Atomic Systems

We recently decided to buy a digital camera and a day out at York by train sounded like a great opportunity to take some pics. I've picked some of my better attempts to show you. The camera's flash was not working well, so some of the pictures are a little fuzzy, and the weather and light wasn't great either. Anyway, enjoy!

An Arriva class 150 at Brough, heading eastbound towards Hull

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A newly re-liveried class 158, operated by Transpennine Express. It is pictured at Brough with a service from Manchester Airport to Bridlington

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Two GNER HST sets at York

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The following are from the excellent NRM balcony:
A GNER electric 225 set heading towards London KX

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Virgin voyager departing York's platform 9 with a service to Newcastle

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An Arriva class 156 heading to Scarborough

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A Manchester Airport bound Transpennine Express class 158

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Another Transpennine Express service, this time departing platform 11 for Middlesbrough

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Nice, I wouldn't advise using the flash for pictures like that, it just drains the battery for no difference in the photo.

What sort of camera is it?

It's a goodmans digital camera. (Spec usually costs around £120)

Resolution: 1200 x 1600
3.2 megapixels

Hmm, some of them came out a bit blurry.
Nice piccies though
AND i agree about the flash, I dont think train drivers like it, I always have it turned off.
Pete

I find with my digital camera that pictures come out better without the flash than with.
Here is a good example:
<IMG width="450" height="300" SRC="http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php ... P_1173.jpg">
<IMG width="450" height="300" SRC="http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php ... P_1174.jpg">
The top photo of the Freightline Class 90 at Norwich was taken with the flash, the bottom without. This is because without the flash the camera compensates by keeping the shutter open for longer (or the digital equivalent). The flash is only good if it will light up the subject of the photo.

I thought your not allowed to use flash when on railway stations or taking photos of trains on the main line.

sadly, with my camera, flash rarely makes a difference. All my examples are on another computer so i can't make the same comparisons right now. One tip for getting less blurred shots is to make the size of the picture smaller using your camera's options, and setting shutter speed to max (if you have the option). Also, don't use digital zoom period. When i bought my cam 2 years back it cost £150. some of the shots i have taken are frankly very poor due to the camera and now i want to get a better one. sadly i don't have the money but i wish i had waited. having said that, if i had, I would have never captured the shed at mickleover test track before it was unexpectedly knocked down......

wooo now theres some difference. the top picture is nice and atmospheric, the bottom looks like broad daylight

Yea, what time of the day were they taken?
It looks like the top one in late evening, and the bottom one in the day, except the tail-lights look a little weird.
Pete

they are the same picture taken at sunset, the top without flash, the bottom with flash.

The pictures were both taken one after another in the early evening on the 31st of October last year. I was quite shocked when I saw how different they came out, they could have been taken an hour of more apart.
Regarding Flash Photography, it is not permitted anywhere on London Underground, but on the mainline their are no rules that say it is not permitted (in the conditions of carriage anyway), just certain members of station staff who say it is not (and some who say no photography at all). Sadly though, these sort of "rules" spread, for example since LCR took over St Pancras with their no flash photography policy (the only place that seems to have an official one, broken of cource by official photographers on the last day of opening), other MML stations have also started having the same policy, a sort of "if they don't allow it perhaps we shouldn't either".

I've mastered that taking photos in the dark come out better without the flash to some extent. in stations the light from the station lighting seems to lighten the photo up but you can get a yellow shade.

The only problem I get with taking photos in the dark is camera blur on both still and moving objects. I do have a tripod but it's hasle getting it out of the bag and putting it up and the reverse process.

Has someone tried taking piccies inside?
On the LU, where i took about 10, and even at Leeds, where i took three, all of them came out wobbled, yet, i held it as steady as i do outside, and the outside ones come out fine :S