New York, Paris, Rome In A Day

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DSCF0275FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO200)

We decided to stay another day in Las Vegas to relax from the long travel but of course we  didn’t. We had a long walk on the strip. It was above 40 degrees Celsius. We had first doubts about our trip through the South West in August.

But of course it was just another fantastic trip in the USA. But lets talke about Las Vegas first. We were not exactly impressed by the city when we first visited it in 2010 but we came back in 2013 and now again in 2014. There must be something.

DSCF0311FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/4, 1/600 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF0320FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/4, 1/550 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF0329FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO800)

There is always something new to see, the buildings are impressive and it is maybe the only place in the South West of the USA where you can walk for miles without looking like an alien. In the land of “drive in everything” including drive in ATMs you draw some attention to yourself if you just walk around. Not so in Las Vegas. And if you can’t stand the heat and sun anymore you just walk indoors.

That’s why Las Vegas is the perfect starting point to explore the Wild West.

DSCF0343FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO640)
 DSCF0350FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/22, 1/125 sec, ISO800)
 DSCF0352FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/22, 1/125 sec, ISO500)

To avoid that I burden myself down with too much camera gear I decided to take nothing but my brand new Fuji X-T1 plus just one lens: my trusty Fuji XF14mm. I did the same thing on my first USA trip in 2010 in San Francisco where I took nothing than my Sony NEX 5 plus the 16mm pancake lens. Of course the quality of the Fuji set is much better and there is a fantastic EFV but sometimes I miss the compactness and lightness of the Sony. Today I use a very small ThinkTank Retrospective 5 bag but in San Francisco I used a ultra small shoulder bag not even a camera bag. And of course that was even cooler.

I know that today a lot of people just use there phones or tablets to capture their memories but that’s not cool – that’s just stupid. It’s like listening to compressed music through a $15 earphones or watch a movie on a smartphone. It’s nothing but a waste of time. Sometimes I feel sorry for todays teenagers.

DSCF0380FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO320)
 DSCF0390FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/140 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF0393FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO200)

But back to the X-T1 and the 14mm. This is such a great combination. It is a joy to use. There is no compromise. The viewfinder is as big as the one in my Canon 6D and the results are practicably the same. Maybe even better because of the Fuji XF2.8/14mm. I don’t know. I don’t care! I can walk around with a small camera and a small lens that gives me professional results in good and in low light.

In 2010 I got my first mirror less camera but I’m still amazed how easy it is today to get fantastic results with small cameras. I only wished I had one of those back in 1990 when I started to travel.

DSCF0395FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF0403FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO1600)