{"id":50600,"date":"2025-02-04T01:14:21","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T17:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/blog\/50600"},"modified":"2026-08-24T17:55:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T09:55:45","slug":"%e7%ac%ac-1-%e5%8d%b7%e6%95%b8%e4%bd%8d%e5%ba%95%e7%89%87%ef%bc%9a%e9%87%8d%e7%8f%be%ef%bd%9ccanon-eos-kiss-digital-x-%e8%88%87-olympus-om-zuiko-50mm-f1-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/blog\/50600","title":{"rendered":"Digital Roll 1: Resurfaced | Canon EOS Kiss Digital X with Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nA ring on the ring finger \u2014 meaning I'm married<\/p>\n[About this digital roll]\nCamera: Canon EOS Kiss Digital X (Canon EOS 400D)
\nShooting mode: in-camera black-and-white mode, Sharpness +7, Contrast +4, JPEG
\nMemory card: SanDisk CF 128MB, holds only 37 frames
\nLenses:
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8<\/p>\n

-<\/p>\n

One day while tidying the house, I found a Lowepro camera bag buried under a pile of odds and ends. Inside was a digital SLR my family had bought me back in university \u2014 my 20th birthday present, from my mother. According to her, when she was young, her own 20th birthday present had been an SLR (a Canon AV-1). So when she learned I wanted an SLR, she said straight away that she'd give me one as a birthday gift. There was a strong sense of something being passed down.<\/p>\n

At the time I chose the Canon EOS 400D, newly announced in 2006 \u2014 an APS-C sensor with 10.1 effective megapixels. The official Taiwan kit with one lens was 29,900 NT, but we went with a parallel import to save a bit of money, so the model designation was \"Canon EOS Kiss Digital X.\" I still just call it the 400D.<\/p>\n

In the years I used the 400D, I'll be honest: my photographic skill made no progress whatsoever. All I really learned was how to operate a camera. Looking back now, the gear was the key factor. Back then I had two lenses: the kit Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II, and a Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II costing only a few thousand NT.<\/p>\n

Everyone online was unanimously recommending the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II \u2014 the cheapest fast lens, that sort of thing \u2014 but in practice I just found it hard to compose with. I had no concept of angle of view or focal length at the time, and never looked into it; the lens just felt narrow, almost unusable indoors. Only now do I realize that a 50mm f1.8 on a 400D is an 80mm full-frame equivalent \u2014 a medium telephoto. No wonder it was so hard to handle.<\/p>\n

So during my 400D days, the lens I used most was still the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 kit. But that lens had an inherently small aperture, which made it hard to produce images with any striking tonal depth. At most I noticed that SLR photos had high resolution. Then, once phones could take pictures, I forgot about the SLR entirely. Carrying a big camera around made me look less cool with a camera bag on \u2014 and if all I was getting were plain, ordinary photos, I might as well record things with a lightweight phone, where I could adjust the colors on the spot. So much more convenient.<\/p>\n

And so the 400D sat there until I forgot about it, until roughly August 2024, when I started reconsidering whether I might shoot with it again.<\/p>\n

In March 2024, the Fujifilm X100VI and Ricoh GR IIIx HDF were announced one after the other. I'd been watching both, since I felt they could produce colors approaching film. But I was also very clear about why I shoot film: it isn't primarily for film's colors, it's that I'm captivated by film's irreversible process \u2014 the feeling that every decision gets exactly one chance. Photos made under those conditions make me treasure each frame more.<\/p>\n

I love shooting film precisely because of its constraints, in the same way a game with unlimited saves and infinite continues gets dull. Even if I bought a camera that produced images indistinguishable from film, I don't think I'd get that ordinary sense of satisfaction from it. So I could never work up the enthusiasm to buy an X100VI or a GR IIIx HDF.<\/p>\n

Unable to find a digital camera I wanted, I discovered by chance that the 400D I'd unearthed from the junk pile still worked \u2014 and that it had an APS-C sensor almost exactly the same size as the X100VI's and the GR IIIx HDF's. I couldn't help wondering: if I mounted the Olympus OM Zuiko lenses I know so well onto a Canon EOS 400D, what would the results look like?<\/p>\n

So I bought an adapter, put in a memory card, and started testing. What made me so interested in my particular 400D is that its screen is essentially broken \u2014 you can't really see the photos you've taken. Which means I could simulate, on this camera, the film experience of not being able to review your shots. On top of that, I found that with a 128MB card shooting 10-megapixel JPEGs, one card holds exactly 36\u201338 frames \u2014 precisely the standard count for a roll of film. A perfect coincidence.<\/p>\n

I initially tried to dial in a JPEG straight-out-of-camera color profile I liked using the 400D's internal settings, but the camera offers so few color options that I gave up. In the end I found the black-and-white mode workable, and once I raised the contrast in the built-in settings it looked reasonably good. It's still far from the latitude of real black-and-white film, but at least the process is *somewhat* irreversible: JPEG straight out of camera, no convenient way to review images, a 36-frame limit, and a physical mirror that means you don't get what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Isn't that exactly my ideal digital film?<\/p>\n

-<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#1
\nThis is the first frame of this digital roll \u2014 allow me to describe all the photos that follow this way, because to me each one has its own distinct existence. None were previewed at the moment of shooting; they only materialized when I connected the camera to a computer and read the card. I got something close to the surprise of real film, and I saved the cost of buying and developing a roll. The content here: I'm reading an ebook on my phone during lunch, instead of scrolling Facebook or similar.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/400, f1.8, ISO 1600)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#2
\nThis is my favorite frame of the whole digital roll, because I've never successfully shot anything like it on film \u2014 soft clouds, a deep sky. It makes me feel calm.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/4000, f5.6, ISO 1600)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#3
\nThe image profile for this digital roll is fixed throughout: the Canon EOS 400D's built-in black-and-white mode plus Sharpness +7 and Contrast +4. Judging by the results, Sharpness +7 seems to have introduced a certain incoherence in the structure of the image. Pictured is the lab I visit most, Li-lai Photo.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/2000, f4, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#4
\nA Thursday, just off work. This is an intersection I often pass on foot. I love these views that stretch to a vanishing point \u2014 it'd be even better without the power lines strung across the middle.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/1250, f4, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#5
\nProbably some sleepless night, walking around. This is what I saw.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/60, f1.8, ISO 1600)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#6
\nI only used two ISO settings on this digital roll: 400 and 1600. Overall I prefer how ISO 1600 looks. I'm not so fond of that crystal-clear quality at ISO 400.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/4000, f4, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#7
\nA Friday. I'd just left my alma mater, NTUST. There was no particular reason for going back \u2014 I just wanted to work on my laptop somewhere different, and returning to my old school gives me a familiar sense of steadiness. Perhaps it's a search for security in life.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/60, f4, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#8
\nA Saturday. My wife and I had just dropped our son off at English class; I'd parked the car and was heading over to meet up with her.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/60, f1.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#9
\nMy Canon EOS 400D itself.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/60, f1.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#10
\nMen's suits look slightly different in every era. The suit in this photo appears to be three-button, and judging by the hairstyle, I'd guess this is stock imagery from about twenty years ago.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/2000, f4, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#11
\nSome businesses deliberately avoid numbers with unlucky-sounding homophones, as a mark of attention to service detail. I think MOS Burger in Taiwan is excellent across the board, but they don't seem to worry much about the homophone problem.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/250, f1.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#12
\nI've shot something similar on film before. I love these small everyday things you occasionally see but never look at closely \u2014 study them and there's a lot of depth.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/60, f1.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#13
\nThis one has been horizontally flipped in post, because I wanted to see myself clearly. I was actually sitting in the passenger seat when I took it, but after the flip I look like I'm in the driver's seat.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/4000, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#14
\nRegarding \"digital film\" versus analog film in terms of color, I think the most obvious difference is that digital film easily produces absolute white \u2014 like this dashcam photo, where everything in the background behind it is completely blown out, pure white with no other information at all. I find that a shame, and it's exactly where analog film won't be replaced by digital. As for the dashcam itself: I bought it myself and took it to the shop for installation. They didn't ask a single question, just mounted it here. At first I was taken aback, thinking I wouldn't be able to see the dashcam's screen at all from the driver's seat. But after driving with it for a while, I realized the shop's placement was actually the best one \u2014 it keeps the driver's field of view completely unobstructed, and an ordinary driver isn't going to sit staring at the dashcam anyway. I'd misjudged them.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/500, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#15
\nIt was only after shooting half-frame film that I understood what digital APS-C really is. Unfortunately my Canon 400D can't take Olympus Pen F lenses \u2014 if it could, pairing genuine half-frame glass with a digital APS-C body that has a mirror would be perfect. These sunglasses were a gift from my wife; I keep them in the car.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/2000, f1.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#16
\nLights and wipers, seen from a traffic jam.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/60, f1.8, ISO 1600)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#17
\nHiking at Dakeng in Taichung one day. The trail there is badly designed \u2014 those round-log surfaces are genuinely hard to walk on and dangerous. I've no idea whose idea that was.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/2000, f1.8, ISO 1600)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#18
\nMy son from behind, playing on a wooden play structure.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/4000, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#19
\nMid-Autumn Festival barbecue, with my son taking on the role of head griller.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/60, f1.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#20
\nMy son, concentrating hard on the grilling.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/60, f1.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#21
\nFor me, the most challenging part of using a digital body with film lenses to simulate film's constraints is focusing. A digital SLR with a mirror doesn't have a microprism collar or split-image indicator on the focusing screen, so you're entirely reliant on turning the ring back and forth to find focus yourself. I shoot noticeably slower this way than I do with analog film.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/30, f1.8, ISO 1600)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#22
\nThe difficulty of manual focus shows up in shots taken quickly. This one is from a day I took my son to the cinema \u2014 rare father-son time. In our household, when we take our son to a film, it has to be in English. Call it our own house rule.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/250, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#23
\nGladiator II, after who knows how many years. While writing this piece I went and watched the trailer specially, but it didn't stir any urge to see the film.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/60, f1.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#24
\nHiking with my son, who's about to try catching a grasshopper barehanded.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/2000, f4, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#25
\nThe \"human face\" marking on a golden orb-weaver spider. It's rare to get a chance to shoot one this close.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/125, f4, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#26
\nComparing image texture at the same aperture across different digital ISOs. Personally I prefer how the Canon 400D looks at ISO 1600; ISO 400 still doesn't sit right with me.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/500, f4, ISO 1600)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#27
\nWorn out from the hike, my son could barely keep walking.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 (1\/1000, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#28
\nFrom this frame on I switched to the 24mm lens, which in equivalent terms is close to a 35mm prime.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2 (1\/30, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#29
\nI've completely forgotten how this one was taken. I just find the light and shadow in the frame badly unbalanced.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2 (1\/60, f2.8, ISO 1600)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#30
\nA Thursday. Just finished work, about to go for a bike ride.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2 (1\/1000, f4, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#31
\nI carry a stereotype that both Formosa Watch and Formosa Optical are \"the most expensive places to buy things,\" a stereotype assembled entirely from hearsay and scraps of what I've been told.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2 (1\/500, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#32
\nI really like this month's book club pick, *I May Be Wrong*.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2 (1\/125, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#33
\nNobody around me reads Business Weekly, but I love it. I find their content has real depth, and their choice of topics is consistently good.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2 (1\/125, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#34
\nA bike ride, one day.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2 (1\/1000, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#35
\nFor landscapes I still prefer a standard or medium telephoto angle of view, because when humans look at scenery, we naturally gaze toward the most distant point first \u2014 and a medium telephoto lens simulates that way of looking.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2 (1\/2000, f4, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#36
\nI've shot this scene many times \u2014 analog, digital, different films, different formats. I've never managed to get the feeling of film out of digital.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2 (1\/2000, f4, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#37
\nHonda is a kind of faith. I suppose film is a kind of faith too.
\nOlympus OM Zuiko 24mm f2 (1\/500, f2.8, ISO 400)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That's this digital roll \u2014 Canon EOS 400D. Thanks for reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A ring on the ring finger \u2014 meaning I'm married [About this digital roll] Camera: Canon EOS Kiss Digital X (Canon EOS 400D) Shooting mode: in-camera black-and-white mode, Sharpness +7,...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1912],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-50600","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canon-eos-kiss-digital-x"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50600"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50604,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50600\/revisions\/50604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}