Going North - Swedish Wilderness

[drtech]

Hi all,


I'm new to this forum and want to introduce myself with a few pictures. I am primarily a landscape photographer. Last year I was hiking for two weeks in a remote area in the north of Sweden: Sarek national park. My X-T1 accompanied me with three lenses (14-23-56) and tripod. In the following a few impressions. The image of the northern lights was not easy to frame without an optical viewfinder as the EVF was almost totally black.


View of the Laitaure river delta, 700 m below (14mm, f7.1,  1/45, ISO 200)

Morning view of the Rapadalen valley (56mm, f/8, 1/17, ISO 200)

 

Northern lights above Rapadalen (14mm, f/2.8, 10s, ISO 3200)

 

Feel free to comment or ask questions.

 

Stefan

[drtech]

The area I crossed is almost untouched by civilization which is very rare in Europe. There is no touristic infrastructure and no marked trails. This makes a hike in Sarek a special experience. Due to their low weight and high IQ the Fuji X cameras are perfectly suited for such an endeavor.

 

Let's continue:

 

Evening light in Sarvesvágge (14mm, f/11, 1/2s, ISO 200)

 

 

View from my campsite in the upper Njoatsosvágge (23mm, f/4, 1/210, ISO 200)

[Patrick FR]

just wonderful !

[roman]

wow, wow, wow

great colors, great composition, great framing

[val]

Incredible shots. I will be showing my work colleagues this tomorrow!

[drtech]

Thank you very much ! It is indeed a wonderful place. As soon as I have time I will provide some additional images.

[dko22]

I've been in Kiruna and Abisko but never made it into the remote wilderness. I wonder whether I will ever make it --as you say and show, it is one of the few really wild places left in Europe!

[drtech]

I also did some documentary photography where I used the Wifi of the X-T1 as remote shutter release:

 

Warm breakfast in the early morning - it was still quite cold (56mm, f/1.4, 1/950, ISO 200)

 

Crossing a stream - of course this photo required to come back to get the camera (14mm, f/8, 1/3s, ISO 200)

[drtech]

And some further landscape shots:

 

Morning view of Tjuoldavágge, in the background Mount Tsahtsa (panorama stitched from two shots)

 

The summits of Unna Stuollo and Skájdetjåhkkå in the evening light (56mm, f/8, 1/30, ISO 200)

 

Detail view of Rapaselet, a delta area in Rapadalen (56mm, f/8, 1/10, ISO 200)

 

It is difficult to convey a scale in such photographs as above. The trees you see in the image above are about 3 to 6 metres (10 to 20 feet) tall.

[vinck]

Hello. Really good shots, and above average weather conditions for this place it seems :-)

 

I also have the X-T1 and will bring it in places where power supply is not readily available (Greenland next). I am interested in knowing how you managed the autonomy: how long were you without electricity, how many batteries did you take with you, and how many pictures did you take?

 

BTW, when were you there? I'd guess around mid-august: no snow, enough darkness for the aurora shot yet the trees do not show any sign of turning colors.

[drtech]

Hello. Really good shots, and above average weather conditions for this place it seems :-

 

I also have the X-T1 and will bring it in places where power supply is not readily available (Greenland next). I am interested in knowing how you managed the autonomy: how long were you without electricity, how many batteries did you take with you, and how many pictures did you take?

 

BTW, when were you there? I'd guess around mid-august: no snow, enough darkness for the aurora shot yet the trees do not show any sign of turning colors.

 

First of all, thank you !

 

My hike lasted two weeks (last week of August and first of September) and I had no power supply for the entire time. I brought 7 batteries and used 6 of them, if I remember correctly. I took about 1000 shots (of which I kept 400). Especially the night shots of the northern lights consumed a lot of power as I was constantly shooting for about 1 hour with long exposures. (For this a DSLR would have easier to handle because it was difficult to frame the scene with viewfinder/liveview due to the darkness. I had to take test shots until the framing was satisfactory.)

 

The weather was absolutely impressive for the region, I had only very few drops of rain that did not even make rain clothing necessary. Due to the hot summer the coloration of the leaves unfortunately started quite late. I had no issue with insects at all.

 

Maybe some additional comments regarding my camera setup: The 23/1.4 and 56/1.2 are somehow overkill in a light mirrorless setup for landscape photography. Next time I would either take something lighter (hope, Fuji makes a 23/2 one day) or a DSLR-setup where you need less batteries and thus compensate for some of the weight. Two years ago, I used the X-E1, 18-55 and 14/2.8 for a similar hike. Very light and a great range, but the 18-55 left me disappointed (some pictures were simply not sharp - probably the OIS issue). So I'm hoping for more primes with excellent optical quality but moderate aperture.

 

As a consequence, a Nikon with 3 moderate primes (20-35-85 with f/1.8)  will most likely be my solution for my next hike in August (3 weeks). Maybe/hopefully next year Fuji again ? Their usability is much better and I really like the lens quality.

[vinck]

You're welcome :-) Number 2 is my fave, though the first one certainly draws you in in an impressive way.

 

Thanks for the answers. If there is one thing I don't care for with the X-T1, it's the very limited autonomy. Although to be fair I have only used it with the 55-200 until now, and the OIS probably drains it faster. I'm gearing towards a 2 primes set-up to keep things light. I'm not so much for wide-angles so 35+90 would have been ideal for me, but I'm planning on acquiring the 60 since the 90 is quite a beast. 27/60 is a very lightweight combination, but I will probably wait until the announced 2/35 for its weather resistance which can come in handy. 

 

Now if Fuji were really smart, they'd make a f/4 24-70 or 24-90 companion to the 10-24, with WR and excellent quality, and I wouldn't need anything else.

 

Great variability in the weather: I have done some hiking in the Kebnekaise area. Once in the last week of august, with obvious signs of autumn coming, and once again in mid-september and it was already a bit too late. I wouldn't have thought about auroras but that's a drawback with staying in huts, you're less aware of the surroundings at night. I'd like to make it to Sarek, I just need to prepare mentally and physically for the weight of the backpack... How much did you start with? Can you outline your trip itinerary?

[drtech]

I find myself using wide angle lenses more often than standard or tele lenses. Thus, I would never go without an option of at least 21mm (35mm equivalent). But if you don't need real wide angles, the 27 and the 60 seems to be a good option. I briefly had the 60 but was not convinced due to the fact that you cannot use a filter step-up ring due to the construction of the lens. I usually carry filters only with one size (the largest).

 

I started out with almost 30 kg (66 lbs) of which 12 kg (26 lbs) was food only. This is not ultra-light, but at least a tripod was included  . There is no possibility to resupply in Sarek, thus you will need to carry the food for your entire hike. Here is a plot of my hiking route (about 200 km or 125 miles):

 

 

This summer I will be visiting the Kebnekaise area as well and I am really looking forward to it. I'm planning a 3 week hike and will be also crossing over to Norway. The exact itinerary will be planned on-the-fly.

[drtech]

The lake Stuor Dáhtá in the morning. It is located near the Kungsleden trail and already outside of the national park (56mm, f/4, 1/160, ISO 200)

 

View towards the confluence of the rivers Ráhpaädno and Sarvesjåhkå (23mm, f/8, 1/40, ISO 200)

[vinck]

Thanks again for all this information and some more beautiful pictures. Yeah, I will have to make compromises to lower the weight of the backpack, because there is no way I can go with 30kg... Now if only the X-T2 comes with IBIS, I could at least consider leaving the tripod behind!

 

Hope you get a wonderful tour this summer, and that you'll share some more pictures ! 

[Sluw]

Amazing pictures!!

 

First of all, thank you !

 

My hike lasted two weeks (last week of August and first of September) and I had no power supply for the entire time. I brought 7 batteries and used 6 of them, if I remember correctly. I took about 1000 shots (of which I kept 400). Especially the night shots of the northern lights consumed a lot of power as I was constantly shooting for about 1 hour with long exposures. (For this a DSLR would have easier to handle because it was difficult to frame the scene with viewfinder/liveview due to the darkness. I had to take test shots until the framing was satisfactory.)

 

The weather was absolutely impressive for the region, I had only very few drops of rain that did not even make rain clothing necessary. Due to the hot summer the coloration of the leaves unfortunately started quite late. I had no issue with insects at all.

 

Maybe some additional comments regarding my camera setup: The 23/1.4 and 56/1.2 are somehow overkill in a light mirrorless setup for landscape photography. Next time I would either take something lighter (hope, Fuji makes a 23/2 one day) or a DSLR-setup where you need less batteries and thus compensate for some of the weight. Two years ago, I used the X-E1, 18-55 and 14/2.8 for a similar hike. Very light and a great range, but the 18-55 left me disappointed (some pictures were simply not sharp - probably the OIS issue). So I'm hoping for more primes with excellent optical quality but moderate aperture.

 

As a consequence, a Nikon with 3 moderate primes (20-35-85 with f/1.8)  will most likely be my solution for my next hike in August (3 weeks). Maybe/hopefully next year Fuji again ? Their usability is much better and I really like the lens quality.

Did you try to turn of the OIS when using a tripod? This really helps, I find the pictures very sharp when stopped down a bit.

[Tom H.]

Magnificent work! Well done!

[drtech]

Thank you all, I'm really happy that you like the images ! If you have any criticism do not hesitate to say so because this is how I learn the most.

 

Thanks again for all this information and some more beautiful pictures. Yeah, I will have to make compromises to lower the weight of the backpack, because there is no way I can go with 30kg... Now if only the X-T2 comes with IBIS, I could at least consider leaving the tripod behind!

 

Hope you get a wonderful tour this summer, and that you'll share some more pictures ! 

 

I would never leave my tripod at home but this is a matter of the personal preferences/style. For example, I would not have been able to get the images of the aurora without tripod (IBIS does not help there). I also like to use ND filters during daytime which requires longer exposures. A tripod is of course a huge weight need to carry all your gear including tent, sleeping bag and food.

 

 

14mm, f/2.8, 10s, ISO 3200

 

 

Amazing pictures!!

 

Did you try to turn of the OIS when using a tripod? This really helps, I find the pictures very sharp when stopped down a bit.

 

Yes, it was always off on the tripod. That's why my tripod images are mostly sharp. I had issues with handholding faster shutter speeds. When they were slower, where OIS is most effective, the images were usually sharp.

 

BTW: The primes never disappointed me.

[sleight]

wonderful shots, great journey! I really like your posted photographs and think it was a very nice time out there!

[drtech]

Let's continue with some additional pictures. I forgot to mention that some of the pictures were taken with polarizer and/or ND filter.

 

Rapaselet from Snávvávágge (23mm, f/8, 1/20, ISO 200)

 

The Skårki mountain range is mirrored in a small lake (14mm, f/8, 20s, ISO 200)

 

Upper Njoatsosvágge, stream leaving the lake Lulep Njoatsosjávrre (14mm, f/8, 1/3s, ISO 200)

 

Lower Njoatsosvagge near Goabrekbákte (14mm, f/8, 1/45, ISO 200)

[drtech]

Three more images from mount Skierffe:

 

14mm, f/5.6, 1/60, ISO 200

 

14mm, f/8, 1/30, ISO 200

 

23mm, f/4, 1/70, ISO 200