Hiking with the Fuji X-T2

Hiking & The Fuji X-T2

Hiking with photographic equipment can be quite cumbersome. There were days when I schlepped a heavy backpack with a set of lenses and DSLR bodies around. Not only was the hiking experience akward but I also often ended up leaving the camera in the bag as it was inconvenient to take stuff in and out. Those days are long gone. Hiking with a mirrorless camera such as the Fuji X-T2 is a joy. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to discover the gorgeous Lake Duisitzkar (Duisitzkarsee) in Styria, Austria. Together with my family, we did the pleasant 1hr hike across a steep single track trail in perfect fall weather.

Duisitzkarsee
The trail up to the lake (GoPro Hero 5)

What’s in my bag?

Lake Duisitzkar was supposed to be a very photogenic place. I therefore decided to pack the following:

While this might seem like a lot, it’s actually really easy to carry. The lenses, the body and the filters easily fit into the excellent Peak Design Field Pouch. Carrying this is a breeze. Also, accessing the camera and the lenses is easy. (Highly recommend the bag, btw).

Field Pouch
The Field Pouch with two lenses, a body and a bunch of filters

Lake Duisitzkar

Arriving at the lake after a quick one hour hike is a stunning experience. It’s almost a bit too perfect: gorgeous mountains, cute wooden huts and that lake. It’s especially breathtaking in fall – the yellow color patches add quite a bit to the overall atmosphere.

Lake Duisitzkar
Fuji X-T2 with the Samyang 8mm fisheye

Hiking around the Lake

Should you plan to visit Lake Duisitzkar, I highly recommend setting time aside to walk around the lake. It should technically be a quick thing but we ended up stopping every minute or two. The views are just very different from each side and there is a lot to discover. My personal favorite angle was on the North/West side of the lake. The original photo was ok but not great – there was too much glare and movement in the water. I therefore pulled out my ND3.0 and polarizing filters out to create smooth effect.

Duisitzkarsee
Fuji X-T2, 27s, f/8, ISO 200, Samyang 12mm with Haida ND 3.0 & Singh-Ray Warming Polarizer

Check out the difference the filters make – this was the first version, i.e. no filters (notice the glare and the rough water surface):

Same photo - without a filter
Same photo – without a filter

The Fuji X-T2 on the go

The hike was a great experience and I came back with a ton of sweet material. Make sure to check out the gallery below. The Fuji X-T2 performed as expected – it’s a great piece of technology. I mostly worked in manual mode that day and found the dials to be nice and firm. There was no accidental shifting etc.. While working on the tripod, I really liked the foldable screen. The resulting image quality is also pretty amazing. Most of the photos posted here did not require any kind of editing in Lightroom. Hiking with the Fuji X-T2 was therefore a true joy. It’s light enough to bring it even to remote places. Attaching and swapping filters can sometimes be a hassle but the small size seem to make even this process a ton easier.

If you like these photos, please visit my previous post from another fun experience in Austria.

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4 Comments Hiking with the Fuji X-T2

  1. Chris November 3, 2016 at 1:43 pm

    Great set… looks like an amazing place to be out shooting.

    Reply
    1. cpapenfuss November 3, 2016 at 9:02 pm

      It really is!

      Reply
  2. Alfonso November 7, 2016 at 10:22 pm

    Do you use lightroom?

    Reply
    1. cpapenfuss November 7, 2016 at 10:33 pm

      I do! Love it.

      Reply

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