We took the train from Fukuoka to Yufuin, Japan. The ride is a few hours through Japan’s countryside, carved out by rivers and rice fields hidden between volcanic peaks, the landscape here is amazing and is one of Kyushu’s must see spots. It’s also a great place to relax or just to shoot some travel photography.
Fujifilm X-T2 – XF 35mm f2 – ISO 500, f2, 1/80
A Little About Yufuin Japan – Fujifilm X-Pro 2 / X-T2
Yufuin is one of the many volcanic areas in Japan and is well known for its hot springs. The main street here has Japanese shops and amazing places to eat. They even have shops with little fish that eat the dead skin off your feet.
You can also buy a four-bedroom house here for around $100,000. For the most part, Japan is extremely cheap once you leave Tokyo. Even Tokyo is reasonable, in my opinion, as long as you’re not in the heart of the city, but of course, I’m used to paying close to $2,000 a month for a crappy one-bedroom apartment and $15 for a salad in Los Angeles. It’s refreshing to buy an amazing lunch for under $5.
Fujifilm X-T2 – XF 16mm f1.4- ISO 200, f8, 1/210
Outside the main stretch, where volcanic peaks and rice fields surround you, here you can get a concentrated taste of the Japanese countryside. It was in this place where I dropped my X-Pro 2 for the first time on the concrete. Luckily, there was almost no damage, just some paint scuffs on the bottom. Maybe I got lucky; maybe the X-Pro2 is just a tank.
Fujifilm X-Pro 2 – XF 35mm f2 – ISO 200, f5.6, 1/1250
Fujifilm X-T2 – XF 16mm f1.4 – ISO 200, f5.6, 1/500
Fujifilm X-Pro 2 – XF 35mm f2 – ISO 400, f5.6, 1/900
Fujifilm X-Pro 2 – XF 35mm f2 – ISO 400, f5.6, 1/900
The Lenses – XF16mm + XF35mm
Since I had two cameras with me, the X-T2 and the X-Pro 2, I mainly only used two lenses. The XF 16mm f1.4 and the XF35mm f2. Although, I did have a Rokinon 12mm f2.8 with me that I used here and there for some landscape shots. But I wasn’t here to shoot anything serious, so I left everything else back at the house except my GoPro Hero5 – man, I love that thing!
Why the 16mm f1.4 and the 35mm f2?
One reason, really, and it’s simple. I’m working on my reviews for them, and they create a look that is different enough from each other that it makes a great combo when running a dual-camera setup.
I also learned something interesting when running with the X-T2 and the X-Pro 2. Because of the tilt-screen on the X-T2, it just seems to go a little nicer with the 16mm. Because of the wide angle, you can get away with more extreme angles while using that tilt-screen, plus the 16mm tends to block the OVF on the X-Pro 2. So, in this case, having the X-Pro 2 and the X-T2 was a perfect combo, although I still think I prefer shooting and holding the X-Pro 2 even though the X-T2 is a more sensible choice. But I donno, I’m still on the fence, I love them both.
Fujifilm X-T2 – XF 16mm f1.4 – ISO 200, f11, 2.3s
Fujifilm X-T2 – XF 16mm f1.4 – ISO 200, f8, 1/450
I’ll have the complete reviews up for these lenses one day. I’ve had them for months now and keep getting sidetracked. But I’ll quickly share my thoughts on each lens.
Fujifilm XF 35mm f2 – This lens is amazing and a lot of fun to work with. Optically, it’s not perfect, but for its size, weight, and price, its performance is very rewarding. If I didn’t own any primes, this might be my first choice.
Fujifilm XF 16mm f1.4 – This lens is fun once you get used to this angle. It’s wide enough for landscapes and interior group shots, making this a great “hanging out with friends” or a good “going on vacation” lens. Outside of that, I’m not sure how I would use it. It works fine as a landscape lens since it is weather-sealed, but I think I’d still prefer the wider 14mm.
This lens is sharp and fast but only ‘meh’ wide open, but not terrible, like the XF23mm f1.4 is wide open. This means it could be a fun astrophotography lens, although I would probably try to stop down to f1.8 or f2 to get a little sharper. (update: my 23mm f1.4 was broken; I got it fixed)
Fujifilm X-Pro 2 – XF 35mm f2 – ISO 200, f5.6, 1/900
Fujifilm X-Pro 2 – XF 35mm f2 – ISO 200, f5.6, 1/480
You can also check out my X-Pro 2 Review and my X-T2 Review. I’ll update them soon since new firmware has dropped, and I have even more experience with each one. Also, check out the Fujifilm 27mm f2.8 Review, which is probably my favorite travel lens so far.
