April 2006
In 2005 we entered the era of the affordable digital DSRL cameras: we started with an Olympus E300 (eVolt). Very good colours but high electronic noise at high ISO equivalent. We did many test in the Arizona deserts, in the Gebel Uweinat and in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. It was not up to our expectation. Therefore we reverted to the Canon 350XT for its specially good performances in low light conditions, light weight, small dimensions. With its 8 megapixel Canon CMOS sensor it is a big deal. By the 2006 technological standards it is considered to be an “entry level camera” only but its sensor shares the same Image Quality of the best top professional digital cameras at present on the market: what was seen as a defect, its too light and small body, is actually a major advantage for the adventurous travellers. We tested it on the Gebel Uweinat, late in April with temperatures that peaked over 44 degrees Celsius. We got god results and we think this small great camera is going to be a faithful companion for our next desert adventures.
The Origin
Terramata is a non-professional archive born to render the childlike and subjective vision of some places of the world that have been visited with this kind special attitude of love making us thankful to the beauty of our planet, grateful to the infinity of its varied landscapes. Terramata is first and foremost a personal archive of photographic memories piled up during forty years, an archive rooted in the family photo-album tradition. As good amateurs we nourish a cult for cameras, the mechanical eyes we use in the attempt to capture forever everything of the visited places. That's the every tourist impossible mission. Anyway, we are deeply aware that behind cameras there is always the living eye making the shot. We whish, if it only was possible, to infuse in our images the unrivalled charm of the vintage photos realized by our grandfathers with unsophisticated cameras requiring dedication and commitment to the Art. We would like to mention the old folding and twin reflex cameras we still have the pleasure to operate: a noble Rollei Automat (1937) and a gorgeous Agfa Record III (1952). The best pieces of equipment is perhaps a Rolleiflex with a Schneider lens, built during the late '50. Anyway we would like to remember also the humble and bygone Kodak Instamatic cameras that now are in the flea markets, desperately lacking the 126 film. As good amateurs we persist in accumulating shots trying to record our history of restless tourist believing to be last century explorers. We are satisfied users of a nice Nikon AF system and a pretty Olimpus Miu-1. In 2002 we bought a digital camera Canon G2 (4 megapixel) to deploy it in the Namibian deserts. Of course we did not abandoned completely the slide films. The Canon cannot rival the old SRL in many situations. Nevertheless it was a gigantic step towards a fully digital sort of life-style and traveling. Having posted a lot of images on the web from our Egyptian file we got also many opportunities to print top-quality images on travel magazines and guide-books: the Archive is starting to deploy all its potentiality!
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