FUJIFILM X-M1 (34mm, f/7.1, 1/420 sec, ISO200)

After the unexpected wildlife encounter at the small visit center we continued our way through the Valley of Fire State Park. Fire.

So far so good but there were two problems. 1. Though we started early morning in Las Vegas it wasn’t that early anymore now. About 9 to 10am when we entered the park. Far too late for early morning light. 2. Far too late for comfortable temperatures especially in August. It was already close to 40 degrees Celsius. We drove on a winding road but since our car was much smaller than the year before handling was nice.

FUJIFILM X-M1 (32.5mm, f/8, 1/400 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-M1 (50mm, f/14, 1/420 sec, ISO200)

The car was the better place to be. It was very hot and of course there are no creeks so there were warning signs all over the place to bring enough water if you plan to hike. The recommendation was also to hike early morning or of course to avoid the hot summer months at all. All nice and good but we were there now and the only option was to take some water bottles with us. And of course our new cameras. If you look at the EXIF data you can see that some are taken with the Fuji X-M1 some are taken with the Fuji X-T1.

My wife shot the Fuji XM-1 with its standard kit lens. I was using the Fuji X-T1 with either the 14mm or the kit zoom. I really wished the kit lens of the X-T1 would start at 16mm too. It is just not wide enough. The cheaper kit lens offers the better and more useful range. The guy dressed in black with the bright Stetson is me btw.

FUJIFILM X-M1 (16mm, f/11, 1/420 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/9, 1/340 sec, ISO200)

Both cameras perform just great. The X-M1 has the same sensor than the X-T1 and so results are exactly the same. Its kit lens is much cheaper but honestly I don’t see a lot of difference between the two especially in good light with the lenses stopped down. But of course the 18-55 is much faster and it’s better built too.

I still think it was a mistake to make it 18-55 instead of 16-50. I would easily trade some speed or OIS for a better range. I will take a look at the upcoming 2.8/16-55 and if it’s not too big and heavy it will replace my 18-55.

FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/6.4, 1/550 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/6.4, 1/550 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/6.4, 1/680 sec, ISO200)

Back to the landscape. It’s a 30 minutes walk from the parking lot to get here. Not exactly a long hike but you definitely need to bring some water. There are so many great hikes in the South West but if your focus is on hiking I think it is better to come here early spring or late autumn or winter or anytime except summer!

This is our third time in the South West. Next time we go to the USA we need to see a different place but if I would return here I think it will be in winter. There is another big advantage if you go in late autumn or winter: the light will be much better and there is no need to stand up early to catch the landscape in beautiful morning light. And I’m sure that this landscape would look fantastic in soft, early morning light. A good reason to come back.

FUJIFILM X-T1 (22.3mm, f/8, 1/600 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (46.3mm, f/9, 1/320 sec, ISO200)