raid
Dad Photographer
We got back from Italy a couple of days ago, and the jet lag effect still shows a little on us. We spent 17 days in two locations; 5 days at the beach resort Rimini, followed by 10 days in Siena (Tuscany). Overall, the trip was a success for us as a family.
I took with me the M9 and the SWC. The lens that was used most of the time was the 35/1.4 pre-asph Lux Version 2. I could have left home the Heliar 50/3.5 and the CV 25/4 without any loss of opportunities at all. I may have screwed things up after over 12 days into the trip by rotating batteries in the M9. That was a bummer since I had original batteries and off brand ones. The M9 got the well known "battery is dead when in fact it is not" syndrome. I tried to take care of the problem by turning off the M9 and letting it forget, before taking another photo with it. Then I gave up on the M9 and I used the SWC for a couple of days. It is a good back-up camera!
Most of the time, I set the ISO to 160, and then in the lat afternoons I would use ISO 500, and at night maybe ISO 1250. I was very busy with my family each day, being a father and having the responsibility of driving a manual shift car in towns without many places for parking. Gas stations shut down during certain hours of the day, so it was important to fill up when possible.
Cash problems suddenly emerged after finding out that using a debit card to withdraw cash (for smaller expenses) required a PIN that did not have more than six digits. I had to contact our bank via email to ask them to change the PIN to fewer digits.
The rental car had problems. It was the most annoying problem in the trip. I emailed Hertz about it yesterday. I ended my email with "I feel cheated and robbed".
I did not take with me any laptop computer, and I just used multiple memory cards, which I changed every few days.
It was a real treat to again meet with Robert and his wife. They were lodging in a small ancient village one hour driving south of Siena, where we were staying, so we agreed to meet at their village, and then we toured two or three additional locations in Tuscany that day. Having two Italian people guide you around was very special. Using Leica cameras was a treat! Robert and I chatted also about our cameras, but mostly it was chatting about the history of the places that we visited together. We were barely back "home" that evening when Robert had sent us some suggestions for us to visit. Then, Robert and Nico (from Lucca) called each other, and we all agreed to drive from Siena to Pisa and then Lucca, to meet with Nico and his family. It was a very nice traveling day, with Robert taking the lead where we would be driving and where we could find a good parking place. Dana and Lina had lots of fun taking photos of the leaning tower of Pisa. They picked up some Italian words too. We met with Nico and his wife in their home, and we all enjoyed a great dinner. Then, the GPS ( a must item in Italy!) guided us back at night to Siena,
I will post some pics here from the trip. I took over 1300 photos with the M9.
I took with me the M9 and the SWC. The lens that was used most of the time was the 35/1.4 pre-asph Lux Version 2. I could have left home the Heliar 50/3.5 and the CV 25/4 without any loss of opportunities at all. I may have screwed things up after over 12 days into the trip by rotating batteries in the M9. That was a bummer since I had original batteries and off brand ones. The M9 got the well known "battery is dead when in fact it is not" syndrome. I tried to take care of the problem by turning off the M9 and letting it forget, before taking another photo with it. Then I gave up on the M9 and I used the SWC for a couple of days. It is a good back-up camera!
Most of the time, I set the ISO to 160, and then in the lat afternoons I would use ISO 500, and at night maybe ISO 1250. I was very busy with my family each day, being a father and having the responsibility of driving a manual shift car in towns without many places for parking. Gas stations shut down during certain hours of the day, so it was important to fill up when possible.
Cash problems suddenly emerged after finding out that using a debit card to withdraw cash (for smaller expenses) required a PIN that did not have more than six digits. I had to contact our bank via email to ask them to change the PIN to fewer digits.
The rental car had problems. It was the most annoying problem in the trip. I emailed Hertz about it yesterday. I ended my email with "I feel cheated and robbed".
I did not take with me any laptop computer, and I just used multiple memory cards, which I changed every few days.
It was a real treat to again meet with Robert and his wife. They were lodging in a small ancient village one hour driving south of Siena, where we were staying, so we agreed to meet at their village, and then we toured two or three additional locations in Tuscany that day. Having two Italian people guide you around was very special. Using Leica cameras was a treat! Robert and I chatted also about our cameras, but mostly it was chatting about the history of the places that we visited together. We were barely back "home" that evening when Robert had sent us some suggestions for us to visit. Then, Robert and Nico (from Lucca) called each other, and we all agreed to drive from Siena to Pisa and then Lucca, to meet with Nico and his family. It was a very nice traveling day, with Robert taking the lead where we would be driving and where we could find a good parking place. Dana and Lina had lots of fun taking photos of the leaning tower of Pisa. They picked up some Italian words too. We met with Nico and his wife in their home, and we all enjoyed a great dinner. Then, the GPS ( a must item in Italy!) guided us back at night to Siena,
I will post some pics here from the trip. I took over 1300 photos with the M9.
daveleo
what?
Welcome back!
Sounds like a very nice trip for you and family.
There're always some travel problems to face - so be it.
Put up some pictures after you decompress !
Sounds like a very nice trip for you and family.
There're always some travel problems to face - so be it.
Put up some pictures after you decompress !
raid
Dad Photographer
Thank you, Dave. Yes, there can be challenges in any trip.
I have hardly any photos of myself during the trip, so this is a rare one! Robert may have taken it with my M9.
I have hardly any photos of myself during the trip, so this is a rare one! Robert may have taken it with my M9.
Highway 61
Revisited
Hey ! I was myself in Tuscany on May 11th - 18th and have been in Siena too (was there on May 16th and 17th).
I spent all the May 14th day in Lucca ! What a magnificent city.
It will be nice to share our photos now.
No troubles with my rental car nor for using my 4-digit pin Mastercard CC either ; when gas stations are closed you can always buy gas using your CC and the automated pump.
Being quite an old-school driver I had no problems driving a manual shift car in Italy.
Yet I agree that the directions roadsigns are very small and that you sometimes need some help ; a good 1/200 000 map is what I used.
And no M9 on my own side but the D700 with my old Ai-S primes, my Nikon S2 with the 50-35 combo, and the Rolleiflex 3.5F.
200 photos with the D700 (I'd say that 50 of them are interesting), 10x 135-36 rolls (T-Max 100) and 10x 120 rolls (Acros). I'm in the process of scanning my B&W films now, all have been souped.
The weather unfortunately was so-so. But that's life. And even under some overcast conditions, Italy remains Italy...
Auguri !
I spent all the May 14th day in Lucca ! What a magnificent city.
It will be nice to share our photos now.
No troubles with my rental car nor for using my 4-digit pin Mastercard CC either ; when gas stations are closed you can always buy gas using your CC and the automated pump.
Being quite an old-school driver I had no problems driving a manual shift car in Italy.
Yet I agree that the directions roadsigns are very small and that you sometimes need some help ; a good 1/200 000 map is what I used.
And no M9 on my own side but the D700 with my old Ai-S primes, my Nikon S2 with the 50-35 combo, and the Rolleiflex 3.5F.
200 photos with the D700 (I'd say that 50 of them are interesting), 10x 135-36 rolls (T-Max 100) and 10x 120 rolls (Acros). I'm in the process of scanning my B&W films now, all have been souped.
The weather unfortunately was so-so. But that's life. And even under some overcast conditions, Italy remains Italy...
Auguri !
Vincent.G
Well-known
Glad to know you are home safe and sound. I had a similar camera 'disaster' in my recent Taiwan trip. My main camera, a Hasseblad 503CX, jammed up before I could finish one roll of film. My frustration and insistence that its knobs continue to turn with my, to put it midly, "fiddling", resulted in a hefty repair bill. I ended up shooting my other camera, a Hasseblad XPAN, for the rest of the trip. Unexpected that an electronic camera became my backup and life saver camera.
Looking forward to seeing your photos, Raid!
Looking forward to seeing your photos, Raid!
raid
Dad Photographer
We arrived to Siena after you were already gone. The weather was not sunny, but we also enjoyed rainy weather there. The girls loved Luna Park that was close to our apartment. It was like fairgrounds with many games.
I don't mind driving manual cars, but I prefer automatic for heavy traffic. We did not need any maps as we had a GPS with us.
Raid
I don't mind driving manual cars, but I prefer automatic for heavy traffic. We did not need any maps as we had a GPS with us.
Raid
raid
Dad Photographer
Thank you, Vincent. It is a good idea to back up a camera on such trips.
tarullifoto
Established
Welcome back! Can't wait to see the images.
tjh
Well-known
Rail ticket machines in Europe often require a chipped card so most US cards won't work. (Most US cards don't have a chip and some that have a chip won't do chip and PIN.) I think I've been to at least one automated gas station in Europe that required a chipped card with PIN. Overall, though, US credit/debit cards work fine in Europe, with these few exceptions.
With respect to the number of digits of the PIN, one of my cards has an 8 digit PIN for online access but retains a 4 digit PIN for cash machines.
Tom
raid
Dad Photographer
Here are some photos that I took in Siena.
Each morning, we would walk to a bakery close by our apartment, and the girls had their favorites there. Of course, we had many Cappuccini there.
We were surprised by a bike race through the narrow lanes close to our apartment. I tried some panning here
Each morning, we would walk to a bakery close by our apartment, and the girls had their favorites there. Of course, we had many Cappuccini there.
We were surprised by a bike race through the narrow lanes close to our apartment. I tried some panning here
raid
Dad Photographer
There was a festival on a Sunday, and people were singing everywhere. I walked up to them until I was at the minimum distance for focusing.
It was about one week before Republic Day in Italy.
I took this family photo inside the church at the Piazza del Campo in Siena.
raid
Dad Photographer
The M9 can easily handle such scenes directly and without any adjustments. I like using ISO500 for such cases.
This photo was not taken in Siena but in a small village south of Siena where Robert was staying with his wife. . I will write about it more.
This photo was not taken in Siena but in a small village south of Siena where Robert was staying with his wife. . I will write about it more.
anjoca76
Well-known
Great stories and terrific photos! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing more!
raid
Dad Photographer
Thanks Andy. I have many photos to choose from. I will post some more.
Each lane had a story to tell. Everything was very old. It reminded me and my wife of some parts of Baghdad.
Tourists! They were everywhere.
Each lane had a story to tell. Everything was very old. It reminded me and my wife of some parts of Baghdad.
Tourists! They were everywhere.
raid
Dad Photographer
This is the entrance to the apartment where we stayed. It was very close to all attractions.
gb hill
Veteran
These are some really great photo's you took Raid. Your a good street photographer.
raid
Dad Photographer
Thanks. I started out that way, and then I moved to scenic, and then to family photography.
This is inside the building on Via Del Montanini where we stayed at an apartment. Tourists walked into the building each day to take photos of it. It looked great to me. We were told by the landlady to be very careful with the "very valuable" furniture.
Dana and Lina had a blast. Their giggling and laughter caught the attention of people around them. Here, Lina and Dana enjoy a chat about "Italia". My goal in each trip is to expose them to other cultures. The world is big.
I loved the colors there.
This is inside the building on Via Del Montanini where we stayed at an apartment. Tourists walked into the building each day to take photos of it. It looked great to me. We were told by the landlady to be very careful with the "very valuable" furniture.
Dana and Lina had a blast. Their giggling and laughter caught the attention of people around them. Here, Lina and Dana enjoy a chat about "Italia". My goal in each trip is to expose them to other cultures. The world is big.
I loved the colors there.
lynnb
Veteran
nice shots Raid, and great to hear you and the family enjoyed yourselves! Keep posting, I'm enjoying the trip through your pictures
raid
Dad Photographer
nice shots Raid, and great to hear you and the family enjoyed yourselves! Keep posting, I'm enjoying the trip through your pictures
Thank you Lynn. This morning, we went through a small portion of the 1300+ photos chronologically, and it takes me and my family back through our trip.
raid
Dad Photographer
The streets were busy each day with locals and tourists.
Such Pizzarias that are located inside old buildings were everywhere.
Of course, the scooters are a major part of life in Italy.
I just loved the colors there.
Such Pizzarias that are located inside old buildings were everywhere.
Of course, the scooters are a major part of life in Italy.
I just loved the colors there.