This time of the year, last year, we were still dealing with the uncertainties of Covid restrictions. Then, all of a sudden, authorities decided to progressively ease up and 2023 turned into such a positive year on which, finally, our lives got back to normal.

Among others, most importantly it meant we could travel again without the complications of quarantine measures. As a result, year 2023 was about revenge travelling. I made a total of 5 trips: South Korea, Portugal (twice!), Vietnam, Taiwan. And yet I’m still planning trip #6, potentially a visit to Beijing with my kids right after Christmas. My other half stretched things to the extreme though: added to those destinations, she visited Thailand and Japan as well. Whoa!

Not to mention, by the way, that in between we also made many short trips by car to Hong Kong and mainland China. So yes, in 2023 we moved around a lot.

Travelling with a camera

With this I gained back the pleasure of travelling with a camera and the good ol’ problem of what camera to bring for the trip. A good problem to have, as I used to say in the past.

To celebrate the aforementioned trips, I decided to start this Trips ’23 series of posts in Measuring Light. Basically to share some keepers, what camera I brought with me and why, and so on. Hope you enjoy. This first one now is about trip #1: South Korea.

South Korea

This was my first trip on a plane in 3 years. Packing my suitcase felt weird: I had done it a zillion times in the past, but now I was not that familiar with.

We headed to Seoul and had a high level plan for the trip. It would be a mix of (1) urban destinations, walking around the city; (2) nature, visiting some parks and mountain hiking because we both love it. And then in my bucket list there was (3) a visit to DMZ as well, because I like this kind of historical stuff.

For (1), I decided the Fujifilm X-Pro 3 would be cool. You know, urban street vibe with a rangefinder style camera. Mated with the superfast focus XF23mm f/2 for my favorite 35mm field of view. And then, of course, the Classic Negative film simulation for that added je ne sais quoi.

Now for (2) above – nature and hiking – I decided to bring something different: my Insta360 One X2. This camera is good fun and you can take photos in a relaxed manner (or should I even say carelessly) because it’s 360 so you don’t have to frame. Or let’s say you frame afterwards through the app in your phone: review your photo, pick your desired view and save to your album.

I have the selfie stick as well. The Insta360 One X2 is so smart that it automatically erases the selfie stick from your shots. It’s clever. I’m not a video guy, but I made several videos and actually had them edited when I was in the plane flying back home using my iPhone.

I always regarded selfie sticks as an aberration for narcissistic people. But after using it with my Insta360, I actually think this combo is a powerful tool to document our trips. Below a good example: with this shot and the ability to move around the viewpoints, I was able to document the challenge going down that steep mountain top, the surrounding heights and the drop past that handrail.

I did not bring my Fujifilm X-Pro3 when we were climbing Bukhansan mountain, so for stills I used my iPhone 12 Mini. It’s actually a very handy tool, with 28mm and 14mm lenses. And I have to accept nowadays smartphones take good photos, even if too HDR for my liking. But hey, a “proper” camera hanging from your neck is definitely not what you need when hiking. So the iPhone is good for this.

And since we are on the iPhone 12 Mini, let me vent my frustration here a bit. It’s a shame that Apple is no longer producing “mini” versions for their iPhones, which are no longer available for 13 and 14. The mini for me is the perfect size, not heavy and bulky in my pocket.

Whatever. Sometimes when I travel I enjoy walking around without a camera. I feel lighter and, most importantly, don’t feel the duty and the pressure of having to take photos. So for me the iPhone is good for this: casual photos for mementos, taken in a relaxed manner. And quality is pretty good.

With this, I’m signing out this South Korea post. I will find time to write about the next one: Portugal with a Leica Q2 and… a Fujifilm Instax Mini!

Stay tuned!