Blue Skies

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DSCF0417FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO2000)

This blogpost contains the images of the second half of our long walk on the strip. Late afternoon to the blue hour. But no reason to feel blue. We are finally back in the USA.

Caesars Palace, Wynn, Venetian and all the other hotels under a cloudless sky. Las Vegas provides a good starting point for our trip through the South West of the USA: Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California and back to Nevada.

DSCF0427FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/420 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF0432FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/420 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF0441FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/150 sec, ISO200)

But back to Las Vegas. Its our third time here. It seems we can’t get enough but the reason why Las Vegas is the starting point to out road trip is a pragmatic one: There are tons of very good hotels at surprisingly low rates especially on weekdays, the airport is very close and finally it is as close as it gets to our first destinations.

We were still suffering from jet lag so night life was not an option. We decided to have a good, long walk till sundown. We will not walk that much on the rest of the trip.

This is a rather big and busy town but it still feels like a village. There are thousands of visitors but there is still plenty of space. It doesn’t feel overcrowded. Maybe I just got used to the places like Bangkok or Hanoi where it feels like there isn’t enough space for your own legs. The 14mm lens shows that there is much more space in Las Vegas but it seems that I finally managed to shoot this short focal length here. The last time in Las Vegas I switched back to the 18mm because I wasn’t able to fill the frame with the wider lens. I guess it pays to stick to one focal length to really get used to it and learn to see with it. It was the same when I was traveling with my X100. I got used to the focal length and I never felt restricted during my trips.

I should add that my business trips to Eastern Europe and now Asia mean to visit big cities, mostly capital cities. Landscapes and seascapes would be a completely different story. That’s why I bought 2 zooms: the 18-55 and the 50-230 before the trip.

DSCF0447FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/7.1, 1/320 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF0460FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/80 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF0461FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/100 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF0470FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
 DSCF0486FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/5, 1/60 sec, ISO5000)

But in a city I feel comfortable to use just the 14mm and nothing else (except the camera of course). I would love a GR like Fuji X camera with an integrated 2.8/16 (24mm in full frame). Maybe I would use just this camera most of the time. I know that Fuji is listening to its customers so “Fuji please make these two cameras.”

  • Fuji X100C (C is for compact): X100 but GR size with retractable 2.8/23
  • Fuji X100CW (CW compact wide): X100 but GR size with retractable 2.8/16 or 4/16

No need for a tilt screen but please do not forget to integrate a small EVF. If those cameras are a great sales success and I’m sure they will be please send me a small commission. Don’t send the cameras because I will be one of the first who gets them.

DSCF0494FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/5, 1/45 sec, ISO6400)
 DSCF0520FUJIFILM X-T1 (23mm, f/2, 1/1800 sec, ISO200)

Some Fuji XF1.4/23mm shots at the end of the post. Shot the next day early morning. The famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign. If you are getting there too late you can’t miss it. It’s were all the cars try to enter the small parking lot. On the first morning we were too late so we skipped it but before we left Las Vegas to go to the beautiful Bryce Canyon we came here to take the shot. We were the only ones at the spot for a couple of minutes.

When the first tourists arrived we left to start our trip through the South West.

DSCF0522FUJIFILM X-T1 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/1400 sec, ISO200)