From A Distance

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dscf4815FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (28.9mm, f/9, 1/300 sec, ISO200)

Right after breakfast we went to see the bridge. From a distance.

The very first morning in San Francisco. Still tired from the long journey we went to see the Golden Gate bridge. We decided to spend two nights in San Francisco first to deal with the jet lag and to make sure that we have a relaxed start into our vacation. We are here in California for the fifth time so there is no need to rush. We can take it easy. Something you can’t do when you come here for the first time. There are so many things you have to see. I think that’s the main reason why I can’t fully enjoy the very first visit to a foreign place. Because I always want to know what is behind the next bend.

dsc05641SONY ILCE-6000 (23mm, f/9, 1/200 sec, ISO100)
 dsc05644SONY ILCE-6000 (106mm, f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO100)
dscf2549FUJIFILM X-T1 (104.9mm, f/8, 1/420 sec, ISO200)

So on this trip is should be easier to sleep long and spend some time on the beach. Well it’s not that simple. This is a great place and full of great images. There is no way I would spend my days lying in the sun. I can do that in my backyard.

And that’s why the first thing we did is to come here to see this fantastic bridge. Even when the light comes from the wrong side this is an amazing construction and probably the most iconic bridge on earth.

I live in a beautiful place in beautiful Austria but I have to admit that I envy the people here on their morning run.

dscf2536FUJIFILM X-T1 (181.1mm, f/8, 1/600 sec, ISO200)
dscf2540FUJIFILM X-T1 (63.8mm, f/8, 1/420 sec, ISO200)
 dscf2564FUJIFILM X-T1 (55mm, f/8, 1/100 sec, ISO1000)

A great place and a great start. And I enjoyed my light camera gear and even though it looks a little small in my large hands both cameras are comfortable to hold. The 55-200 is perfectly balanced on the X T-1 and 10-24 fits just great on the x Pro-2.

I think this is the fastest solution. To shoot with two cameras. One with the 10-24 and the other one with the 55-200. No need to switch lenses – just switch the camera. The downside: It is hard to switch in between cameras from different generations. I have made this experience in 2014 and it is the same now. In 2014 I could no longer stand the small and low resolution EVF of the X Pro-1 compared to the X T-1. And now it’s hard to get back to the dark viewfinder of the X-T1 because the one on the X Pro-2 is much brighter and clearer and better to see in bright conditions.

This is not such a big deal on my business trips where I mostly shoot in the evenings but it is a huge difference here in sunny California. The X Pro-2 let me compose the shot where I hardly see what I shoot in the EVF of the X T-1. And of course there is responsiveness and the shutter sound. Fuji is smart. Of course you can use your old camera beside the new one but you will not enjoy it. The Fuji X T-1 by itself is a fine camera but compared to the X Pro-2 it just feels old.

dsc05653SONY ILCE-6000 (161mm, f/6.3, 1/250 sec, ISO500)
 dscf2569FUJIFILM X-T1 (55mm, f/7.1, 1/680 sec, ISO200)
 dscf2572FUJIFILM X-T1 (86mm, f/7.1, 1/750 sec, ISO200)

I just realized that we took a lot of pictures of ourselves. We usually don’t do that. Not even on vacation. It feels strange to find myself in a picture. I’m the guy behind the camera. I like to shoot images of friends, city-, sea- and landscapes, of birds and bugs and of foreign places. But on my iPhone I have about 20 selfies. That may sound a lot but I have been to many amazing places in Asia on my own and as I was surrounded by selfie taking people. Sometimes I’m simply not able to resist to take a selfie myself.

But I promise that the other posts from this trip will be less self centered.

dscf2574FUJIFILM X-T1 (55mm, f/4, 1/1800 sec, ISO200)