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.
What’s in my bag?
Lake Duisitzkar was supposed to be a very photogenic place. I therefore decided to pack the following:
- Fuji X-T2
- XF 18-55mm lens
- Samyang 12mm
- Samyang 8mm fisheye
- Haida ND Filterset
- Singh-Ray Warming Polarizer
- Manfrotto Befree tripod
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).
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.
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.
Check out the difference the filters make – this was the first version, i.e. no filters (notice the glare and the rough water surface):
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.
