The Limbo Connection's photos with the keyword: crops

Among the many curtailments to usual life brought about by the Corona Virus is the simple pleasure of travelling on the railway. This photograph was taken through a dirty carriage window whilst my train was standing at Castle Cary station in Somerset.

The view is from inside a stationary train which had stopped at Castle Cary railway station.

The view south through a window of an eastbound train which had stopped at Castle Cary railway station. 4.30 in the afternoon in mid July. Shades of 'Adlestrop'.

The old HST 125s no longer ply this route. I rather miss them. If you want to see them now, Great Western Railway retain 24 powercars and 48 carriages to form 11 four-carriage sets for use on local services between Cardiff and Penzance. Additionally, 26 HST sets, each with four or five carriages, have been assigned to Abellio ScotRail and will operate on services from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Aberdeen and Inverness. Nikon D2Xs at 100 ISO. Tamron 35mm f/1.8 lens at f/8. 1/125th.

Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens. 100 ISO; 1/160th; f/5.6.

I photographed this with a venerable Nikon D2Xs. Using it is such a pleasurable experience that I prefer it to more modern and capable kit. I try to limit it to 100 ISO (as here) and certainly no more than 400 ISO because high ISO is definitely not where it excels, whereas 100 ISO produces nice images. Years ago we used 100 ISO film and managed alright, and so that's how I approach the D2Xs now. Here it is partnered with a Tamron 35mm f/1.8 lens at f/11. A 35mm lens on the D2Xs is akin to using a 50mm lens on a film SLR of what is now classified as 'full frame'. Shutter speed 1/250th. There was plenty of light until the storm broke about an hour later.

The land rises sharply here as the geology changes from the Avon Vale. The Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal, currently under restoration, hugs the foot of the escarpment. Further up is Melsome Wood, a dense deciduous plantation of ancient origin. The local farming is mixed; Thornend does beef, I have observed, and nearby the strong smell of rape will be encountered as the weather warms up. Nikon D2Xs and Tamron 70-210mm F/2.8 LD SP lens.