Last on the Card – February 2024

Start of a new month and time to join in with Brian’s Last on the Card Challenge.

February has been a time of change and will probably see the last photo from the venerable Canon EOS 5d mkIII as I downsize my kit to reduce the weight I carry to football matches. Also affected is the Fujifilm X-Pro2 though I have some future tasks in mind for this camera. Stepping in to replace both for football and general photography is the Fujifilm X-H2s. The Moto g50 remains as mobile phone camera. Here are my last shots for February for each camera starting with the oldest shot first…

The last outing for the Fujifilm X-Pro2 was back on Monday February 5th when I was tracking down Class 378 units for haulage – you can read about that in my Spotting post for that week. Here’s 378146 arriving at Surrey Quays…

Last on Card FEB24 XPro2

Final outing for the Canon EOS5D mkIII was on Tuesday the 6th when I photographed a 4-2 win for Wingate & Finchley against Chatham Town…

Last on Card FEB24 EOS5Diii

The Moto g50 usually gets used only as a stepcounter and a means of contact when I’m out and about. I sometimes send Epi a photo of where I am on my spotting days out. This was taken at Reading on Friday the 23rd showing 221134 on a Manchester to Bournemouth service…

Last on Card FEB24 Motog50

Finally, a shot from the Fujifilm X-H2s. Taken on Tuesday 28th at London Bridge we have 377522 operating a late evening Charing Cross to Maidstone East service…

Last on Card FEB24 XH2s

All photos as taken, just resized for the web.

10 responses to “Last on the Card – February 2024”

  1. bushboy Avatar
    bushboy

    Where would I be without train photos. Did I tell you my calendar in the kitchen is Vintage Trains so far three steam trains.
    Congratulations on the win
    Thanks for joining in Martin 😀

    Reply
    1. 2e0mca Avatar
      2e0mca

      Thanks Brian 😎👍 Sounds like you have a great calendar to brighten your kitchen😅 Might be fewer ‘lasts’ next month but we’ll see if the X-Pro2 gets an outing.

      Reply
      1. bushboy Avatar
        bushboy

        It is a good one. I always get a retro, vintage something, pop art calendar 😁

      2. 2e0mca Avatar
        2e0mca

        Retro ‘things’ sounds like a nice idea for a calendar😎👍

      3. bushboy Avatar
        bushboy

        That’s one calendar I kept for the photos 🙂

  2. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    I feel like you’re retiring a good friend with the final outing of your Canon EOS5D. Your photos are always standouts whatever equipment you’re using, Martin. Nicely done!

    Reply
    1. 2e0mca Avatar
      2e0mca

      Hi Debra – Hope you are well. Yes, in some ways it is the end of an era. The writing has been on the wall for a few years now. When I bought the Fuji XE-1 as an experiment and for holidays, it started me down the road. I bought the X-Pro2 for serious non-train photography but tried it out and found that it was every bit as good as the EOS5D despite having an APS-C sensor. It became my goto camera for everything except football where I needed the specialist lens and low-light abilities of the 5D. I have found the Fujifilm cameras have excellent build quality and their XF lenses are among the very best I’ve used. The 5D is now an old camera and although it has a wider ISO range than the Fuji’s, it’s noise handling is not in the same class – take a look at the shot from the X-H2s at the bottom of this post – ISO6400 and not a hint of noise! So those are good reasons to be retiring the Canon. But the main reason is to reduce the strain on my shoulders, neck and back. I can use my train-spotting bag which sits more comfortably on my back and, even with all three lenses on board, weighs around a 3rd of what the 5D and 70-200mm lens weigh on their own. That is the final deciding factor. There’s still life in the Canon and if I can find a photographer who wants to take on sports I’ll probably sell it on at a very reasonable price – Ideally that would be someone who will photograph Wingate & Finchley as eventually I will need to give up that role. I hope that explains everything 😎👍

      Reply
  3. Clare Avatar
    Clare

    Nice photos, Martin. And a win! Woohoo 🥳

    Reply
    1. 2e0mca Avatar
      2e0mca

      Thanks Clare 😎👍We’re having a topsy-turvy season. Normally we’re the ones trying to avoid relegation but this year we’re in the battle to be in the play-offs!

      Reply
      1. Clare Avatar
        Clare

        Great stuff 🥰

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