06.07.2016

Nordic Aftermath: The X-T2 in Iceland

I’ve been shooting the X-series since 2011 when the original X100 came to market. Since then I have seen the system evolve into a complete system that is ready for any situation. Anywhere. Anytime.
I mainly consider myself a street photographer, but that really comes from me wanting to document my surroundings. Be it wedding, sports, events or nature. I really just want to document.
What I love about the X-series is that FUJIFILM really seems to evolve the system by a very large margin for every new generation. Not only from a technological point of view but also from a usability point of view.

I had a trip planned for the end of April where I was going to the fabulous country of Iceland. Just a week prior to leaving, I was handed a prototype of the upcoming X-T2 camera.
I thought it would be a great chance to test out how this new camera would fare in the harshness of the Icelandic nature and also on the streets of Reykjavik.

There are many welcome usability changes to the X-T2 layout that I both applaud, and specifically find useful for a lot of tasks.
The new multimode flipscreen really works wonders when doing portraiture oriented landscape shots when the camera tripod mounted. It gives you a much better shooting position.

The weather sealing is present in the X-T1, so naturally the X-T2 has also kept this feature. This weather resistance came in quite handy when shooting in close proximity to waterfalls and during overall use in the rapidly ever-changing weather. The last day of shooting we had to give up trying to cross some mountain roads because of sudden snowfall with minus degrees, and just 90 minutes later we were in Reykjavik with full sunny conditions and +12 degrees celcius. A test for clothing as well as camera gear.

The new dials of the X-T2 are a joy to use, they have a new click/declick mechanism that is really handy when you need to either lock the settings down or when needing the ability of constantly changing them on the fly. My philosophy of keeping it simple, is obviously something the developers of X-T2 share, cause even though you have more opportunities at your fingertips than ever before, everything has been kept incredibly intuitive and simple to use.

The X-T2 delivers incredible image quality. The 24mp X-Trans III sensor has great dynamic range, and landscapes look incredibly crisp with great details in highlights, midtones and shadows. Classic chrome was a perfect filmsimulation for the muted skies, the brownish vegetation and the cyanic blue waters. For black and whites the Acros simulation delivers great tonality and dynamic reach. Having these two great simulations at your fingertips really minimises the need for excessive post-processing.

The X-T2 is a true multi-tool for the demanding photographer. You can put it through any situation and it rewards you with great images regardless.

All Photos taken by Jonas Dyhr Rask