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  • B&W,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  PhotoCritics,  Photography,  Thoughts

    Some odd outcomes from a photo recovering attempt using an AI

    July 13, 2025 /

    I was curious to see how an AI would handle a bad photo, so I uploaded this black-and-white shot taken in the area around Kyoto Station with my Nikon 35TI. Initially published on 35mmc.com. The photo itself —the one published as featured image— it’s part of a long term project to show the presence of Alfa Romeo (a brand I’m a big fan of) in the Japanese streets. It isn’t anything special, but I needed a starting point (the worse, the better) so, after having uploaded this poor shot, I prompted the software like this: As a professional in photo restoration and post production restore this photograph of an Alfa…

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    Andrea Monti

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    An Attentive Listener

    July 18, 2014

    @Rome Maker Faire – 6. A Statue(?)

    October 21, 2014

    An illuminated escape path will help you to reach the exits …

    November 10, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Exhibitions,  Gear,  Photography,  Rome,  Spring

    On Detachment. Or ‘If You Love Something, Set It Free’ (cit. Sting)

    June 17, 2025 /

    A number of philosophies and religions preach the virtue of detachment from things as a path to enlightenment. When applied to gear, this advice won’t only save your soul —if you believe there’s one— but also your money and, last but not least, your photograph experience. This means avoiding the development of ‘feelings’ towards a camera or a lens that shift from appreciating their value as a tool to some sort of ‘personal engagement’. Initially published on 35mmc.com As odd as it sounds, such an attitude towards an inanimate object is more frequent than one may imagine. A paradigmatic case is the attachment of AIBO’s owners to their robotic pets:…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Breakfast at Rue Brisemiche

    March 25, 2014

    LP – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella – The photogallery

    July 11, 2022

    Hanging

    January 19, 2015
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography

    Why a Longterm Relationship (with your camera) Makes You Feel Good

    March 26, 2025 /

    There is no ‘forever’ in life (life included), and apart from more mundane matters, this is especially true of photography. In fact, the ‘infidelity rate’ that affects many relationships with cameras and lenses is only tamed by the money it takes to break them (and sometimes even the lack of money does not stop them from happening).  But at least when it comes to photography, the tranquillity of a stable relationship has some advantages over the excitement of an ever-changing course. From daily and continuous use comes confidence, and from confidence comes a Zen-like state of mind that makes the body to react automatically when the primal part of the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Kime in photography

    June 9, 2013

    Traffic Master

    December 19, 2016

    @Rome Maker Faire – 4. The Hands Controller

    October 16, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Fighters,  Gear,  Photography,  Tokyo,  Winter

    DSLR-like…?

    March 21, 2025 /

    I decided to write this post after having stumbled across the next ethusiast review of a smartphone published on a reputable magazine, claiming that the device can deliver ‘DSLR-like’ photos. In fact, as is often the case with ‘camera experts’ who work for a magazine or earn money by posting videos making funny faces on social networks, it was just a rewrite of the manufacturer’s product specifications and promotional material. There are few things, in photography, I dislike more than than these ‘DSLR-like’ claims made in the advertising of smartphones and compact cameras because ‘DSLR-like’ is the archetype of a meaningless statement made to lure people into using an arbitrary benchmark…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Suspicious Stare

    October 4, 2018

    What Lasts of Last Summer

    May 30, 2013

    A quiet watchdog?

    May 23, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography

    To Do or To Own? (or the Photographer’s Dilemma)

    March 2, 2025 /

    To Own or To Do is the photographer’s version of Erich Fromm’s dilemma posed in his famous essay, ‘To Have or to Be’. I don’t have the authority to talk about a complex topic such as the relationship between individual frustration or lack of accomplishment and compensatory or self-delusional behaviour. I would rather like to focus on how putting gear ownership over gear use affects the ability to take meaningful shots. Initially published on 35mmc.com Like many fellow photographers, I have been affected by the Gear Acquisition Syndrome, which in my case has manifested itself not in a quest for a —whatever it means — ‘perfect image’ but rather a…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Expired Film Series – Episode 4 – Ferrania Solaris 100 – Dec. 2006 shot in August 2023

    September 3, 2023

    A Couple of Windows

    January 5, 2018

    Moon, hand-held

    April 30, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

    Mir-20 20mm 3.5 on a Pentax K1-II – A Field Test

    January 18, 2025 /

    Photographing with a 20mm lens is quite demanding on the eye, as the composition has to take into account many more objects than with a normal prime or telephoto lens. As a result, it is very easy to get meaningless ‘postcard-like’ images. Not having used such a lens before, I certainly fall into the latter category, so the following photos (possibly, but only one) only serve to show some of the optical features of the lens – Initially published on 35mmc.com Resolution Despite its age (the lens was marketed between 1973 and 1996), the optical resolution is not bad. In this image, apart from the chromatic aberration, you can clearly…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Windows XVIII … Century

    February 28, 2014

    The Drying Machine

    November 30, 2014

    Christmas Time at Covent Garden

    December 25, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Winter

    7Artisans 35mm 0.95 – Testing this Fujifilm X Mount Lens in a Demanding Environment

    December 22, 2024 /

    So far I have been very happy with the 7Artisans 35mm 0.95 in X-mount, but I have only tested it in non-demanding conditions. Although the results were promising at first sight, only a real test could give a definitive verdict (at least for me). So I decided to put it on trial last December 13, shooting ‘La Cenerentola’, Gioacchino Rossini’s melodrama at the Teatro Marrucino in Chieti (IT), together with the ‘battle-tested’ Fujifilm XF 18-120. Initially published on 35mmc.com Did it work out? Let me spoil the conclusions: I really like this lens in absolute terms and not because of its value for money. The colour reproduction is excellent, the resolving…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Trespassed

    May 3, 2015

    Different Life

    June 24, 2016

    Busker and Covid-19

    January 26, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Thoughts

    A Few Shots with the 7Artisans 35mm f/0.95 in X-Mount

    October 24, 2024 /

    Let’s get straight to the point: here are a few shots taken with a Fuji X-T4 and a 7 Artisans 35mm f/.0.95 (obviously) in X-mount. All photos were taken at the widest (nominal) aperture of the lens, i.e. 0.95. I’m not sure if this is a real value, but it doesn’t matter because comparing the shutter speed with (relatively) slower lenses like the Zeiss Planar 32mm F1.8 shows that the 7 Artisans is proportionally faster, and that’s enough for me. – Initially published by 35mmc.com This is an 8x crop of the featured image. Even wide open the lens was able to make the Ryanair word easily readable and I…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Quiet Evening

    June 26, 2013

    Hangmen

    May 21, 2013

    The Straycat

    December 3, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Technique,  Thoughts

    A creative approach to zone focusing with superfast manual lenses and mirrorless cameras in street photography

    September 28, 2024 /

    Manual lenses on mirrorless cameras are often a match made in heaven: (once) cheap, high-quality lenses can finally be brought back from the grave and used on modern cameras. However, as with any marriage, there are some rough edges that are difficult to smooth out. In the case of manual lenses, the main problem is the lack of autofocus, which limits the street photographer’s options. Zone focusing is the usual way to overcome this limitation, but this solution has an inherent problem: to get a decent depth of field, you need to shoot at least at F8 or even F11. This means that, in street-photography, it is not possible to…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Genta Fukue live@Sakura Terrace – Kyoto

    June 22, 2017

    Traffic Jam in Rome

    December 14, 2015

    The Last Icecream?

    October 30, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Thoughts

    5 frames with a Canon R6 Mk II and its RF 50/1,2 L USM

    September 28, 2024 /

    I was recently given a Canon R6 Mk II and a set of lenses, including the RF 50/1.2, to test them in a specific environment, so to familiarise myself with the kit I spent a few hours wandering around with the most unlikely configuration for street photography: camera, battery grip and a bulky lens: not exactly what you would call ‘discreet’ or ‘unobtrusive’. However, as counterintuitive as it may seem, I had no problem carrying a ‘real’ camera with all the bells and whistles, as they often seem less threatening and creepy to the casual passer-by, the main target of street photography, because people think you’re just working. There would…

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    Andrea Monti

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    True Leather (Saved by Photoshop’s Crop)

    January 18, 2016

    Just a Bench (or a Sacrificial Altar?)

    January 11, 2017

    An Essay on Light

    October 13, 2017
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Technique

    Nikkor 16mm Fisheye – Three Ways to Make use of Such a Lens

    August 22, 2024 /

    For me, a fisheye is the most challenging lens to use. Unlike other ‘normal’ focal lengths, a fisheye has an inherent deformation of reality. As a result, it is often used to create images with an unreal rendering, reminiscent of M.C. Escher’s self-portrait looking into a transparent globe.However, as happened in music with the advent of digital processors and effects, it is very easy – at least it was for me – to fall into the trap of focusing on the form rather than the message. In other words, as soon as a ‘weird’ looking photo is achieved, that was enough. Just like playing electric guitar back in the days,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Hanging Bottle

    October 11, 2014

    A Nikon’s Portrait Made With a Fuji

    January 14, 2016

    A Modern Orpheus

    November 24, 2015
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Daily Video,  Gear,  Winter

    The Ferrania Film Series – Episode 1 – Ferrania Orto shot on October/November 2023

    August 7, 2024 /

    This is the first episode in a series documenting the use of Ferrania film in various contexts. Episode 1 features a Ferrania Orto shot with a Nikon 35 TI in Japan, between 25 October and 1 November 2023.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Waiting for the Shinkansen – 1

    June 25, 2017

    Friends

    August 3, 2014

    Bless or Curse?

    August 12, 2014
  • Autumn,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Fighters,  Gear,  Spring,  Summer,  Thoughts,  Winter

    Pentax – In Praise of Usability of Cameras and Lenses

    March 3, 2024 /

    The Internet is full of columns and videos about why ‘I left brand X for brand Y’, magnifiying this or that ‘new feature’ that forced a photographer to ditch his previous setup in favour of a brand new one. Sometimes there is a genuine motivation behind such a choice, sometimes – often – it is just a clickbait set up by the need (or hope) to monetise a piece of content published on a social network. This long introduction violates the golden rule of journalistic writing – tell the reader what’s the matter in the first paragraph or so – but it was necessary because this article is exactly that:…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The last flower

    May 20, 2013

    A Portrait on the Nasdaq Building

    January 18, 2014

    Some odd outcomes from a photo recovering attempt using an AI

    July 13, 2025
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography,  Technique

    A few test shots with an MC Cosinon T200/4

    January 14, 2024 /

    This lens has several shortcomings. It has a pronounced coma and the focus barrel requires a considerable amount of turning to get it right, thus making it challenging to fast focus when you need to. Camera sensor clearly influences colours’ rendition. Despite the ‘personality’ of this lens, the overall picture’s feel is clearly (to me, at least) that of the classic ‘cold’, slightly bluish Pentax (or, should I say, Sony) sensor. At f4 (all the images published here were taken at this aperture), the bokeh is pleasant. Nothing exceptional, but for a lens that sells for around 15 euros, the results are good enough. That said, a core question, asked…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Puff of Smoke

    August 29, 2013

    Halt!

    December 28, 2017

    Fujifilm X-Pro 2: Does It Worth It? (Lost In Via Del Corso)

    January 16, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

    The Kiev 60 and a fix for the frame spacing issue

    October 8, 2023 /

    There are several fixes for the Kiev 60‘s frame spacing problem, from taping the film spool to making it thicker to fine-tuning the film transport mechanism. However, while these solutions may work well, they are not guaranteed to work all the time.Master Adriano Lolli found the Columbus egg in one of his masterstrokes: he drilled a hole in the back of the camera in the exact position where the frame number appears and applied a red filter, just in case. In this way, after the first full exposure, the shutter could be cocked in tiny increments until the film number appeared in the hole. The only drawback of this solutions…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Man in Trenchcoat

    November 20, 2021

    The Heart Of Giulietta

    October 30, 2014

    The Last Journey

    March 7, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

    Fujifilm XF 18-120 just snapped in two

    September 10, 2023 /

    Everything breaks down eventually, but there are different kinds of breakdowns and different kinds of reasons for them.On the one hand, you cannot expect a product to be indestructible and you must take proper care to maintain its efficiency. As I said, it will break eventually, but probably not in an unexpected way.On the other hand, when you buy a ‘professional’ or simply an expensive product, you expect the overall quality of the build to match the price.Enter the Fuji XF 18-120. It costs around 900 Euros. Not a steep price compared to Leica, Zeiss or even Canon lenses, and far more expensive than Chinese brands such as Viltrox (which…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Yet Another Dawn

    December 30, 2012

    Tsutaya Bookstore@Ginza

    December 6, 2020

    Lockpicking Tools

    December 11, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

    Helios 40-2 85/1,5 and Fuji X-T5: a sample

    June 21, 2023 /

    This is an early attempt at using an M42 mount Helios 40-2 85/1,5 coupled with a Fuji X-T5. The lens is not tack-sharp and the APS-C equivalent field of view is around 127mm, therefore the bokeh effect becomes less evident. The results, however, are pleasaning.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Footprints

    March 27, 2021

    Belgian Ghosts

    May 2, 2014

    Portrait of a Waiter

    July 22, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

    FUJIFILM X-T5 RAF have problems with Affinity Photo 2.1

    June 11, 2023 /

    As this video shows, when opened in Affinity Photo 2.1, an RAF generated by a Fujifilm X-T5 shows a vertical stripe and a slightly higher resolution. The problem does not occur if the file is pre-processed with Iridient Transformer and converted to DNG, or if the file is processed with Pixelmator Pro 3, Lightroom Classic or the latest version of Capture One.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Menu Meditation

    February 16, 2018

    Inside a Master Luthier’s Workshop

    July 24, 2025

    Friends

    August 3, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

    A pouch for the Fuji XF 150-600

    May 16, 2023 /

    The JJC Deluxe Lens Pouch model 811 fits perfectly with the Fuji XF 150-600 with the handle mounted and the lens hood reversd. It also leaves some room for filters, SD cards or small accessories.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Another attempt at DLSR film scanning

    January 21, 2023

    Staring At The Infinite (While Waiting For The Fishes)

    August 1, 2014

    Pino Ammendola – L’ultima notte di Bonfiglio Liborio@Teatro Marrucino

    May 13, 2022
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

    Moonshot with a handheld Fuji XF150-600 and a Fuji X-T3

    April 24, 2023 /

    This picture is taken, handheld, with the following parameters: Focal Lenght 600mm, Aperture F/8, ISO 6400, Exposure 1/300s. Even if shot with a Fuji X-T3 (that has no In-Body Stabilisation) the resulting image is very good.

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Waiter in via Sardegna

    September 26, 2015

    A

    March 30, 2014

    Breaking the Fourth Wall

    February 17, 2020
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Doors&Windows,  Gear,  Winter

    Powermeters

    February 18, 2023 /

    This photo was taken with an Ilford XP2 Super 400, a Voigtländer Bessa R2 and a Voigtländer 35mm f/1.4 II lens. The film was digitised using a Pentax K-1 and a Pentax FA 100/2.8 Marco mounted on a custom-built rig. The resulting raw was processed in Affinity Photo. In Develop Persona, first the image was turned in black and white, then the master curve was intverted and finally exposure, contrast and other parameters were tweaked.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Kime in photography

    June 9, 2013

    Behind the Beer

    December 26, 2013

    A Lamp

    November 14, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography,  Winter

    A sample of the Carl Zeiss Jena 135/F4 Sonnar and a Fuji X-T3

    February 5, 2023 /

    This photo was taken with an old Carl Zeiss Jena 135/4 Sonnar whose Contax RF mount was replaced by a Fuji X mount by Master Adriano Lolli.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Urban Desolation

    September 18, 2014

    Enough…

    March 2, 2013

    Inside a Master Luthier’s Workshop

    July 24, 2025
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Gear,  Stockholm,  Summer

    Another attempt at DLSR film scanning

    January 21, 2023 /

    Still trying.I digitised the negative with a Pentax K-1 and the FA 100 2.8 Macro lens using the JJC clone of Nikon ES-2. Postproduction is done in Pixelmator Pro. I used a Nikon 35TI and a Kodak BW400CN to take the original photo. Strangely enough, the JJC does not allow a 1:1 ratio with the Micro Nikkor 60 2.8.The instructions advise to mount the 62mm to 52mm step-down ring, the #2 52mm barrel-shaped tube and finally the film holder. These instructions are clearly wrong, as it is not possible to get 1:1 magnification with this setup.So I removed the tube and mounted the film carrier directly on the 62mm to…

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    Andrea Monti

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    PizzaPizza

    January 12, 2013

    Real Time Update

    February 20, 2016

    The Day of the Zombies

    October 23, 2016
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Seasons,  Summer,  Technique

    An attempt at DSLR-made film digitization

    January 14, 2023 /

    This is the first usable result of the attempt to DSLR-scan films. I tried several approaches, including the standard tripod holding the camera perpendicularly to a flat, LED-lighted surface. However, I finally went for a different solution: a horizontal rig with two moving plates, a micrometric head holding the film and three-axis and a panoramic head holding the camera.

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Ipad Shooter

    November 3, 2013

    Meaningless

    November 9, 2013

    Romeo’s Hideout

    December 16, 2015
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