filmfan
Well-known
Take a 28mm if you want wide. The 21 is too wide for mostly everything... to my eyes at least.
cliffpov
Established
Maybe my experiences are not typical but be prepared for unscheduled long delays. And always in the middle of nowhere interesting. Usually with no explanations as well.
Chuck Albertson
Well-known
If you have the 21 Summilux, go for it, if your fellow passengers will put up with you shooting up close and personal all the time. Probably too wide for scenics, especially in the West. And definitely book the roomette. When I took the Super Chief and El Capitan runs from LA to Chicago when I was a kid, I much preferred the Super Chief's roomette---the El Cap was sitting cars only, and 48 hours or so sitting up was a bit much. The Summi should work well for those late-night shots on the station platforms, too.
Bingley
Veteran
Donald --
Sounds like a very cool trip, and I envy you! I think you could make the 21 work for a lot of shots, both inside the train and in the train looking out. As I was riding home from SF on Amtrak on Saturday, I shot a view frames and thought about how to capture station scenes, buildings, and other structures from the vantage point of a passenger train car (and a moving one, at that). I think if I were to attempt your project, I'd include a normal or slightly wide-normal lens in addition to a genuine wide angle; both for tighter framing and also for a more neutral perspective (I happen to love 50s for landscape photography). So I'd probably throw a 40 or a 50 in the bag, along w/ the wide angle. But that might take away from the challenge of doing this project w/ just one lens, and if you know you like shooting the 21, I'd certainly go w/ that.
Sounds like a very cool trip, and I envy you! I think you could make the 21 work for a lot of shots, both inside the train and in the train looking out. As I was riding home from SF on Amtrak on Saturday, I shot a view frames and thought about how to capture station scenes, buildings, and other structures from the vantage point of a passenger train car (and a moving one, at that). I think if I were to attempt your project, I'd include a normal or slightly wide-normal lens in addition to a genuine wide angle; both for tighter framing and also for a more neutral perspective (I happen to love 50s for landscape photography). So I'd probably throw a 40 or a 50 in the bag, along w/ the wide angle. But that might take away from the challenge of doing this project w/ just one lens, and if you know you like shooting the 21, I'd certainly go w/ that.
Dirk
Privatier
I made that trip in the early 80's, with the exception that I started in L.A. I had no money, so a sleeper was out. One of the worst experiences I ever had. Uncomfortable, inconvenient and very boring. Now, granted, things have probably changed at Amtrak. And if you can afford a sleeper you'll probably be OK. As far as photography goes, I was a photographer even then, and I can tell you photo opportunities were few and far between.
JoeV
Thin Air, Bright Sun
I suggest you might consider a portable tripod/gorilla pod solution enabling you to set up the camera for extended time exposures. This could be an interesting way around the dilemma of there being few and far between photo opportunities. Time exposures of train interiors could be interesting, but also the blur of the exterior world as seen through the sharply defined window frame of the lounge car could also be a novel technique.
~Joe
~Joe