.

I have decided instead of taking my R5 Mark ii I would take the Canon EOS M50 because to be perfectly honest I am disabled and I am a mark and I would rather get mugged and lose the M50 than get mugged and lose the R5. I have a few EF-M series lenses and an adapter that I could use some of my EF lenses. I have no clue on settings or which lens I should use though. I will give a list of lenses I have and would very much appreciate any advise give on what settings to use at train speeds.

Canon eos M50

Canon EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM

Canon EF-S 18 55 macro 0.25m 0.8ft

Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Lens

Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM Lens

I am looking at a Canon EF-M 18 55 lens that I have seen for pretty cheap and I very much want a 32mm EF-M lens but I may not get either as money for the trip is more important.

Thank you for any help given.Our first real date, a Styx,Foriener and Don Felder Concert ConcertThe shirt was my first CHRISTmas gift to herOne of the last pictures I took of her before her brain aneurysm bleed

[NatalyaP]

Greetings Far-Out-Dude Rising Star,

I am sorry to hear about your loss, and I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. Thank you for sharing pictures of her. Please be well and stay safe on your trip.

Regarding the lens inquiry for the EOS M50 camera, taking fewer lenses would make the trip easier rather than taking all of the lenses. I know I have learned my lesson when it comes to this. Zoom lenses are great due to the flexibility of their focal lengths. A nice wide-angle lens would be nice for capturing scenic images. Taking a super telephoto lens may not get much use if riding on a moving vehicle since capturing things that are far away may be difficult, and the space inside of a train may be too confined for indoor shots.

Sticking with an EF-M lens would save some space compared to taking an EF lens with an adapter. I would suggest on taking the EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens or the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens. A standard to telephoto zoom lens would be the EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM lens.

For settings, it could vary depending on what you are taking pictures of. For scenic shots, shooting at a narrow aperture would allow for most things to be in focus. For example, shooting landscape at f/8 - f/11 in the Av or the M shooting modes. Just keep in mind that if the train is in motion, we would need to keep an eye on our shutter speed. If the shutter speed is too slow, then the foreground will be blurry due to the moving train. We would need to find a right balance between the shutter speed, aperture of the lens, and the ISO setting to get a proper exposure.

Here is a great webpage on our website that provides some useful information that may help you out with taking pictures:

https://www.usa.canon.com/learning/training-articles/training-articles-list/canon-eos-101-photograph...

[Waddizzle]

Fat-Out-Dude, sorry for your loss.

 I want to share my experiences riding cross country on Amtrak.  It was a bucket list adventure.  It was fun, but costly.  You will want to book your trip well in advance.  At least six months, for the lowest fares.  You would also want to schedule your trip to NOT coincide with a holiday or vacation season.

 I rode from NYC to Chicago on a sleeper bedroom for $2000. I am big guy.  It was July 4th weekend and I booked 5 months in advance.  I had a 4 hour layover to connect to a new train to San Francisco.  I barely made the connection with one hour to spare.  I should have booked a hotel room because Amtrak is known for being delayed by freight trains.  

I would suggest flying to Chicago and getting a coach ticket to your destination, if at possible.  The Lake Shore Limited, NYC to CHI, is a scenic ride through upstate NY, but most of it is at night.  Save some $$$ and fly.  Make the final leg a train ride.

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Cameras!  Travel as light as possible.  Carry gear you don’t mind a lot about being stolen.  There is no secure place to leave your bags.  You will carry them everywhere you go.  Or bring a travel companion.

I carried my 6D and a Sigma 35mm Art.  I barely used them.  I used my phone more than anything on the train.  I think your M50 and EF-M 22mm would be ideal.  But be surprised if you take most of your train photos with your phone.

These photos were captured mostly between Denver and San Francisco with a photo from a train moving at high speed.

 

 

 

 

 

[Waddizzle]

Oh, yeah.  I watched lots of YouTube videos about riding different routes on Amtrak.  I watched “Grounded Life Travel” the most. They had a lot of good tips for first time passengers. 

[Far-Out-Dude]

Thank you for the condolences and thank you much for the information. This is going to be a 1 week trip at most, being on disability I do not have much money so it is basically going to be a go there, meet her family, maybe have a weekend meal and go to the cabin to spread her ashes along with her one remaining sibling her sister and her nieces and nephews. I have only met her sister and nephew twice, once when Jane had her brain aneurysm bleed and we thought she would die and then a little over a year later when she did eventually die so I am going to be a complete outsider, but I promised Jane I would do this so I will.

Jane was 76 when she died, her sister is older than she is and has heart issues so I really have to try to get this done as soon as possible so her sister can be there, that is why I have been trying to sell all my belongings to get there. I am unable to put this off much longer, I wanted to go in June but I am lacking in funds. Being disabled is making every part of this tough because I am not walking the best anymore, I can in my apartment but I have to use crutches and I am not the most steady all the time on them.

Like I said before Jane loved trains and we were going to take a trip but health changed things, not just on her side so this whole trip will be by train, I can't afford both a plane and a train anyway, it is one or the other and she is getting her final train ride, we will get our train ride together even if it is not as we planned.

I want to get a room on the way out there as it will be very emotional for me and I do not move very well anymore so a room with a bathroom may be better for me. Can you leave stuff locked in your room? Do they give you a key to the room on the train? I know I have to get a special container to carry her ashes in, but I have been having a hard time finding information on that. I just looked up “Grounded Life Travel" I have seen some of their stuff before, good stuff.

[Waddizzle]

“ I want to get a room on the way out there as it will be very emotional for me and I do not move very well anymore so a room with a bathroom may be better for me. Can you leave stuff locked in your room? “

Private rooms lock from the inside, but not from the outside.  Every time you leave a bedroom or roommette, you cannot lock the door and there is no key.  You can lock the door from the inside.  The conductor and car attendant have a key to unlock the door in an emergency.  

If I had to make the cross country round trip again, I will definitely fly between Chicago and NYC.  If I took a train, then I would definitely want to get an overnight hotel room in Chicago.  Depending on which connection you want or need, a hotel room may be your best/only option.  That or sleeping on a bench somewhere in Chicago Union Station.  A plane ticket to Chicago is way cheaper than the Lake Shore Unlimited sleeper train .

Also, beware that there are scam websites masquerading as Amtrak selling Amtrak tickets with a high markup.  You will get tickets, but you are going through an agent with markups, instead of direct from Amtrak. 

 

[Waddizzle]

“ I want to get a room on the way out there as it will be very emotional for me and I do not move very well anymore so a room with a bathroom may be better for me. “. 

I felt the same way.  I don’t move around very well at times.  I began taking photos again following back surgery 20 years ago.  Walking around with a camera is physical therapy.

There are two basic sleeper cars, double deckers and single deckers.  You cannot choose the type of sleeper car when you book a reservation.

Amtrak is in the midst of a multi-year project to upgrade all their cars.  It may take another decade.

They mostly use the slightly head roomier, single decker cars between NYC and CHI, and between NYC and FLA.  But, a single decker means fewer passengers per car and higher prices.  

The double decker, sleeper cars are mostly used on routes outside the Northeast Corridor.  Double decks mean slightly less headroom, but it also means more passengers per car and lower fares.  The caveat is that all bedrooms, which all have the private bathrooms, are on the upper level.  

Climbing the spiral staircase to the upper level was a challenge for me.  It’s tight.  I took my time.  The car attendant carried my bags upstairs, but only because I moved to the end of the line for boarding.  He had no one else left to assist.  I tipped him, too.  Tips are welcome and important.  

[Far-Out-Dude]

Thank you very much for the condolences as well as the information, I greatly appreciate it. I do not intend to bring all the lenses, I just wanted to show what I have so I could get suggestions. I have a Shimoda Designs X70 backpack, I have been thinking on removing the large core and putting in the small core to carry her ashes, the camera gear and my clothes all in one bag. I don't need many clothes as I can wash stuff at the motel.

[Tintype_18]

Sorry to hear of your loss. The photos will be a part of your life for years to come. Good traveling on Amtrak as it would be great experience. Will you be posting some photos here?

[Far-Out-Dude]

Thank you. I am not sure, if I am using the camera yes, my phone really is not very good with photos and to be honest I find taking pictures with phones difficult as my fingers and wrists have been broken in the past and it does not feel natural. There is also a part of me that feels very guilty about wanting to take pictures while doing this, I don't know to be honest how this will work out.