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Shooting at an NEF (RAW) image quality setting ensures colors can later be fine-tuned to match those of the actual train using NEF (RAW) processing. Lenses with a focal length of from 50 to 200 mm (35 to 130 mm in DX format) are a good choice for trainset photos.

Your camera should be set to shutter priority or manual mode with a shutter speed between 1/15 and 1/60 sec, depending upon the speed of your subject. You may need to shoot a few test shots to determine your shutter speed. Using a slower shutter speed will increase blur; while a faster shutter speed will reduce blur.

Use your camera's AI Servo function to achieve sharp shots Using this mode means the camera and lens track the focus to the moving engine. I normally aim to focus about 1/3 down the side of the train for a 3/4 shot to give acceptable depth of field at an aperture of around f/8.

Include Motion Blur Whether you plan to use panning to keep the train sharp, or motion blur to blur the train will be your choice. With a wide angle lens, a shutter speeds between 1/20th or 1/30th of a second will be slow enough to capture the motion of a train as it pulls into the platform.

Set your camera to manual exposure and with an ISO as low as possible, ideally 100. If you use auto, aperture or shutter priority modes, you may find that if the train is far away it becomes a dark object in a well-exposed landscape or a bright object in an over-exposed background.

To freeze the motion of steam locomotives my camera settings are generally set to Shutter Priority, high sequential shutter, a shutter speed of 1/800th of a second or faster, and Auto ISO.

For most railfan photography, fixed lens or zooms with focus lengths of around 28mm to 34mm for wide angles, a 50mm for the ?normal? perspective, and telephotos from around 85mm up to 300mm tend to be the most useful on a regular basis for railroad subjects.