Andrea Monti

Photographer

  • Home
  • Daily photo
  • Colour
  • B&W
  • Landscape
  • Cities
  • People
  • Sport
  • FAQ
  • About
  • Conctact
Menu
  • Home
  • Daily photo
  • Colour
  • B&W
  • Landscape
  • Cities
  • People
  • Sport
  • FAQ
  • About
  • Conctact

No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Doors&Windows,  Gear,  Photography,  Thoughts

    The Mystique of Film

    August 24, 2022 /

    I have resisted for a long time before giving out my two cents about the neverending debate ‘film vs digital’. I gave up after the next self-delusion I read in a well-known ‘semi-pro’ (purposely not linked) online photography magazine. It featured the umpteenth column explaining how shooting film ‘gets the experience back’, going full-manual ‘forces you thinking’, having limited exposures ‘pushes you to become more selective’, and all the usual motives connected with the choice of travelling on a horse-powered chariot instead of using a regular car. There is no need to shoot film to experience all that. Set the camera on full manual, disable OIS and IBIS, use a…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    An Open Gate

    January 13, 2015

    Portrait of a Cosplayer

    July 3, 2017

    Shadows&Lights

    March 7, 2014
  • Daily photo,  Gear,  Winter

    Bronine Volkit Camera Hub. Mixed feelings

    November 30, 2021 /

    The picture is self-eplaining. Patona batteries show odd parameters, while a Nikon original battery is more in line with the declared specs. This is by no way a reliable experiment, as the batteries’ state is not comparable. I will continue experimenting with different models because these results are pretty odd. However I can not blame Patona for the outcomes, for the bromine volkit itself might be defective and a fair comparison should be based upon batteries handled similarly.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Panning the Police

    November 17, 2016

    Late

    December 31, 2012

    Isolation in public spaces

    November 10, 2023
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Summer

    Fujifilm X-T3 Video Cheat Sheet

    September 5, 2021 /

    Although the Internet (and Youtube) are full of information about using the Fujifilm X-T3’s video capabilities —kudos to Chris Lee’s Pal2Tech Youtube channel for his incredible work— having a ‘quick ‘n’ dirty’ cheat sheet works better when all you need is information and not entertainment. This cheatsheet is organised according to (my personal) logic rather than to the camera’s menu order. It starts from the outside and goes deep down the intricacies of the various features. It also highlights some techicanilities that, although written in the manual, have not so obvious implications. A final word: this is a work-in-progress. More information will be added as soon as they become available.…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    An Unplausable Perspective

    May 6, 2014

    Cold Freezing Touring Through The Oslo’s Fjord

    October 4, 2014

    Three Shadows

    November 11, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Fountains,  Gear,  Spring,  Thoughts

    A Fountain’s Jet

    April 12, 2021 /

    I took this shot with a Viltrox AF 56/1,4 XF at full aperture. The focus reacted swiftly, and the colours’ rendition is pretty accurate. There is minimal colour fringing. However, it is more likely caused by air bubbles rather than by the lens itself. Like its bigger sibling, the AF 85/1,8 XF, this lens is excellent.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Caparezza – Live@Palamaggetti Roseto degli Abruzzi

    February 18, 2018

    Rollercoaster (kind of)

    April 3, 2014

    Out For Justice

    June 21, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Technique

    Using a 1960 Leica Elmarit 90/2,8 on a Fuji X-T3

    April 5, 2021 /

    In short The Leica Elmarit 90/2,8 works flawlessly on a Fujifilm X-T3, also with third-party adapters having no electronic connection with the camera. It provides excellent results, notwithstanding its age. Using this lens for street photography requires using focus-peaking or zone focus. In this latter case, proper training is necessary to correctly assess the distance from the subject. Image quality On the X-T3 the lens preserves its unique identity. Its colour rendering gives pictures a distinctive ‘retro’ character. The Elmarit shows an excellent resolving power: thin lines are visible and well defined. Chromatic aberration is visible at F2,8. It disappears from F4 and ahead. Anyway, the lens profile is well…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Caged?

    June 6, 2014

    Early Leave at Bruxelles-Midi

    March 23, 2014

    Uchi-Mata

    November 8, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Technique

    In praise of ‘cheap’ lenses for ‘pro’ works

    April 4, 2021 /

    Full disclosure: I have no relationship with Viltrox. I purchased the lenses with my own money and did not receive any request to write this post. I have recently discovered Viltrox, a Chinese manufacturer of lenses for the Fujifilm X-system. I am using the AF 85/1,8 II XF and the AF 56/1,4 XF and I am very satisfied by their performance. They are very good for ‘professional’ sessions, however, there are many online reviews that snobbishly rate these lenses as ‘amateur’, ‘non-professional’ or ‘first time portrait photography enthusiasts’ grade. I think that these reviews are unfair and here is why: What does ‘better’ mean? It is a known fact that…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Come on in…

    September 11, 2013

    The Answer is On the Wall

    August 28, 2020

    Hanging Towels

    March 29, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

    Viltrox AF85/1,8 II XF. Reflexless?

    April 2, 2021 /

    This is an Out-of-Camera Jpeg, shot at F8 and ISO 160, unprocessed but for the size. The Viltrox AF85/1,8 II XF shows no visible reflexes. Incredible for a lens that costs so little…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Red Dot

    January 21, 2015

    Lost in Another World

    March 17, 2014

    Arrested Behind the Door

    March 29, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Winter

    A Rudder

    February 19, 2021 /

    Pentax K-1/smc Pentax-A 135/2,8

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Fireworks

    January 19, 2013

    Oops!

    July 4, 2014

    Sky Patrol

    September 12, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Summer,  Thoughts

    Pentax SMC-A 50/1,7 – Nikkor 50/1,4 – Summicron 50/2

    February 9, 2021 /

    The left slice is taken with a Pentax K-1 and SMC-A 50/1,7, the centre with a Nikon D750 and a Nikkor 50/1,4, the right with a Fujifilm X-T3 and a Summicron 50/2. All the cameras were at their base ISO (100 for the Pentax and Nikon, 160 with the Fujifilm), at F2 and aperture priority. The K-1 and the X-T3 photos were shot in manual focus. Only the K-1 has IBIS stabilization. The jpg is taken in Affinity by slicing each OOC RAW file without post-processing.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    A Sad Harley-Davidson

    August 10, 2013

    Crowd Control

    February 14, 2016

    Just a soccer field… Part 3

    February 5, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Thoughts

    Galaxy S21 Ultra 5g. The difference between Marketing and Reality in Image Quality

    January 24, 2021 /

    To put it short, this is what you get by purchasing a Galaxy S21 Ultra 5g using the standard camera app: access to all four lenses is limited to jpg, 108megapixel resolution is limited to one lens (the one Samsung calls ‘wide’ or ‘1x’), RAW format is only availble in ‘PRO’ mode, limited to ‘ultrawide’ (0,6x) and ‘wide’ (1x), with no access to 108megpixel resolution. Samsung advertises the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5g by spinning its 108 megapixel camera. However, it does not make clear that the 108 megapixel resolution is not available in “PRO” mode, the only that records in raw. By contrast, this super resolution is available in normal…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    A Fujifilm X-E1 Annoyance

    April 15, 2014

    So what?

    April 9, 2013

    High-Tech Elder Care Tool

    April 2, 2013
  • Actors,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  PhotoCritics,  Portraits,  Technique,  Winter

    Easy To Shoot?

    December 12, 2020 /

    This picture might look “ordinary” but for the fact that I shot it with a rangefinder film camera (guess which?) during the scene change between to acts of a theatre play. Scene assistants were placing the furnitures, actors were trying to focus on their parts, there was no time (and place) to design a proper composition and set the camera. No autofocus, no real-time exposure and white-balance setting. Maybe I have been lucky capturing the match flame close to the cigar, maybe it was because of “muscle memory”, but I did it nonetheless. Problem is that I could not be sure if I succeeded until, one week later, I saw…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Blow Up

    November 13, 2014

    Between Two Sets

    May 15, 2014

    A Moment Of Rest

    June 17, 2013
  • Daily photo,  Gear

    Fuji X-T2 records audio at 16bit/48Khz

    October 11, 2020 /

    Neither the user manual, nor the Youtube ‘experts’ tell this open secret: the X-T2 samples audio at 16bit. Although the sample rate is 48khz (a standard in video production) 16bit may not be enough to record (a minimum) professional grade audio. This is not a big deal for the rest of the humans, but If you want to ‘go pro’ or need to unleash your Gear Addiction Syndrome be advised that to have 24bit/48Khz audio you must switch to the X-T3.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    A HDR Experiment

    December 9, 2013

    Message Check Before Breakfast

    December 12, 2014

    The Suit

    July 15, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

    A Weird Fujifilm Battery Issue for X-series cameras

    December 2, 2019 /

    A defective battery can cause a Fujifilm X-series camera to start rattling and displaying blue, white or purple-striped screen in the LCD viewfinder. After three months of troubleshooting, having the camera traveling back and fro between my studio and Fujifilm Italy tech support, they have been able to identify the issue: a defective battery didn’t send enough power to the camera, thus jeopardizing its operation. Here is a Youtube video I made that shows the issue

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Where do the skilifts are supposed to be?

    January 7, 2017

    Italian National Skating Championship 2019

    February 8, 2019

    Leo Gullotta – Bartleby lo scrivano@Teatro Marrucino

    March 15, 2022
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Technique,  Thoughts

    Will The iPhone Kill Traditional Cameras? Not Very

    October 15, 2019 /

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Reminiscenses From The Past

    September 7, 2013

    @ Mediterranean Beach Games 2015 – Beach Wrestlers

    October 21, 2015

    Bronine Volkit Camera Hub. Mixed feelings

    November 30, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Thoughts,  Winter

    A shot wasted by Iphone 7 plus poor low light performance

    January 22, 2019 /

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Landed

    December 19, 2013

    Alex Britti – Live@Cinema teatro Massimo – Pescara

    April 3, 2016

    An Essay on Composition

    February 14, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Winter

    Fujifilm XF 100-400: a quick test

    January 12, 2018 /

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Uchi-Mata

    November 8, 2014

    Italy, Landscape Photography and the Law

    January 23, 2014

    Relaxed Call at Boulevard du Palais

    March 19, 2014
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photo Journalism,  Summer,  Thoughts

    A Bad Experiment

    August 26, 2016 /

    I had to cover “in emergency” a date of the musical Notre-Dame de Paris and found myself “unarmed” (no camera available whatsoever), so I have been forced to fall back on my mobile. While, at the end of the day and with great difficulty, I have been able to shoot something vaguely useful, this experience blew away any possible plan to use a mobile’s camera to handle an assignment. Simply put, mobile’s cameras suck, unless you go for (very)close or cheap shots. This should have been pretty obvious without the need of looking for hard evidence. Nevertheless, out of necessity, I have been able to test and learn on my…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Ultras

    July 20, 2016

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

    October 21, 2014

    Balilla

    July 17, 2015
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Reportage,  Thoughts,  Winter

    Daniele Silvestri – Live@Cinema teatro Massimo – Pescara

    March 21, 2016 /

    Be Canon, Nikon or whatever, when the assignment is demanding, there is no substitute for a DSLR. I kept taking with me a Fuji (mainly, an X-E2 with the 18-55 and sometimes an X100s) as a wide-angle camera. The results are very good but, in a scenario like a theater, can’t possibly match the versatility of a 5D Mk III with the mighty Canon EF 100-400. Enjoy the pictures!

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Carl Zeiss T* 50 1,5 Sonnar and EOS EF-M 18-55

    August 4, 2013

    The Scooter

    March 1, 2013

    5 Frames with various cameras – Ferrari On The Road(s)

    February 22, 2025
  • Artists,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography,  Winter

    Gigi Cifarelli Guitar Solo (feat. Michele Di Toro) – Live@Florian Espace Pescara

    March 7, 2016 /

    This the reportage I did on behalf of Rockol.it with a Canon 5d Mk III and the venerable Canon EF 70-200/2,8. The theater was small and few were the angles to be exploited. Thus I’ve decided to focus on close-ups and american shots.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Waiting For A Customer To Come

    July 27, 2014

    Seats

    September 11, 2017

    Self-Defense

    July 27, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    Action! (beware of Fuji X-Pro 2)

    February 2, 2016 /

    I’ve shot this picture with a Fujifilm X-E2 and a Zeiss C Sonnar T* 1,5/50 ZM. The split-image manual focus confirmation worked properly (though with a strong light it’s more difficult to handle it) and the resulting file in term of size and quality is fairly satisfying. Enter the X-Pro2 with a bigger resolution and new RAW format. While a 24 Megapixel APS-C sensor creates file that can be handled by most of the computer currently in place, the new RAW format will require the latest Photoshop CC/Lightroom update. So, if you chose not to enter into the mud of a subscription-based software licensing model, all of a sudden you…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Splinter

    March 13, 2021

    A young Iron Maiden fan

    April 8, 2013

    A Chair in the Garden

    November 15, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Milan,  People,  Winter

    After a Tough Day

    January 30, 2016 /

    I  took this photo with a Fujifilm X-E2 and a Leica Elmarit 90/2,8. Manual focusing with the split-image option has been fairly easy.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    When We Were Kids

    August 18, 2013

    Waiting For The Bus On Las Ramblas

    August 19, 2014

    Killing the Time

    October 10, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Fashion Shops,  Gear,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    Should I Buy It? (Best Taken With an 85mm)

    January 23, 2016 /

    …but actually with a 23mm (35mm equivalent, cropped.)

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Self-Defense

    July 27, 2013

    What lasts of a springtime hailstorm

    June 22, 2013

    A Pensive Nun

    December 14, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    True Leather (Saved by Photoshop’s Crop)

    January 18, 2016 /

    A 35mm focal length is definitely much too wide for my kind of street-photography, but I must admit that the advantages of using a Fujifilm X100s in terms of efficiency and portability, beat any other issue related to the wideness of the lens. And the X100s’ resolution is good enough to obtain a good composition through Photoshop’s crop feature.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Kudos to Ricoh

    February 8, 2013

    Iphone 15 Billboard in Via XX Settembre

    February 14, 2024

    Waiting for the Shinkansen – 1

    June 25, 2017
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Rome,  Thoughts

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

    January 16, 2016 /

    As a Fujifilm camera early adopter (during time I got the X-pro 1, X100, X100s, X-E1 and X-E2) I was waiting for the X-Pro 2 to come and when that finally happened I didn’t feel so compelled to trash my (now) old cameras to do the switch. Long gone are the days of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome),  so I shall not buy this new piece of electronics because it doesn’t do anything that I can’t do with my actual set up (in particular, with the X100s and the X-E2.) The only actual point of interest, to me, are the dual-slot card and the weather sealed body: but I never needed…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    On The Rocks

    August 13, 2014

    Christmas Time at Covent Garden

    December 25, 2013

    Much Too Short a Ladder

    October 17, 2013
123

Projects

  • Daily photo (1,387)
    • B&W (269)
    • Colour (1,099)
  • Daily Video (15)
  • Portfolio (2)
  • Projects (1,297)
    • Airport (14)
    • Bottles&Cups (12)
    • Cars&Bikes (41)
    • Chairs&Seats (19)
    • Cities (451)
      • Barcelona (16)
      • Boston (11)
      • Bruxelles (65)
      • Hamburg (3)
      • Helsinki (2)
      • Kyoto (2)
      • London (27)
      • Milan (49)
      • Nagasaki (2)
      • Nagoya (8)
      • New York (9)
      • Nikko (1)
      • Osaka (3)
      • Oslo (17)
      • Padua (1)
      • Paris (31)
      • Rome (145)
      • Stockholm (11)
      • Tokyo (28)
      • Tsukuba (2)
      • Venice (22)
      • Yokohama (1)
    • Court (22)
    • Landscape (97)
      • Beach&Shores (77)
    • Lines (20)
    • Marketing (3)
    • Moon (7)
    • Observer Bias (15)
    • Odds (21)
    • OutOfFocus (13)
    • Parks (6)
    • Past&Relics (55)
    • People (623)
      • Actors (14)
      • Artists (84)
      • Fighters (29)
      • Portraits (41)
    • Seasons (905)
      • Autumn (143)
      • Spring (175)
      • Summer (254)
      • Winter (347)
    • Shops (164)
      • Barber&HairStylist (2)
      • Bookstores (10)
      • Brand Stores (1)
      • Fashion Shops (15)
      • Garages&Labs (11)
      • Groceries (3)
      • Jewelry (3)
      • Patisserie (11)
      • Restaurants&Bar (92)
      • Street Markets (14)
      • Tobacconists (2)
    • Social Control (52)
    • Travels (17)
    • Urban Landscape (291)
      • Boulevards (12)
      • Bridges (6)
      • Buildings (24)
      • Docks (75)
      • Doors&Windows (26)
      • Downtown (29)
      • Exhibitions (10)
      • Fountains (6)
      • Garbage (18)
      • Gates&Fences (12)
      • Parks (20)
      • Streets&Squares (64)
      • Works (2)
    • Visual (69)
    • WideAngle (14)
  • Reportage (16)
  • Sport (71)
    • Beach Handball (1)
    • Beach Volley (5)
    • Billiard (1)
    • Body Builiding (1)
    • Cycling (1)
    • Fighting Disciplines (24)
    • Handball (2)
    • Kite Surf (4)
    • Road Running (1)
    • Roller Derby (1)
    • Rowing (2)
    • Shooting (11)
    • Skating (4)
    • Soccer (6)
    • Swimming (Fin) (1)
    • Track&Field (5)
  • Thoughts (223)
    • Gear (67)
    • Photo Journalism (6)
    • PhotoCritics (18)
    • Photography (59)
    • Street Photography (84)
    • Technique (29)
Dear anonymous visitor, you may enjoy this web site’s contents with all the ease of not being tracked.

I do not know your identity and will do nothing to figure out who you are.

This explains why I do not ask for your consent: it is not possible to abide by the law if one’s counterpart is unknown.

I do not have social network’s ‘share buttons’, comments are disabled, as are user registration features.

I only use those cookies and pieces of code that make Google Analytics work and that will eventually be dismissed as soon as I am sure that Matomo (also installed) works as advertised.

If you check this website with some online tool you may find two cookies ‘_utmz’ and ‘_utma’. The former tracks your sessions, the latter your location. You may find more information in the Legalia and Cookie Policy page

Compulsory Information

  • Legalia
© 2025 Andrea Monti - all rights reserved