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Matt, you ask tricky questions... "Easy" is such a slippery term. :) The Bowser kits are not "shake-the-box" kits, by any stretch of the imagination. There are lots of fiddly small parts that need to be added (the deluxe kit comes with all the superdetail parts). On the up side, all the...

CR 6212 at Vickers, OH

The following is an unsolicited review of the Bachmann Dynamis DCC system. The opinons expressed are those of the author, and not those of Zealot forums. When I first saw the Dynamis system, I was quite excited. I had seen the ESU ECoS system, and was impressed by its’ capabilities, but at a...

Russ, Daylight spectrum lights are great for layout lighting, but with a decent digital camera, automatic white balance will correct for any colour-temperature lighting. All you need then are lumens, and lots of them!

Goebles, ON, 1993

Josh, Yeah, set the camera back a bit, use the zoom a bit, but you don't have to get too close... it's a bit like taking a closeup of someone's face and seeing their nose-hairs. Step back a bit and get a bit of space around your subject.

It's a light issue. You need lots of light. Don't use the flash, it just over-exposes things. I don't think you need to play with the exposure compensation, just provide lots of light, and the camera will do the rest. You're also probably putting the camera too close to your subject...

No, that's a common fallacy. You could spend that much and get a great camera, but it'd be more than you need. Or give you about the same, but with a bigger brand name. It's still a point-and-shoot, but it has a decent sensor, and while it won't give you the performance of a DSLR, it doesn't...

Although, for a little over $100, you could get a Canon Powershot A590 IS that will do everything you need.

Not necessarily, you just need to learn to work with the limitations of the one you have.

Andrew, When I was talking about deep shadows, I was thinking more in terms of a poorly positioned light source that would cause shadows which obscure details. For instance, a strong source directly over a locomotive or freight car could cast deep enough shadow to obscure trucks and running gear.

Josh, Just as you don't necessarily want to use minimum aperture, you also don't want to use maximum aperture either. You'll have very little depth-of-field (only your main subject will be in focus). I'm not familiar with your camera, but you should be able to either set either the shutter...

Actually, it's not Soundtraxx's fault that Digitrax has a weak-kneed programming signal. The signal booster (also needed with older NCE systems and a few others) is only about $50 Canadian. If you can afford $600 for loco and sound, the extra $50 shouldn't be that big a deal to make it work...

Ah, good point David! I meant to mention that... don't use the flash at all, just use available light. On the little PaS's (and DSLR's for that matter) the flash will over-expose the nearfield, and underexpose the background. Even with TTL flash, you still have to fiddle and diddle to get...

You won't necessarily need an SLR. What you need is a camera with a sharp lens, and good lighting. Take a look at any of the shots submitted by DoctorWayne. He uses an inexpensive point-and-shoot set on his layout for his great pics. Your camera should have auto white balance (RTFM) - that...

If Modeller's Choice doesn't have them, I know these folks do. They do look very nice (at least in the box and the pictures). I have yet to see them installed on someone's layout.

Actually, that was a trademark of Art Schmidt photographs. He was a longtime staff photographer for MR, until he retired or something in the '90s. If he was shooting a studio pic of a review loco, or something for Paint Shop, he would always drop one wheel off the rail. Kinda nice to know...

Well, since it's Larry's layout, and he clearly stated his desire to include these structures, I'd say his say carries more weight than yours. :p Nyah! :p :p :D

I'm not sure if that will work, since that would require reversing the direction of the elevator spurs... I've got to leave room for that big elevator too, y'know!

Well, my thinking was that even though Larry is very interested in operation, I think we all like to see the trains roll from time to time without having to think about it. The lead on the yard lets Larry kick cars while something rolls around on the main, for those times when he just wants to...