ChatGPT Interviewer: Changing the subject a bit. Speaking of cameras, I noticed that TheSpack has chosen to focus primarily on Sony. Is there a specific reason for this choice?
Giulia Conciatori (simulated): Yes because I decided it!
Simone Bassani (mock): (laughs) Yes, the choice to focus on Sony is not accidental. Sony is currently the largest sensor manufacturer in the world and, in our opinion, is also the most innovative company in the digital camera industry. Sony has introduced a number of innovations that have radically changed the market, especially in mirrorless cameras, and they have proven that they are always at the forefront of research and development. In addition, Sony Italy has a program dedicated to professional photographers of the highest caliber, and they have shown a special interest in TheSpack, even if they are not directly involved in the project.
ChatGPT Interviewer: So choices were also made by virtue of cameras and brands? Explain this process and how it then evolved TheSpack.
Simone Bassani (simulated): I mainly deal with the technical aspect, while Giulia focuses on trends and aesthetic taste, but we both agreed that it was necessary to make precise and targeted choices for the future of TheSpack. This led us to develop the project in a dual line of operation: on the one hand, we have a commercial product and, on the other hand, a tailor-made product, that is, on demand.
ChatGPT Interviewer: What exactly distinguishes the on-demand product?
Simone Bassani (simulated): The on-demand product is designed primarily for photographers, companies and agencies that require a customized approach. It is not constrained by the predefined profiles or software we normally use (and believe me, we really use a lot of them!). The goal is to apply our expertise to everything related to digital imaging, without restrictions related to the world of printing, an area from which I moved away in 2010 after working as a color consultant. Our priority now is to optimize digital capture and display flow on electronic devices, which are now the main communication channel.
Giulia Conciatori (simulated): I summarize: you ask, we tell you how much the solution costs, you say okay, we think about it, you pay and we give you the solution!
ChatGPT Interviewer: So you are no longer involved in the printing world?
Simone Bassani (simulated): Exactly, the focus is all on digital imaging. Because of this direction, we can offer consultancy to improve the visualization of products in every area of digital communication. We create ad hoc color profiles, custom LUTs for both photos and videos, and integrate color profiles to achieve optimal image management on any digital platform.
Giulia Conciatori (simulated): Communication extends to digital platforms and social channels, print is a next step and very penalized at this time, we believe there is no possibility of growth and development in the medium term!
ChatGPT Interviewer: What about the commercial product instead?
Simone Bassani (simulated): The commercial product remains the TheSpack package, but in a next-generation version. We have chosen to limit it to Sony cameras for a number of very specific reasons: full-frame sensors, mirrorless technology, high image quality, advanced technology, and a wide professional spread. Sony's professional market also requires constant and specialized support, which makes this choice particularly suitable for our needs.
ChatGPT Interviewer: What about other brands?
Simone Bassani (simulated): There are of course other excellent brands. Phase One, for example, is a real excellence, but they operate in a niche with very particular dynamics. Products like Hasselblad and Fujifilm GFX have great qualities, but they cover only small slices of the market. Nikon and Canon also offer an excellent range of products, but the problem is that their line is too extensive and redundant. Despite their wide spread, they do not currently meet the technical requirements we set for our project.
ChatGPT Interviewer: What about Leica, the company from which it all originated?
Simone Bassani (simulated): Leica was the starting point for the project, but it has long since adopted a philosophy on sensors that has departed from our minimum standards. It is not widespread in the market, has a small professional user base, and marginally affects the technological development we are akin to. The same is true of the Fujifilm X series, which uses a sensor too small to express the full potential of TheSpack, a system that relies on extremely detailed color management and a workflow optimized for larger sensors.
ChatGPT Interviewer: I understand that your connection with Leica is really strong. Was it love at first sight?
Simone Bassani (simulated): In my case in part, initially it was more fascination without the possibility of purchase! I started photography with Minolta, but it was with Leica that everything changed. In the early 1990s I started using Leica M and Leica R, and from there it was a long love affair. For me, Leica has always been a guarantee of solidity and consistent results, especially in reportage and travel photography. I used to work in the studio with Sinar and Hasselblad equipment, but when I went out to shoot reportage or travel photography, there was only her: the Leica. It was like having an extension of my arm and my mind. I used the optics for over 30 years, with image quality that fully met my expectations and those of the international magazines to which my images were distributed. My M6s and R6s have been reliable companions, and I must say that they have been some of the most amortized investments of my career!
ChatGPT Interviewer: So I guess over time something changed. When did the breaking point come?
Simone Bassani (simulated): Let's say that after 30 years of a good relationship, we began to no longer understand each other. With the new models, Leica took a direction that no longer matched my needs. Don't get me wrong, I still value Leica, and there are some models that have been really great, but over time the spark has faded a bit. Leica started making technical choices that no longer reflected what I thought was important, and I saw it move away from professional needs. The market has evolved since the 1980s, and except for the period from 2006 to 2016 I have not seen this understanding from the company.
ChatGPT Interviewer: Giulia, you also had a special connection with Leica, right? How did you experience this change?
Giulia Conciatori (simulated): Oh, I was literally born with Leica! My father passed on to me the love of analog photography, and when I came to digital photography, I immediately fell in love with how Leica could blend the best of both worlds. It was like a continuous declaration of love! But ... alas, as in all great love stories, something broke. I no longer felt that spark, the poetry was fading. Our needs were evolving, but Leica seemed to take a different path, more oriented toward audiences with different interests. Don't get us wrong, the quality has always been there, but for us, who were looking for more flexibility and more advanced technological responses, something was missing.
ChatGPT Interviewer: Let's talk a little bit about the "spark" that you mentioned. What are the elements that are critical to you? Ergonomics, optics, electronics-what really matters today?
Simone Bassani (simulated): For me, the camera is first and foremost a technical tool that must function perfectly, without compromise. Ergonomics and button layout are crucial: it must become an extension of the body, with functions you can handle with your eyes closed. Then comes optical quality, and Leica's is impeccable. But today electronics are crucial, especially in a professional context. I remember when a photographer friend said, "The quality is wonderful, but if the photos are not in focus, what do I do with them?" And it's true, as great as the optical quality is, if the electronics don't assist you as best they can, you're in trouble. In addition, Leica has oversimplified some of the menus, making them perhaps too limited for those seeking advanced professional solutions, and today it is imperative to have a wide range of settings and buttons in order for a product to fit professional needs. .
ChatGPT Interviewer: Giulia, talking about design and style, how do you feel about these changes? You are a big fan of the aesthetics and feel of a camera.
Giulia Conciatori (simulated): For me, the camera is not only a technical tool; it must also have a certain charm. I love Leica's design, always elegant and minimalist, but ... let's say some recent choices have not convinced me. The removal of the back plate in the Leica M11? A sacrilege! And then the sensor that interpolates on all images taken over 18 Mpx? No thanks. What always made me fall in love with Leica was the character of their optics, that naturalness they conveyed, but over time they optimized too much and some of that soul was lost. And then, let's face it, I prefer the lens to introduce creative variables, not the sensor. The lens is where the photographer finds his voice, his expression. We want to give photographers stability and precision in results, and we prefer artistic variables to come from light, optics and creativity, not technical compromises.
ChatGPT Interviewer: So, did you opt for other brands? Was it a technical choice or a market need?
Simone Bassani (simulated): Definitely a combination of both. We always wanted to give photographers total control, and that means stability in results. We wanted to offer them tools that would allow them to work with confidence and precision. When we saw that Leica was going in our view in a more consumer-oriented direction, we started looking for solutions that better met our professional needs. And I must say that while we loved some older digital models like the Q first series and the SL, we found more flexibility elsewhere. We feel that the values and ideas that revolutionized the concept of digital photography from 2006 to 2016 have faded and are now the preserve of other brands.
Giulia Conciatori (simulated): Ultimately, our connection with Leica is strong, but we must be honest and admit that the history of photography over the past 100 years can be divided into two major phases. In the first half of the century, Leica literally revolutionized the industry. It was an absolute benchmark for professionals, and one only has to look at the iconic images made with their cameras to see why. Leica was synonymous with excellence.
Then, however, came a great change in the market. From a certain point on, most of the images that characterized the second half of the century were no longer made with Leica alone, but with Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Fujifilm, and today, most importantly, Sony. The latter, by the way, works with some of the world's most prestigious photographers and has helped create many of the most iconic images of recent years. Whether it is sports, travel, discovery, or nature photography, today Canon, Nikon, and especially Sony are writing topical history. A role that was once largely in the hands of Leica photographers.
In short, the market is much more diverse now, and if we look at who is really documenting our time, well, it is impossible to ignore the role of these brands.
ChatGPT Interviewer: So that's why you focused on Sony?
Simone Bassani (simulated): Exactly. We decided to focus on Sony because it better meets our standards for quality, technology and dissemination. We did not want to disperse on too many fronts, especially on brands that do not guarantee the same level of excellence in technical support and results. The choice of Sony was strategic to maintain consistency and quality in all our work, without compromise.
Giulia Conciatori (simulated): It's actually because I decided it! I liked the menus that everyone criticized, I liked the ergonomics that everyone criticized, and I liked the results. Also it was the right tool for our needs and already established in the market, and since we had to rely on an absolute reference, I chose the camera that best met the needs.
ChatGPT Interviewer: Would TheSpack profiles also bring improvements to cameras from brands other than Sony? For example, Hasselblad, Nikon, Canon?
Simone Bassani (simulated): Absolutely, TheSpack profiles can significantly improve these cameras as well. We have already worked with photographers using excellent equipment such as Hasselblad and Canon, and the feedback has been extremely positive. TheSpack was born for Leica but in its evolution has covered all the most prestigious brands until 2022. However, looking at the market as a whole and the requirements we set for ourselves, Sony remains the brand that best aligns with our philosophy of quality and technology. Sony offers an ideal combination of full-frame sensors, advanced mirrorless technology and wide professional spread, which perfectly meets our requirements.
ChatGPT Interviewer: What about brands like Phase One, which are known for their professional quality?
Simone Bassani (simulated): Phase One is undoubtedly an absolute benchmark in the world of professional photography. Their software, Capture One, is incredibly advanced and handles their camera files flawlessly. Therefore, photographers using Phase One are already accustomed to investing time and resources in color control and process optimization. In this case, although we can provide consultation for Phase One, we see no need to introduce dedicated TheSpack profiles because the workflow is already optimized to the maximum.
ChatGPT Interviewer: But then, why not also expand TheSpack to other brands such as Nikon or Fujifilm?
Simone Bassani (simulated): Again, while we recognize the quality of brands such as Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad, or Fujifilm GFX, the market does not require us to strategically intervene on a large scale. Although TheSpack would bring significant quality improvement, we do not see an imperative need to release specific packages for these brands. This does not mean that we cannot work with them:we offer customized solutions for professionals and companies that use these cameras, but we prefer to focus on Sony for the mass market.
ChatGPT Interviewer: You mentioned Fuzzy Logic earlier, of course we know that it is the basis of the immense development that artificial intelligence has had in recent years, does TheSpack also rely onAI?
Giulia Conciatori (simulated): Forget it, he always cheats on me with her!
Simone Bassani (Simulated): Artificial intelligence is not a monster; on the contrary, it is a solid help in analyzing and developing solutions. We can't handle complex processes yet, but I can't say that in the last period it hasn't helped me a lot in the research and development part. Our process of creating profiles is as you may say now "bespoke," "Taylor made," "tailoring," but as we prefer to call it it is "philosophical." We spend a lot of time thinking about and maturing the profiles because we believe that a result must occur reliably over time before we can certify it as plausible to us. Therefore, the color profiles once made are evaluated and tested in different situations and are totally disassembled before being approved. The path that follows is that of field testing and eventually release to the public. From that point a journey towards eventual further development begins, if problems emerge that are reported we try to understand where they are located and solve the problem whether it comes from the profile or the camera or the photographer. Artificial intelligence helps us in extensive data processing, a functional evaluation that leads to extremely beneficial "contingencies." It also allows us to intervene at different stages of processing and also enables extensive evaluation that only a pool of interns could do.
ChatGPT Interviewer: TheSpack Are you then ready to continue to evolve?
Giulia Conciatori (simulated): Eh, of course it evolves! It's not like we stop here, sitting comfortably and looking at the landscape. The visual language is always changing, just look at what's happening in the world of photography every year. You can't assume that a solution created today will be good forever. Trends, tastes, even devices change, and we have to keep up. TheSpack is not just a package of color profiles, it is a tool that adapts, evolves, because photographers themselves evolve. There is no definitive "end point," there is always a new interpretation to be made, a new challenge to be faced. Therefore, we are constantly working to update profiles, test new approaches, and study the market. The goal is always the same: to give photographers the tools to express their vision, even when the visual language changes.
Simone Bassani (simulated): Yes, TheSpack is ready to continue to evolve. We have a lot of innovations in the pipeline, and one of the most fascinating destinations I have in mind is a vision that I've been carrying around for more than 20 years, the result of my experience in the pre-press industry.
ChatGPT Interviewer: What does this vision envision for the future of digital?
Simone Bassani (simulated): The future may take us toward new digital dynamics, particularly with the evolution of artificial intelligence. Perhaps, someday, programs will be able to analyze images no longer in a two-dimensional space based on pixel adjacency, but in a three-dimensional space, where images will be interpreted through variable vectors and dynamics. This would be a revolutionary change.
ChatGPT Interviewer: So there are technologies coming up that could completely transform the workflow?
Simone Bassani (simulated): If technology continues on this path, we will finally be able to implement solutions that we have been studying for years. However, it will still take time: these advances require computing power that is currently far from being available on a large scale. But when that time comes, TheSpack will be ready to take up the challenge and go even further.
ChatGPT Interviewer: Giulia, Simone, it has been a real pleasure talking with you. Your answers have been enlightening, and I can tell that the passion and dedication you put into TheSpack is really evident. I thank you for your time.
Giulia Conciatori (mock): Thank you, it was interesting. As always, we don't stop, so who knows, we may be back soon with more news.
Simone Bassani (simulated): Thank you for the thought-provoking questions. There are still a lot of things in the pipeline, so there will definitely be more opportunities to explore.
