Davide Caniatti

Digital cameras have significantly improved in dynamic range, and they can now rival the latest films in many situations. Unfortunately, one of the intrinsic limitations of the Foveon means that it suffers particularly in high contrast situations. Despite this, from this small inconvenience, I have drawn some lessons that can be useful with all digital cameras. Putting these small steps to good use will make it very easy to “squeeze” the sensor to its maximum.

Point and shoot are always a polarizing topic among photographers. It is often difficult to define a hierarchy of their essential attributes. Someone will prefer compactness, while for someone else the design will be decisive, for others, finally, the image quality will be fundamental. Within the category, we can find two extremes: ultra-compact cameras, for example, the excellent Minox, and super-luxury point & shoot cameras. Among the latter, we will conveniently place the various Contax T, Nikon 35, and Rollei 35, machines capable of rivaling in quality and style with the best SLRs of their time.

If analog photography in 2021 may seem prehistoric to some, the technology in 2002 was decidedly antediluvian compared to the one we use today. Digital sensors were already rapidly establishing themselves, the previous year the Nikon D1x was released, the first authentic DSLR designed for a large market. At the same time, however, the iPhone was still 5 years away, the most popular social network was Friendster and Wall-Mart was the biggest company in the world.

In recent years we have witnessed an authentic resurrection of the 6x7 format. Not that this format, to be honest, ever went away. At the same time, the prices of some of its cameras have gone up more than any other system. This interest is justified, despite the increases in recent years, since the prices compared to the 90s are negligible. With less than $1500, it is now possible to build a kit that at the time was the prerogative only of renowned studios and established professionals.

2020 was a challenging year for many, so it seemed right to end it by giving myself a small treat. I was lucky enough to find one of those so-called “mint with box” cameras on my hands. I know that behind these words often lies a scam, but in this case, the shop was not lying, and the device was brand new. By new I mean never opened, still wrapped in cellophane, and without ever taking a roll.