I receive often emails asking information about my photo equipment. Well, to
make everybody happy, here is a complete list of what I've used during this
trip (some item, especially the films, may be different from one trip to another
and are chosen each time depending on the specific needs).
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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).
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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. |
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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. |
PICTURES OF PERU - BOLIVIA - CILE: IMAGES FROM THE TRIP DAY BY DAY |
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09.08.2003 - Santiago day tour
Guided day tour of Santiago, visiting Plaza de Armas, the downtown with its tall skyscrapers, and the outskirts. |
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10.08.2003 - Winery tour from Santiago
Chile is getting every year more competitive in the wine market, thanks to the quality and to the increasing quantity. A winery tour in a farm near Santiago lets to discover the wine production process and to taste excellent wines. |
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11.08.2003 - San Pedro De Atacama
The Atacama desert in Chile is considered one of the world's driest
place where, in several areas, there are no registered rainfalls for many consecutive
years. But this doesn't mean that there is no life or nothing to see... |
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12.08.2003 - San Pedro de Atacama and Salar De Atacama
Day tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Salar de Atacama, a huge salt flat surrounded by majestic volcanoes, where flamingoes have made their home. |
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13.08.2003 - from Laguna Verde to Laguna Colorada
Today the groups gets into Bolivia where an adventure by 4x4 begins. The today itinerary goes from Laguna Verde (green lake) to Laguna Colorada (red lake) driving off road or onto dirty roads, between spectacular lunar landscape of extreme high mountain. |
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14.08.2003 - Crossing Bolivian plateau by 4x4
The Bolivian desert expedition by 4x4 continues at altitudes between 3.500 and 5000 meters above sea level, in an incredible landscape of rocks sculptured by winds and other extreme elements. |
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15.08.2003 - Salar De Uyuni tour
With an average altitude higher than 4000 meters, the Bolivian plateau offers spectacular scenery, like the immense Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat. We make a stop at Isla Pescado (fish island) a small hill in the middle of the salt, where there are giant cactus. |
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16.08.2003 - Travel from Uyuni to Potosi
Travel by public bus service from Uyuni to Potosi, over partly paved roads at extreme altitudes, in the middle of the Andes. |
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17.08.2003 - Potosi city tour and silver miner excursion
Excursion to the interesting "museum of the coins" in Potosi, then tour into a silver miner where people work in terrible conditions, inside a mountain above 4.000 meters of altitude. |
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18.08.2003 - Sucre city tour
Travel by public bus service from Potosi to Uyuni, Bolivia, then short Sucre city tour and excursion to the "dinosaurs footprints" park, a vertical wall of rock where dinosaurs tracks were left impressed after a sudden catastrophic event. |
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19.08.2003 - La Paz city tour
Flight from Sucre to El Alto, one of the world's most elevated airports, near the city of La Paz, Bolivia. A short city tour of La Paz follows. |
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20.08.2003 - Tiahuanaco tour
Excursion to Tiahuanaco ruins by bus, departing from La Paz. This archeological site is very interesting and belongs to pre-Inca time. |
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21.08.2003 - Travel La Paz - Puno via Copacabana
Travel by public bus from La Paz to Puno (Peru) via Copacabana. Today, we cross the border line between Bolivia and Peru, traveling along the Titicaca lake shores. |
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22.08.2003 - Titicaca lake cruise
Like the ancient Uros people, about 2000 Peruvians still populate the
floating islands built of Totora reeds, over lake Titicaca in Peru. Everything, from homes to the floating islands itself, is built using Totora reeds, a plant growing along the shores of lake Titicaca. |
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23.08.2003 - Travel Puno - Cusco by train
Travel from Puno to Cusco by train, over one of the world highest railway. The entire journey takes almost 12 hours, but worth because of the beautiful scenery. |
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24.08.2003 - Excursions from Cusco
Cusco, in the middle of the Andes in Peru, is a city full of history and fascinating museum. The first day spent in Cusco is dedicated to an excursion to Sacsayhuaman fortress and to the temple of the sun. |
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25.08.2003 - Pisaq and Ollantaytambo tour
Drive from Cusco thru the Sacred Valley to Pisaq with its ancient ruins and the local handicraft market. Continue to Ollantaytambo where we spend the night. |
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26.08.2003 - Travel to Machu Picchu by train
Travel to Machu Picchu by train from Ollantaytambo. The narrow gauge railway finishes in Aguas Calientes where we have some rest and overnight. |
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27.08.2003 - Machu Picchu tour
Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca town, has been discovered only
in 1911, although was always known by several local farmers. A tour of Machu Picchu gives the possibility to better understand the everyday life of who has lived here. |
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28.08.2003 - Cusco city tour and museums
Only one day in Cusco is never enough, so, in this second day, I visit several interesting museums and do more hikes in the city, where many modern buildings are built over ancient Inca walls. |
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29.08.2003 - Flight Cusco - Lima
Short flight from Cusco to Lima by a Lan Peru Airbus A320. This journey thru the Andes of South America is now about to finish. |
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30.08.2003 - Lima day tour
Excursion to a pre-Inca cemetery, before visiting Plaza de Armas and the interesting San Francisco monastery. |
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Collection of the best pictures
The most beautiful pictures from Peru, Bolivia and Chile are collected in this page. |
