FUJIFILM X-T1 (18mm, f/10, 1/80 sec, ISO400)

When we arrived in Page it looked like there would be a thunderstorm so we went out to take some pictures.

First we drove to the beautiful rocks close to the Canyon and the dam. It was warm and a strong wind was blowing. We got sandblasted and I started to worry about my camera. I had massive dust problems with my Fuji X Pro-1 but it seems that with the Fuji X-T1 it is not a big problem. I know that the X-T1 is weather sealed but the XF 18-55 OIS is not.

I had some dust spots on my sensor but nothing compared to the amount I had on my Fuji X Pro-1 the year before. And on that trip the X Pro-1 was only a side shooter beside my Canon 6D. This time the Fuji X-T1 was my main camera.

FUJIFILM X-T1 (18mm, f/10, 1/80 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (18mm, f/10, 1/80 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-M1 (16mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO200)

And the kit lens was my main landscape lens. It’s a great lens. Small and light but sharp. I only wish it would be a 16-55. This would make the lens much more versatile. Enough rant. I just found out that the XF 2.8/16-55 WR has 665 grams! I have no problem that it doesn’t have OIS but the weight and size of that thing is not funny. I guess I will keep the kit zoom to keep my travel camera small and light.

I love to shoot primes on my Fuji X cameras but for landscape photography I like the flexibility of a zoom lens. There is no need for a super fast aperture as most landscape shots are taken at f8 or even slower to provide enough depth of field. Maybe Fuji will bring out a compact XF 4/16-70 OIS some day. I think this is what travel photographers really want. The equivalent to Canon’s 4/24-105 IS. A great one lens solution if you want to keep things simple.

FUJIFILM X-T1 (55mm, f/10, 1/80 sec, ISO500)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (18mm, f/10, 1/60 sec, ISO200)

The great thing about the landscape in the South West of the USA is its dimension. This is something that can not be described and it is also impossible to put it into a frame. The landscape is huge. It’s a landscape that makes you feel small and lost. It is a very special experience. One that you can’t have in Central Europe.

Before we went back to the hotel we drove out of town to get closer to the thunderstorm. I tried to take some wide landscape pictures that included some lightning flashs. I shot a lot of bursts but mostly missed the action. I ended up with two images. The thunderstorm just stood there and never reached us. It was very windy but warm.

The weather forecast for the next days wasn’t very good which is kind of ironic. We crossed an ocean to visit a desert and now we have to expect heavy rain and flooding. We will see. Next stop is Monument Valley.

FUJIFILM X-T1 (28.9mm, f/9, 1/50 sec, ISO200)