As you have seen from the images I'm an amatorial photographer who wants to improve his own technique.
I know that there's still a lot of work in this direction!
My idea is to equip myself with more performace lenses to realise good shots in whatever condition of light.
My photographic equipment is therefore composed: Reflex Canon EOS 30D + Canon Powershot G5.
I've purchased the 30D in the second half of May 2006 with the complete purpose lens Sigma 18-200 F3.5-6.3.
Impressed from the enormous developments of digital photography I have decided to change the good G5 for a performance system with interchanging optical like the reflex.
The photos of the year 2006 are therefore fairly uniformed between Canon G5 and 30D, which first use was in Modena in occasion of the "1000 Miglia".
These are other lens in my possession:
- Canon EF-S 18-55 F3.5-5.6
- Fish-eye Zenitar 16mm F2.8
Finally in December 2006 I have bought the Sigma 20-40 F2.8-2.8 EX and flash Canon 580 EX for "Indoor Show".
The first important use of 30D+Sigma 20-40+580EX has been at the "Bologna Motor Show 2006". Personally I'm very happy of images quality!
A great update equipment came during 2007
In the month of January I finally found, after a long search, a rare and old lens of Canon L series. The model is a push-pull telezoom Canon EF 50-200 F3.5-4.5 L. I immediately loved the quality of this old lens 
Unfortunately AF is not as fast as the latest USM engines, but apart from that, I have nothing to say. The quality of shots is fantastic with sharp images and vivid colors. Dispite the age, this lens is constructed in a very robust plastic body. After 20 years still works perfectly!
Another lens has become part of my photographic equipment, this time in the month of September.
I decided to buy a professional F2.8 lens that could be fine for all occasions, so I had the opportunity to take a wonderful Canon EF 28-70 F2.8 L, used but in really good condition incuring the hood, caps and bag for transport. All for a reasonable price!
Regarding this lens I'm fully satisfied. The construction is accurate and precise, AF is moved by USM engine so is fast and silent. Shots quality is spectacular and also at F2.8 pics are sharp, bright and with natural colors...It's a joy to use!
The last entry this year came in December. To substantially increase the shutter autonomy and get a better-hand body camera, I took the original Canon battery grip called BG-E2N. Now, take vertically shots become much easier with a second shutter button.
Finally here two shots that brings together all lenses currently in my Line-Up:
December 2008, it's time to update this page!
This year has seen the expansion of my photographic equipment. I must admit that I try to constantly add and improve the quality of lenses in my possession...
Before moving to the "new entry", here's a strange combination, my compact Canon G5 with the big 580 EX pulled over! I did some experiments and I must say that the coverage of flash has improved dramatically in the amount of light! The problem is that the flash is too heavy on the G5 and the system is not balanced. It appears very difficult to hold the camera steady...Ok, ok, only a test, but nice to see that old compact Canon work perfectly with this professional flash.
Well, it's time to return into the world of DSLR photography with the latest lenses in my line-up
During 2008 I've followed many events and of course I always had with me a couple of zoom, mainly the Canon EF 16-35 L II like a wide angle shots and Canon EF 100-300 F5.6 L like tele. The problem however was that I often found to having change lens to engage the ones I needed. The worst thing was losing some shots for not have immediately available the necessary zoom...
So after repeatedly photographic session with my friend Simone (www.caldicarphoto.com ) already equipped with 2 cameras I could appreciate the big advantage of having 2 reflex always ready to work. Not wanting to spend too much I decided to search an used second body, as good as the 30D.
After a year of use and over 10,000 shots taken only with this body, I can say that the unit is fine, as much as the 30D.
I found some small and annoying shortcomings compared to 30D (apart the rear smaller display, but this isn't so important, at least for me ...). The first is the lack of ISO display in the viewfinder that forces to pull the eye away from the camera and select it, checking on the small screen placed at the top of the camera. Even here, however, I must say that after many hours of use you can change ISO settings using your memory and turning the dial, but surely you have not the certainty on viewfinder of what you are doing...
The second and perhaps more limiting problem is the limited usable ISO scale, via the classic 100-200-400-800-1600 steps where you lost profits intermediate passages that are present on the 30D. For the rest I find the 20D very similar to the 30D, also with virtually identical image quality. They also have the same sensor, the same resolution and the same high build quality. Even the keys are located in the same position in both bodies. This proves to be good to change settings quickly.
I decided to keep the Canon 16-35 II L always installed on this reflex, so all wide pictures that you saw on the website in 2009, were made by 20D, sometimes in addition with Speedlight 580 EX flash.
We looked forward to this moment and during all the years we worked on this idea and makes sense. To create a video section of the website we wanted it to be equal to the corresponding photos in high resolution. And then the way we have undertaken has been to make available, whenever possible, coverage of an event whether photographic or through in HD. Yeah, just the high definition was the starting key point. Each visitor can view the contents in the best quality that we currently offer. To do this, during 2008 we have bought a small HD camcorder, the Canon HF100 and we started to try and experiment
Despite being a product for consumer-market, we quickly realized the excellent quality of video, favored by the small size that make it lighter and an inevitable part of our equipment during the most important events.
As far as I'm concerned I still have much to learn about the proper use of camcorder, especially in how to compose videos and how best to manage movies in postproduction. The year 2010 will be focused even more on the "photo & video" combination for better coverage events. The strong signals of interest shown On newborn Italiansupercarvideo channel can only spur us to try and make available for all visitors as much material as possible. We chose YouTube because believe it's the most important widespread video reality now available on the Net. During all 2009, YouTube has implemented HD functions and this presents for us a big chance to be an active part in this huge video community.
Throughout 2009 I've felt, often, the lack of having a better wide-angle lens for make videos in indoor cars expo where often there's very little space to move. I noticed that the image quality degrades at the edges of the frame, but I think it's perfectly acceptable. Is the price to pay for a much wider coverage. For almost the whole framed scene sharpness seemed to me still very high level. Of course if you decide to use HF100 + Raynox for all 12x possibility of original optic Canon zoom degradation of the edges will be increased in proportion with the length of the zoom used.During 2010 I will have to perform many other tests but it's clear that the best results are obtained by leaving the original camera zoom in his wide zone.
I must be honest, I'm quite happy with the lenses in my possession. And I had no intention of buying others in the short time. I prefer to save money for take, in the future, a camera body to replace the 30D and also (but not so soon) the 20D. I'm very precise, I archive all pictures always, since I used the Canon G5 and then I moved to the 30D. In recent years, both for cars or for travels, the 30D has produced an impressive numbers of shot, something like 35.000/40.000 every year (!!)
, reduced in recent times with the arrival of the 20D, which has effectively halved the number of pictures taken to the 30D. As you can see I made extensive use of 30D and although I always scrupulously carried out maintenance on this unit, which I never had problems. But it's undeniable that exceeded the number of 150,000 shots. Much more of the number guaranteed for the shutter. Despite some recent electronics problem (Is not difficul to take also 3000 photos when I'm on racetrack), the 30D works perfectly and the quality of his pics still satisfies me very well. But it's inevitable, sooner or later 30D come to the end of his working life and I'll replace it. Indeed, it would be nice if Canon would let me a camera body to test it for a long-term perod...I would be happy to act as testers...A new lens was not in a prediction. But, as often happens, something interrupts the plans and unrepeatable occasion happen. Cause wrong purchase, a guy was selling his brand new Sigma 100-300 F4 EX mistakenly taken for Canon when he had instead Nikon mount. Incredibly, the seller has decided to not replace the product becouse it was exactly what the guy requested. It wasn't a question of defective product.So the objective was new, never used, complete with everything...the boy decided to sell it by auctioning on internet where I attended. The price was too good to have it escape, so...now it's here with my others lenses and is my new entry 2010!
I tried the Sigma 100-300 F4 EX, for the first time, at the "1000 Miglia" 2010, and with about 2000 shots I can say that I did a big important test...
I'm wont to the weight, especially since I use 2 bodies together, but I must say that the Sigma is now my maximum weight. The single lens is almost 1.5 kg!
The focus ring is fantastic. Even the focal distance ring is very good, the movement is a bit hard but this makes the perfect small adjustments you need. I noticed however that the transition from 100mm to 300mm is slower than the Canon push-pull systm. The disadvantage, however, at least for my old 100-300 F5.6 L is to draw the dust into the camera, which doesn't happen with the Sigma.
The first thing to say is that I have bought the lens recently and I haven't used much. Certainly I will have time to use it properly in the future.
That said, the image quality seems very good, but not exceeding respect the old Canon 100-300 F5.6 L. From Canon I like a lot the colors that come from images, certainly due to the use of fluorite lenses. Personally a bit better than the Sigma.
The sigma 100-300 F4 EX has an extraordinary lovely blur, due to having 9 blades ad is superb when you are in the situation of 300mm and F4 together. I must say that even at F4 images are very sharp throughout the focal length. If you stop down to F5.6 or F.8 the sharpness is amazing, and the edges of the image look good as much as the center
The construction of this object is very good, it's solid, rubber rings are big and is nice to touch external finish. Although support for the tripod is great.
I took this lens with the intent of use it much for trackdays and races on circuit. I'm sure that HSM speed, the variable focal lenght (zoom's typical) and usable F4 from 100 to 300 mm may help me to catch better shots
More shots about my brand new Sigma 100-300 F4 HSM EX:
The images are realized in JPG and reduced with the program "The Gimp". If necessary color and contrast can be improved in some parameters.
The published photos are in the biggest resolution avaiable. Please do not contact me to ask to send bigger images in your private e-mail.
Do you have a great supercar and do you want to see it on Italiansupercar.net with a private photo session? Contact me, I will estimate if the thing is possible.