EP237: The Outdoor Life — Olympus OM-10 Quartz with Ilford Rapid 400

Roll #237 — camping has gotten old, so we started a fire to stay busy

Film: Ilford Rapid 400
Developed & scanned: Li-lai Photo, 2024/10/14
Camera: Olympus OM-10 Quartz
Lenses: Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8, Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5

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Writing this on December 24, 2024. About a month ago, I set myself a rule: no shooting new film until I'd finished writing about what I already had. By slowing down the pace, I hoped to ease the pressure of the ever-growing backlog. Over that past month, things have shifted a little. Without a film camera on me at all times, I found myself reaching for an alternative — Dazz Cam.

Out of all the filters in Dazz Cam, I landed on just one: "CPM35," which has a soft, slightly hazy lens quality. I've set it as a widget on my iPhone 13 mini's home screen for quick access. What appeals to me about Dazz Cam isn't really the filters — though they're genuinely impressive — it's that it lets me shoot at the equivalent of a 35mm field of view as the default.

Modern smartphones default to wide-angle lenses, which I've never felt comfortable with. And the option to set a preferred focal length on the iPhone is locked to Pro models, which the 13 mini isn't. So Dazz Cam's ability to start at 35mm out of the box has been a real convenience.

What I'd actually prefer is a default 50mm crop, but the quality loss from that much cropping is too visible. A cropped 35mm feels like a reasonable middle ground.

This roll mostly covers October 2024 — hiking Tucheng Huoyan Mountain and a camping trip in Fuxing, Taoyuan.

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#1
Heading into the mountains with the Olympus OM-10 Quartz and Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 on my chest. On flat days the camera stays in my courier bag; on hikes I put the strap on and wear it in front.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 84mm (1/125, f8)

 

#2
Today's destination: Huoyan Mountain in Tucheng. We entered through the Chengtian Zen Temple, and the courtyard view opened up wide.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 35mm (1/1000, f8)

 

#3
The plaza in front of Chengtian Zen Temple — shaded canopies and electric fans, which tells you how brutal the summer heat here must be. I don't have strong feelings about Taoist temples, but Buddhist monasteries always leave me with a sense of respect for the people who dedicate themselves to practice there.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 35mm (1/125, f3.5)

 

#4
The temple's exterior is understated and elegant — a place for monks to practice quietly. The atmosphere is completely different from the noise and incense smoke of a typical Taoist temple.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 35mm (1/500, f8)

 

#5
Through the temple, and then the climb begins.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 28mm (1/60, f3.5)

 

#6
I always trail at the back, watching my son's silhouette ahead.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 84mm (1/60, f4.5)

 

#7
Huoyan Mountain peaks at 373 meters — a small hill. The summit is heavily developed with facilities for local recreation; it's not a destination for scenery.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 84mm (1/125, f4.5)

 

#8
An aloe vera plant. Quite charming, actually.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 84mm (1/125, f4.5)

 

#9
The summit — more of a recreation plaza. A lot of infrastructure.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 35mm (1/125, f3.5)

 

#10
Found a convenient ledge for the camera — used the OM-10's self-timer.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 84mm (1/125, f4.5)

 

#11
The restroom here appears to have no door, so they've installed a railroad-style gate at the entrance instead.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 84mm (1/60, f4.5)

 

#12
Not sure if this is a longhorn beetle or a stink bug. Or neither.
Sigma 28-84mm f3.5-4.5 @ 84mm (1/60, f4.5)

 

#13
I buy batteries for film cameras from a Shopee seller called "Battery Brother" — they stock almost every common camera battery type, ship quickly, and the prices are consistently good without needing to compare.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1/30, f1.8)

 

#14
People often ask which Olympus OM lens I'd recommend first. Almost always my answer is the Zuiko 50mm f1.8. It's unbeatable across every category — price, optical quality, weight. If you're just getting into the OM system, start here, and it will not disappoint. If possible, go for the single-coating version rather than the multi-coating (MC) version; the MC tends to develop haze issues over time. — Shot on a Saturday morning; we drive to Taipei City every Saturday for my son's English class. The parking lot was unusually empty that day.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1/1000, f2.8)

 

#15
Since we started growing plants at home, I've started noticing other people's plants more — from the street, looking up.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1/250, f11)

 

#16
Lunch after class — heading straight to the Fuxing campsite in Taoyuan after this.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1/60, f2.8)

 

#17
Some things are just innate — my son has always worn his watch on his right hand, without anyone teaching him to. I often wonder what kind of person he'll grow into. The curiosity is mixed with something like unease. Maybe the hardest part of being a parent is learning to accept and let go.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1/60, f2.8)

 

#18
At the campsite — setting up the Heimplanet Backdoor inflatable tent, which I hadn't used in a while and was a little nervous about.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1/1000, f2.8)

 

#19
A grill rack I bought specifically for this trip — doubles as a fire pit stand. This is the Uniflame 683040.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1/30, f1.8)

 

#20
The tongs are remarkable — Uniflame 615164. Simple V-shaped metal with no spring, yet somehow perfectly easy to open, grip, and release. The tactile response in both directions is exactly right.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1/30, f1.8)

 

#21
Someone's pet wandered over and made itself completely at home next to our tent.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1s, f1.8)

 

#22
Lucky — there were stars that night. No cable release, just a tripod and a finger on the shutter. This is a 3-second exposure using the OM-10's aperture priority mode. Most OM-10 bodies have a slow shutter drift problem — this one doesn't. I got lucky twice.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (3s, f1.8)

 

#23
I tried four different shutter speeds for the stars to find the right balance between exposure and trailing. Conclusion: 15 seconds at 50mm is the sweet spot — bright enough, no visible star trails.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (15s, f1.8)

 

#24
At 30 seconds, the trailing becomes visible.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (30s, f1.8)

 

#25
At 20 seconds — still a hint of trailing if you look closely. Going with 15 seconds from here on for 50mm starshots.
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (20s, f1.8)

 

That's the full roll — Olympus OM-10 Quartz with Ilford Rapid 400. Thanks for reading.