The best thing about being a woman
Originally published 28 August 2022
is the prerogative to have a little fun.
Last month I went with a couple of friends to the Women’s Lifestyle Expo, just to check it out and get some shutter therapy. This one will also be a short write up as there’s not much to talk about gear-wise.
I brought my X100V but ended up lending it to Girl, who is also a shutterbug but didn’t bring her camera. Ever since I got into the X100V more and more, I started itching to go back to the simpler time when I didn’t know as much about gear to worry about specs. So instead of using my latest OM-1 camera, I brought along the six-year-old Olympus Pen-F.
And to pair with the old camera body, I chucked on a new lens to try out - the Meike 35mm f/1.4. It’s new but it’s not in any way premium; I got it for $160-odd NZD so I wasn’t expecting pin sharp images from it. To be fair, even wide open it was reasonably sharp considering the price. The main reason the pictures look soft in some of them is actually me missing focus ever so slightly (it’s a fully manual lens).
Overall I'm pleased with the bargain I got with the lens. While my photos are not the best, they're still decent. It just goes to show that you don't need the latest and greatest gear all the time. If I can take halfway decent shots with an older camera and a cheap lens, imagine what someone else, who actually is a good photographer, can get out of this combo!
Anyway, here’s some pics from the day - all shots taken on the Olympus Pen-F with Meike 35mm f/1.4:
You’ll see in the pic above and the next one below that I missed the focus away from their faces.
I never did figure out what these were about…
For a ‘cheap’ lens it actually produces some pleasing photos when taken properly.
This next shot is probably the worst case of missed focus if there ever was one.
Of course we had to get some snacks!
Thanks for coming, hope you enjoyed it!