EP247: A Day on Fuyuan Trail — Konica C35 MFD 38mm f2.8 with ORWO NC400

Roll #247

Film: ORWO NC400 (Vetrokam 400 repackaged version)
Developed & scanned: Violet Color, 2025/3/26
Camera: Konica C35 MFD 38mm f2.8

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ORWO NC400 is a film I find genuinely unsettling. The results are unpredictable — it has a tendency to come out looking nothing like what you intended, and the color rendering has a way of undermining a shot before it even has a chance. This was my last 135 roll of NC400, though unfortunately I still have one roll each of 120 NC400 and NC500 sitting in the fridge.

This roll mostly documents a hike on Fuyuan Trail with my wife and son. Since a lot of the frames were repetitive, I've only picked the ones that felt distinct from each other.

We've also been trying to plan a trip to Chicago. The US is enormous — we'd love to fit in some outdoor hiking, but everything near Chicago is on a completely different scale from Taiwan. Trailheads aren't a short drive away; you're looking at distances equivalent to Taipei–Taichung at minimum, and sometimes Taipei–Kaohsiung or even Taipei–Kenting. With everything so spread out, I honestly don't know where to start when it comes to routing and whether to book accommodation along the way.

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#1
Visiting friends in another city. Thanks to the 228 long weekend, the drive from Taipei to Hsinchu took over two hours.

 

#2
Signed my son up for a new Lego product experience event.

 

#3
The new Lego Soap Box Racer — hands-on experience.

 

#4
Hiking Fuyuan Trail in Guishan, Taoyuan with the family — my favorite trail. I'd brought a tripod, so a self-portrait was finally possible.

 

#5
Most of Fuyuan Trail is unpaved. I love that about it.

 

#6
Growing up, nobody told me about trekking poles — I just thought hiking was supposed to be exhausting. Discovering them as an adult was a revelation. Still tiring, but so much more manageable.

 

#7
The destination on Fuyuan Trail is the century-old banyan tree in Shulin. We happened to find someone selling douhua there — good timing for a calorie refuel.

 

#8
The ORWO NC400's color rendering can really sabotage a shot.

 

#9
The century-old banyan tree itself — located at the boundary where Guishan (Taoyuan), Yingge, and Shulin (New Taipei) all meet.

 

#10
A small climb on the way back.

 

#11
Glad I brought the tripod. Glad the camera has a self-timer. A rare family photo.

 

#12
The views along Fuyuan Trail open up like this pretty much the whole way.

 

#13
Cold-calling at a machine tool exhibition at Taipei World Trade Center. Passed through this Keelung Road intersection on the way out — hadn't been in this area for a while.

 

#14
Lately I've been listening to DJ YOUNA while working. Highly recommend.

 

That's the full roll — Konica C35 MFD 38mm f2.8 with Vetrokam 400 (aka ORWO NC400). Thanks for reading.