Model RR Photography

All of the model railroad photography herein was done with a variety of cameras, some inside, some outside, sometimes aided with fill flash. The main camera is a Nikon EM with either a 26 or 35mm lens.  Sometimes I have had the application of a removable pinhole in use.  I use an oldie-but-goodie Nikon "F" for full-size stuff, and fieldwork such as it is.

Another of our cameras is an old Pentax Auto 110 SLR that has it’s lens a scale 6’ from terra-firma, so gives strikingly realistic perspectives.  Depth of field is controlled by use of wide-angle lenses and the pinholes.  The pinholes are made from .005" brass stock and just slip on the back element of the lenses.  Exposures are automatic and amazingly, both these cameras will run the exposures as long as 15 seconds.

Occasionally, we use our Minolta Dimage-V Digital which has an extension cable feature for the lens.  I t only has a resolution of 640X480 pixels, and the quality of those pictures is very dependent on enough light.  But the lens’s small size and maneuverability lend itself to unusual views in tight spaces.  It is very convenient to use with the computer since we also use a "Flash Path" disk adapter to import its pictures. We plan to up-grade to a better digital soon.

All pictures except the digital ones are scanned prints, processed with various software packages such as PhotoShop, Paint Shop Pro, and Photo Impact, though not always "retouched,"  just "adjusted" for contrast and color.  On this web-site, all photos are optimized for quick downloads while trying to retain the best quality.  Images may be downloaded (for your personal use only), however you may wish to email us  and we will send you higher resolution photos.

There will be a clip or two of short video available in the next generation of our web-site.  For this we have used a variety of video cameras as well.  Most of the Model RR video is shot using a very small (1.5"x1.5") X-10 surveillance camera.  Like the Pentax, its small size allows getting views in some very tight spaces with realistic perspectives otherwise unavailable.

My wife, Maryann is the computer Guru here, and has done all the work on the photos and this web site.  My heart-felt thanks go to her for her dedication to me and for adapting to my eccentricities.  (What the heck, it only seems fair, I’ve adapted to hers!)  We have a lot of fun together with these interests and projects, and we hope you enjoy what you see. 

We welcome your comments.  Click on the address: ncstl@mindspring.com to email me personally, or knowles@mindspring.com to reach Maryann.   We welcome your comments.

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