Links and useful information

Minolta Dynax / Maxximum 5 Body
I love this camera. It is small, lightweight like a compact, but with most advanced function of any professional reflex. Reliable, robust and very flexible, suits well for every situation. Regardless of the mode used, from full-auto to full-manual and thanks to its user-friendly interface, the photographer can always concentrate on the final scene to impress on the film, without getting lost between buttons and knobs. With this camera, I usually use slides only (Kodak Ektachrome E100VS).

Tamron 24-135 SP Lens
At any focal lenght, it produces a nitid and uniform image, with no distorsions or shadows even at the outermost corners of the picture. Very suitable for landscapes, where the focal lenght of 24mm lets to emphatize the vastity of the environment, it can also be used for wildlife when, at 135mm, the distance and the size of the subject is within acceptable limits.

Olympus C-5050
An excellent digital camera, with a 5 megapixel sensor and a super bright f 1.8 lens, 35-105mm. Works in totally automatic mode (point and shot) as well as in manual (*every* camera's function can controlled by the photographer, like any professional reflex). I use it mainly to take panoramic pictures (because it is easier and cheaper, if compared to traditional film) and in any difficult condition where it is important to preview a picture immediately after a shot. Thanks to its very bright lens, it is easy to take pictures in interiors without using a flash (useful in museums, where flashes are often not permitted).

Kodak Professional E100VS
Professional slides with vivid saturation, ideal for landscapes and wildlife. I'm very satisfied with this film. It captured the colors exactly as I remember them, with an excellent contrast and a fine grain. It produced red rocks and blue sky without using filters and helped me to capture vivid colors even on overcast days. The speed of 100 ASA is low enough to guarantee an almost grain-free picture, but still sufficient to aviod the use of a tripod for regular shots in normal daylight conditions. Excellent results also on the whites, where, for example on Uyuni salt flats, it produced a very bright salt, exactly as it is impressed in my mind.

Tripod
A cheap product without anything special. I've chosen it just for its size, as it fits well in my backpack and I can carry it everywhere. I usually use it for pictures at night and for any low light conditions, like at sunset. Minolta Scan Dual III Film Scanner
An excellent scanner, produces a quality similar to professional units but at a very low price. Because of the low speed, it isn't suitable for scanning dozens of slides daily, but for any other use it is absolutely fine. You can read a full review of this unit on my Minolta page here.