August 2016 Student Train

[Darryl VanNort]

Friend John Howell decided he needed to learn how to fire a steam locomotive, so he enrolled in the August class session. From all accounts people had a stupendous time! I've fired steam (closer to sea level... LOL) so decided to chase the train rather than participate in the class.

So, although I have other "clips" of the train, I decided to piece together a video from the Tuesday, August 16th, 2016 Eastbound student train from Chama. Last year, after my first trip to the C&TS, I did a short 36 minute video, but wasn't really all that pleased with the results.... so I went out and got a more modern video setup. I'm still very much an amateur at this, but thought I might as well share it with y'all here anyway. It's also a bit over 36 minutes, and will stand up to "large screen" viewing if you so chose. Comments are always welcomed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWi9V1niZhY

[Pete Dahlberg]

Darryl
Nice video - good job with the long lens and the sound was excellent.

[Blake Bogs]

Beautiful Job Darryl.
Thanks,
Blake

[Darryl VanNort]

Thanks for taking the time to view and for your kind words. If I could just figure out how to get a smoother pan with that long lens and damp wind vibration, I'd be all set. The wind noise is another story... I was shooting with a shotgun mic equipped with a "dead cat", so not sure what else I can do there. BTW, there was no audio dubbing on that video.. it's all directly off the camera, in case you were wondering (or even in case you weren't :-) )

[Pete Dahlberg]

I don't know what camera you are using but newer video units have built in image stabilization. I'd try that with a heavy duty tripod. I've shot from Windy Point and it is aptly named, we had trouble keeping our feet.

[Sharon Evans]

I use a Manfrotto base and head for my video and it really is stable in the wind. Expensive since the base and head are separate but worth it. All the video I did on this past trip except the on board were shot with this unit.

[Darryl VanNort]

Heh... I am using a Manfrotto base and head, and image stabilization was on. The wind catches in the lens shade... I suppose I could remove that with the risk of lens flare. It's really only a problem on long zoom images... the Tanglefoot segment is a prime example... wind was directly into the camera during that sequence. At Antonito, not sure much would help, since gusts were moving me around, and I'm not tiny. :-) I appreciate the thoughts!

[Darryl VanNort]

Oh... if you're interested, I am shooting with a Canon Vixia GF-30... typically at 1080p60.

[Darryl VanNort]

Your comments about image stabilization made me go back to the camera manual and look again. There are so many possible functions on this camera that I simply haven't been able to absorb them all in the fairly short time that I've owned it (it's an age thing, I fear) ... and I learned that there's a "Powered IS" function that is above and beyond the "Dynamic IS" that I had been using, and also learned that I could assign it to an "assignable button" on the camera. So I did that, and I'll try it in the fall as the winds pick up around home. Hopefully this will help out with those "long lens" shots. BTW, it's a 35mm equivalent focal length of 576mm.