I was nervous about taking the Olympus Stylus Epic to China.

Not because I thought I would lose it or have it stolen, but because I was worried that I wouldn’t take any decent pictures with it.

My February roll for the Frugal Film Project had problems with underexposure - so how would I go in China in early Spring? A 200 speed film wasn’t ideal, would there be enough light for my photos?

As you can see from these images, I needn’t have worried. Most days we had glorious bright weather, although it was a little chilly.

I was careful about taking images on this roll. I only pressed the shutter button when I thought I had a guaranteed banger. I love this shot of two young ladies in the Forbidden City.

You might remember this image from China (People) Substack. By the time I got my Stylus Epic out, I had to go for a tighter shot and one of the 3 hula hoopers is out of frame, though you can still see her shadow on the right.

I’m really pleased by how this whole roll came out. I didn’t use the ‘flash off’ function once. Clearly the issues with the February roll were my fault.

Kodak ColorPlus 200 is such a good film, I prefer it over Gold and UltraMax.

This shot in the Lingering Garden in Suzhou looks lovely. The roses are in focus but the pot plants in the background have a soft out-of-focus blur.

Looking at these images, I can see why the Stylus Epic has a good reputation. The lens is sharp. Almost like digital.

Yet its compact size makes it perfect to fit in your pocket and whip out at a moment’s notice.

Maybe I’ll grow to love the Stylus Epic after all.

Watch on YouTube

Take a look at over 20 images from this roll in my latest YouTube video.

Also check out my first China video, there’s 100 images shot on the Fujifilm X100VI comparing 5 different film simulations.

That’s it for this time, more China photos soon!

Cheers

Matt

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