I am much more photographer than railfan, and support my hobby by shooting weddings and portraits. I've been selling photos since the mid 1990s. I take photos of something almost every day, and have been doing trains for about 16 years now. I know what camera offerings are out there and have tried many of them myself. Some thoughts.
1. Camera is the least important thing. Right now, the Nikon cameras are the best because they use the Sony sensors. They have more dynamic range than the other brands. Dynamic range means they capture more detail from the darkest part of the photo to the brightest. They are also plentiful and thus less expensive. There are many, many lens options for them. Spend as little as you can on a camera. Models that would work for you and make sense for a student budget are Nikons D7000, D5300, D5200. RR photography is about the least demanding kind of photography there is on cameras.
2. Lenses. The most important thing. I'd suggest a simple two lens set to start. The best for the money is the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 OS HSM. The f2.8 means it gathers lots of light. This means you can take photos in lower light, and get a higher shutter speed to freeze moving trains. The "OS" means the lens has image stabilization, something very useful for sharp photos. The "HSM" means it has a focus motor built into the lens, something you need for a D5300. The Nikon equivalents are "VR" and "AFS." For a long lens I'd suggest either the Nikon 70-200mm AFS VR or the Nikon 70-300mm AFS VR. The longer lens will give you more reach. Use lens hoods with the lenses as that will protect the lens and help give you better image quality.
3. Tripod. I use a tripod for most all of my own shots, but then I shoot at night a lot. Nothing helps sharpness more than a tripod with a good ballhead. Unfortunately, you can easily spend over 300 bucks for even a used one that's any good. I'd put it off for now, but what you want is a ball head that is Arca/Swiss compatible quick release. A good brand for less money is Photo Clam. You will also want a dedicated quick release plate for your camera. A used Bogen/Manfrotto tripod such as 3221 would be good to start with. When you are in the market for tripods, don't go too cheap. You will end up just throwing it away. The ballhead is the most important part. A cheap one will drive you insane.
4. Camera bag, spare batteries (2), and software. Image processing software has become about one third of photography now. I highly recommend Photoshop Elements. It will do all you want and more.
It's easy to spend way too much. Think of photo gear as a SYSTEM, not just pieces. The system all works together. The classic beginner mistake is to spend a ton of money on a camera and then not have any money left for the important things. The small mirrorless cameras are a good choice too, but they aren't quite as good for shooting in low light, or fast action such as sports. OTOH, they are smaller and very portable. Same thing applies to them--money on the lenses. Finally, virtually everything I own was bought used, either from ebay or Fredmiranda buy/sell forum. You get a lot more for your money.
My Flickr page:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/96826069@N00/
Kent in SD
