B&H Photo, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike, posted this article Some very simple and basic tips, along with some great ideas to really help one step up to the next level
Thanks for that Rick -- lots of excellent information there. The author writes that "scouting out locations is a big key to getting the best images possible" and it's so very true. It's a lot harder than it used to be, with fences, phone poles, billboards, vehicles and other impediments ruining compositions. If I can't find a pleasing composition, I won't take a picture.
Safety. Oh yes. For me, it is very frequently difficult to simply find a place where one can pull off the roadway, get out of the vehicle and grab that photo. Other traffic roaring past, within inches.....
On a number of camera forums there are humorous threads featuring photos of long lens-owners. It seems that more than a few of these hyper-expensive lenses spend their entire lives in specialized backpacks, but are never deployed because of their size and weight. I have only one telephoto and it's not a good one. It suffers from some sort of internal reflectivity where bright headlights and ditch lights appear elsewhere as green spots as seen below. It drives me crazy, so I don't often use it for rail photos. Maybe some day I'll purchase something better.
I once knew the cause of that and corrected it on mine. It MAY be due to a UV or other filter that we all install just to protect our lenses. I am not sure, since this stroke did things to my memory.
Yes, a poor filter can cause that. Especially on high zoom. I recently got a Tamron 18mm-400mm zoom, and am loving it. Have a 72mm Hoya UV filter on it, plus a nice polarizing filter, for when needed.
Tamron seems to enjoy a good reputation. They'll be on my research list when I start to shop for a replacement lens.
I still have my Tamron from SLR days. It served me well. My current DSLR came with a zoom lens, which I have as yet to seriously employ as any comparison.
I've a Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 with image stabilizer and can only recommend it. A Hoya or Rodenstock protection filter is enough. All new and newer Tamron and Canon lenses are UV protected. Use a slim filter!