One Day In Bangkok

DSCF5835FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/250 sec, ISO200)

What to do if you have one afternoon to spend in Bangkok? Usually I like to travel off the beaten path but nobody can ignore Wat Phra Kaew.

I took this images exactly one year ago during my first business trip to South East Asia. I visited the capitals of five countries ( Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines ) within 2 weeks.  Focus was on business but of course there is always a chance to see some local attractions. I had no idea about the region but luckily decided to get 3 small guide books: Malaysia, Vietnam and Bangkok before I left Vienna.

DSCF5847FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/6.4, 1/60 sec, ISO800)
DSCF5884FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/10, 1/75 sec, ISO200)

This big temple in the center of Bangkok was on top of my must see list. Unfortunately it is also on top of every bodies elses must see list. Everybody seems to go there and rightly so. It’s an awesome place! I have never ever seen so much gold and glitter in my life. It is breathtaking!

The great thing about places like this is that you don’t have to have a study in history or art to enjoy them. It’s the same as with the big cathedrals in Europe. They impress no matter whether you know their history or not. But unlike cathedrals which can also look dark and intimidating this place is bright and full of life and color. This was the first thing I realized when I landed in Asia for the first time: Everything is colorful and full of life.

DSCF5912FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/240 sec, ISO200)
DSCF5924FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/240 sec, ISO200)
DSCF5931FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/340 sec, ISO200)

Talking about full of life. In Asia you are seldom alone. There are many, many people around you everywhere and all the time. First I thought that I would have a problem with it but that was not the case. I live in a small town outside of Vienna now and I spend my vacations in places like Ireland, Scotland, Canada and lately the South West of the USA. Hardly destination with a high population density. Though I lived in Vienna for almost half of my life I don’t like big crowds.

But despite that I really enjoyed being part of it. Maybe to be much taller than the others helped.

DSCF5933FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/120 sec, ISO200)
DSCF5944FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/250 sec, ISO200)
DSCF5951FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/480 sec, ISO200)

This was the first trip to Asia and also my first days with the 14mm lens. The 14mm practicably became my only lens during the trip. I changed to the 35mm a couple of times but about 90% of the pictures I took with the 14mm. With the 14mm you are part of the action. You are in the scenery.

With such a lens you need to get very close to other people which might not be possible in Europe or in the USA but it is not an issue in Asia. “In Asia there is no such thing as private space.” a customer told me in a meeting and he was right. If you grew up in Europe this is a strange thing but I really enjoyed being close to other people.

DSCF5959FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/3.2, 1/1800 sec, ISO200)
DSCF5960FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/3.2, 1/2200 sec, ISO200)
DSCF5963FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/5, 1/680 sec, ISO200)

The three shots above are taken with the 35mm lens. It’s a really good lens but to me it’s more like a portrait lens and that’s how I use it.

If you like the colors especially the gold and how it shines in the sun I need to tell you that all the images of this post are OOC ( out of camera ) JPEGs using Fuji’s Velvia setting! I know that a lot of people don’t like it but it’s the film setting I like most. I’m back to RAW on my Fuji’s but I can not manage the gold color of the Velvia output in post processing.

DSCF5976FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/10, 1/210 sec, ISO200)
DSCF5987FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/10, 1/210 sec, ISO200)

Back to the 14mm lens: I never thought that this short focal length could be so versatile. I bought it because I didn’t like to wait for the wide angle zoom ( which is still not available more than 1 year later! ) and because there is no 16mm available from Fuji.

I was wrong! The 14mm is a dream to use. It draws the viewer into the picture. It works best when you get really close to the action. It’s not a lens for the shy ones. Some of the best images I took during a walk through Bangkok’s Chinatown last October. I almost touched “my models”with the lens hood ( which is horrible btw ( I’m talking about the lens hood )). And the aperture ring is too loose. Beside this two issues the lens is just great. The best in the Fuji line so far. Among the best lenses I have ever used and most important this lens is made for Asia.

DSCF6007FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/10, 1/30 sec, ISO200)
DSCF6009FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/4, 1/105 sec, ISO200)
DSCF6010FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/50 sec, ISO200)

I originally planed to replace it with the wide angle zoom when it finally becomes available but now I don’t think so. The zoom seems to be very big and I doubt that IQ will be the same. I doubt that Fuji can make it as good as the 14mm especially regarding distortion which is practicably non existent. It’s the wide angle lens with the lowest distortion I have ever used. When I switch to my 6D the distortion of the 4/24-70 IS on it’s wide end is very obvious.

DSCF6019FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/11, 1/30 sec, ISO320)

The last time I felt that I have the perfect camera lens combo in my hands was when I switched to full frame. The Canon 5D plus the 24-105L just felt so right and capable.

With the Fuji XP1 and the 14mm lens it is just the same. It’s a perfect match. It’s much lighter and smaller but there is no compromise! Image quality is fantastic and because of the manual focus option and the large depth of field of the lens you can forget about AF. Just point and shoot!

DSCF6026FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/340 sec, ISO200)
DSCF6028FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO200)

Back to the big temple. There are places where you are just too overwhelmed to take good pictures when you see them the first time. You need to revisit those places to be able to capture their real beauty.

I need to come back!

DSCF6040FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO800)