Rejected Comment

[JimThias]

Originally Posted by Holloran Grade

I was thinking he could have used a telephoto for the shot, but getting hit by the bottle is dispositive of were he was.

He could have, but he was pretty wide and pretty close for that shot.

[sd9]

Originally Posted by wds

Not numerous, but glaring! Close, but no cigar. The word you were struggling for is supposed. Surprised Jim didn't beat me to it!
BTW, in these parts it is not unheard of for an engineer (or conductor) to toss a bottle of cold water to a railfan. Only thing is they generally do it in the middle of summer when the temperature is 100 degrees in the shade!

Ahh it was the grammar


BTW

[sd9]

Glad to see somebody was able to get my point across, based on the rest of the comments though you can tell these kids are full of drama..

Posted by CSX8747 on February 18, 2014
Sorry you experienced such behavior! However, please consider two things when filing a complaint. First, the photo may be proof that you're trespassing on railroad property, which may result in legal action against you. Secondly, did the engineer throw the water with the intent to do harm, or did he do it as a gift. Some engineers are known for tossing railfans bottles of water as a friendly gesture. He probably was trying to make sure you caught the water instead of it hitting the ground and bursting.

Posted by jdayrail on February 18, 2014
I find the comment from "Runthat" to be crude and insensitive to the photographer who had the bottle thrown at him.

Posted by Thomas on February 18, 2014
That man should be ashamed of himself for his stupid and child like act. He doesn't belong in the big chair, that's for sure.

Posted by T. Babcock on February 18, 2014
Any chance you have a shot showing his arm or the water bottle coming up? That'd be best. Good luck. I've been verbally harassed by a conductor (while standing on a public sidewalk on a bridge with no access to his train!) but your experience sounds far worse. Unfortunately these employees assume the worst about us. WONDER WHY

Posted by EL ROCO Photography on February 18, 2014
I would speculate that if you got hit by a water bottle, you're too close so complain away. That might get you a trespassing ticket through your admission of standing where you did.

[tytrain]

Originally Posted by sd9

Posted by T. Babcock on February 18, 2014
Any chance you have a shot showing his arm or the water bottle coming up? That'd be best. Good luck. I've been verbally harassed by a conductor (while standing on a public sidewalk on a bridge with no access to his train!) but your experience sounds far worse. Unfortunately these employees assume the worst about us. WONDER WHY

Because idiot railfans jump in front of trains, run across the tracks, and walk all over railroad property.

That said, this appears to be a situation where both people are in the wrong.

[JimThias]

Posted by David Hawkins on February 18, 2014
How can you determine the photographer is trespassing? I can't see it. Telephoto lense zoomed in. Unless [sic] your there and witness a trespass. Don't make a knee jerk accusation he was trespassing.

Telephoto?

Mr. David Hawkins needs to learn how to check EXIF data. And in case he happens to stumble upon this thread...

Focal Length = 14251/1000 mm ===> 14.25 mm

[CSX1702]

Even without looking at the EXIF, you can tell that's a not a telephoto lens.

[troy12n]

Originally Posted by tytrain

Because idiot railfans jump in front of trains, run across the tracks, and walk all over railroad property.

Most dont.

That said, this appears to be a situation where both people are in the wrong.

So tie goes to the runner?

[tytrain]

Originally Posted by troy12n

Most dont.

Fortunately. Unfortunately, lately every time I've been out and about there have been idiots making this hobby harder for the rest of us. So I've been a bit pessimistic about it lately.

[troy12n]

Originally Posted by tytrain

Fortunately. Unfortunately, lately every time I've been out and about there have been idiots making this hobby harder for the rest of us. So I've been a bit pessimistic about it lately.

You also live in a city where nobody acts responsibly. Actually the majority act the fool...

[bigbassloyd]

Originally Posted by JimThias

Telephoto?

Mr. David Hawkins needs to learn how to check EXIF data. And in case he happens to stumble upon this thread...

I wouldn't call it a telephoto shot, but 14.25mm on his camera is around 80mm equivalent. He had to be standing inside the crossing with the gates down, so he's still a trusspassah!

Loyd L.

[Mgoldman]

Meanwhile...

lol.

/Mitch

[JimThias]

Originally Posted by bigbassloyd

I wouldn't call it a telephoto shot, but 14.25mm on his camera is around 80mm equivalent.

Explain.

[CSX1702]

Originally Posted by JimThias

Explain.

The PowerShot SX150 IS features a powerful Genuine Canon 12x Zoom Lens that delivers outstanding optical performance and versatility. With precision engineering and decades of leadership in optical technologies, Canon has created a bright, wide-angle lens that provides an extraordinary 12x zoom range. The lens starts at 28mm wide-angle and extends to 336mm telephoto (35mm equivalent), giving you tremendous coverage and reach. The telephoto end lets you capture subjects from a considerable distance, while the 28mm wide-angle makes it easy to shoot sweeping landscapes, large groups of people and tall buildings. Moreover, this superlative lens incorporates innovative designs that enable it to fit the compact profile of the PowerShot SX150 IS and perform at high speed with low power consumption.

http://www.rakuten.com/prod/canon-po...ngId=157184082

I read through that very quickly but maybe that will give you your answer.

[JRMDC]

Originally Posted by CSX1702

http://www.rakuten.com/prod/canon-po...ngId=157184082

I read through that very quickly but maybe that will give you your answer.

It is buried, but there. In the "Tech Specs" it gives the true focal length of 5.0 - 60.0. With a multiplier of 5.6 that gets you to 28-336 for the FF equivalent. Exif picks up the actual focal length, just as it does for a crop sensor DSLR. 14.25mm x 5.6 = 79.8mm FF equivalent.

[bigbassloyd]

What they said.

I started out with a small sensor mega zoom with a 5.6 conversion.

Loyd L.

[Holloran Grade]

Originally Posted by JRMDC

It is buried, but there. In the "Tech Specs" it gives the true focal length of 5.0 - 60.0. With a multiplier of 5.6 that gets you to 28-336 for the FF equivalent. Exif picks up the actual focal length, just as it does for a crop sensor DSLR. 14.25mm x 5.6 = 79.8mm FF equivalent.

He got hit by a water bottle for crying out loud.

Instead of calculating focal lengths, people should be estimating the photo's location using the cab window height, the velocity of the train and the weight of the water bottle with gravity being constant over the bottle's flight path.

[JRMDC]

Originally Posted by Holloran Grade

He got hit by a water bottle for crying out loud.

Instead of calculating focal lengths, people should be estimating the photo's location using the cab window height, the velocity of the train and the weight of the water bottle with gravity being constant over the bottle's flight path.

But I'm so good at calculating focal lengths!

[JimThias]

Originally Posted by JRMDC

It is buried, but there. In the "Tech Specs" it gives the true focal length of 5.0 - 60.0. With a multiplier of 5.6 that gets you to 28-336 for the FF equivalent. Exif picks up the actual focal length, just as it does for a crop sensor DSLR. 14.25mm x 5.6 = 79.8mm FF equivalent.

Damn cheapo point and shoots confusing the EXIF data!

By the way, I love this comment and the butthurt response by "jdayrail."

Posted by Runthat on February 17, 2014
I find this predicament very funny for some reason. Did he actually manage to score a direct hit to your stomach? If so, that guy's aim is great! I wouldn't file a complaint since it won't amount to anything unless you have a witness. My guess is that the engineer has had previous trouble with people throwing things at his train and mistook you for another potential hoodlum.

[Holloran Grade]

Originally Posted by JRMDC

But I'm so good at calculating focal lengths!

Objects in motion like bottles, rocks and bullets - moving predictably for over 250 years.

Now, when an object's velocity approaches the speed of light, that is when things start to get weird.

[JimThias]

Originally Posted by Holloran Grade

Objects in motion like...rocks...moving predictably for over 250 years.

[CSX1702]

Oh wow, those comments could be turned into a thread here.

My 2 cents:

1st: Man up. Its a freaking water bottle. If he had thrown an extra coupler knuckle at you, fine. Call the police.

2nd: Telephoto or not, you're too close to the tracks.

3rd: You show this picture to the cops, they're gonna say, "Hey, stay away from the tracks, idiot." And then drop the case because there's no evidence in this picture of a bottle being thrown and if it didn't hurt you, then there's no evidence at all. Also, if it didn't hurt you, refer to my 1st point.

[sd9]

Originally Posted by CSX1702

Oh wow, those comments could be turned into a thread here.

Posted by Jeff Swanson on February 20, 2014
For those of you who think that Nick was on "railroad property", do a little research as I did instead of tossing out ignorant accusations. Look at Google maps 'street view' and you will note that he is more than likely standing along Broadway Street (public property). Nick has been a contributor to this site for quite some time and I would doubt that he would jeopardize his hobby with unlawful/unethical behavior. On the other hand, there are a few railroad workers (hopefully a VERY few) that I could see doing just as he stated - with that intent.


Words like "more than likely", "Doubt" I could see" sounds like speculation?
BTW how do you Jeopardize a hobby?

[JRMDC]

Originally Posted by sd9

Words like "more than likely", "Doubt" I could see" sounds like speculation?
BTW how do you Jeopardize a hobby?

Speculation? Sure, just like those who say he trespassed. Part of any online forum.

Jeopardize? Easy, every time a railfan does something stupid along the RoW in the presence of an RR employee, it means one more such employee who will not be tolerant of our presence. "Jeapardize" may be a bit of rhetoric, but each such incident is a setback for our kind, and those can add up over time.

[JimThias]

Originally Posted by sd9

Posted by Jeff Swanson on February 20, 2014
Nick has been a contributor to this site for quite some time and I would doubt that he would jeopardize his hobby with unlawful/unethical behavior.

Why not? I do! That is, if you call trespassing and trimming trees unlawful and unethical.

[Freericks]

It's quite simple - even if he is standing on Broadway (which I assume he was) the gates would be down and he would be well inside the down gates. That is trespass.

Have I done it myself when safe - of course... a thousand times.

Have I done it myself and stood that close to a moving train? No.