FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4.5, 1/60 sec, ISO4000)
There are beautiful places far away but sometimes we forget about the ones that are next door. Time to visit a nearby monastery for the very first time,
It wasn’t our first choice though. That would have been the much bigger Melk Abbey but since this is still closed for the public until April we chose to visit Lilienfeld Abbey. The last couple of years we travel to the USA for vacation because we love those wide landscapes. At home everything is much smaller except when it comes to culture and history.
The USA is just 250 years old. This monastery has been founded more than 800 years ago, its cloister has been built in the years 1230-1260. Like cathedrals this Abbey has been built and adapted for centuries. The famous library has been added 400 years later. As a consequence Lilienfeld Abbey is a wild mixture when it comes to architecture. From Romanesque to Gothic to Renaissance to Baroque you will find all those style eras in one place.
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/350 sec, ISO160)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5, 1/125 sec, ISO3200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO800)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (35mm, f/2, 1/5400 sec, ISO160)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)
There is a part which is accessible to the public but if you want to see the cloister and the library you have to join a guided tour. We were a company of four and there were another four people that joined our guided tour.
Regarding gear my choice was simple. My X-Pro3 plus the XF 14/12.8 R which I used for practically all my shots except the one with the iron gate for which I switched to the XF 35/1.4 R. So even though the camera is rather new the lenses are the same that I took with me on my first business trip to Asia in March 2013. Never change a winning combination. Back than my camera was the Fuji X-Pro1, for the last 6 years I shot the Fuji X-Pro2 and in 2022 I finally switched to the Fuji X-Pro3. All three are excellent cameras and even though the X-Pro2 and X-Pro3 are improved versions of the X-Pro1 the DNA of the new camera is still the same. The handling is something truly special for me and I’m glad the Fuji kept the top plate unchanged and I hope that it remains the same for the next generation.
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO800)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO500)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5, 1/60 sec, ISO2000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO2500)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO2000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO2500)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO2500)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)
It was a bright and sunny day but I was still surprised how bright and sunny it was inside the church. Big, clear windows and the yellow walls created a surprising warm look. But don’t let the warm light fool you, it was biting cold in the church. Much colder than outside! Usually I remove my hat when I’m in a church but this time I had to leave it on.
February and March have been sunny but very cold so the church was freezing cold too. It reminded me of my childhood. Endless Sunday mornings in a cold and dark church, no wonder I’m so attracted to Indian temples. If we should visit again I make sure it’s during summer.
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO2000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4.5, 1/60 sec, ISO250)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4.5, 1/60 sec, ISO4000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4.5, 1/60 sec, ISO4000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO1600)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO3200)
The highlight of the visit is the library in which photography is prohibited. I good opportunity to use the flip out screen and take advantage of the totally silent electronic shutter. Every time I take images with a completely silent camera I have to think back on my first vacation in Scotland. I ask the guide if I could take a couple of images even though photography wasn’t allowed. He agreed but I guess he immediately regretted his generosity as I happily fired away my Nikon F801. I only took a couple of shots but I’m sure even the people in the next room could clearly hear the massive mirror slap of my camera. When I finally got a Contax T2 as a compact camera when I didn’t want to bring my SLR I used it for such occasions. I still own both: The Nikon F801 and the Contax T2. You never forget your first love. Oh the Warm Feeling! 😉
Today my main camera can be totally silent in operation if I switch to the electronic shutter. I hope that Fuji doesn’t change to much on the next generation X-Pro but I would love if it would get the shutter of the X-H1. The shutter of the X-H1 is almost like a leaf shutter. And  since we are in a church here is one more wish: It would be great if it would get IBIS too.
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)