the XA test

iceman

iceman

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i found myself a XA few days ago and brought it out for a test run. here are some sample photos.
i find the focusing isnt as easy as it seems, the yellow patch is sometimes hard to see. maybe it's because im wearing glasses?
but anyway it's a nice camera to use and it goes nicely into the pocket, anywhere , anytime.

tri-x @ 400, HC-110 dil B
tunnelot7.jpg


growthwt3.jpg


walkwayej9.jpg
 
It's a nice little camera that's very unobstrusive and useful for stealthy shooting...much less confronting than an SLR. I had one in the past, together with an XA2. Did not keep the XA for very long because of the difficulty I was having with focusing. However a 35mm lens at f/2.8, plus the aperture priority on the camera is excellent.
 
Just got an XA yesterday and shot a roll to check it out. I'm terribly nearsighted and wear eyeglasses (compressed progressive lenses that still aren't exactly thin).

I can see the focus patch with no problem. It's small, though, about 50 percent the size of the patch in my Bessa R4M. Focusing was dicey in less than bright light. Moving the focus lever was not a problem, but, in those circumstances, seeing anything change inside the patch was a problem.

I can't see the shutter speed indicator unless I angle the left side of the camera toward my face. Even then, it's a challenge.

Ran into some camera shake until I figured out how to get my big hands around the little thing. The shutter is quiet, but is not the hair-trigger light touch that I've seen it called.

The sprockets on mine did not fully engage the film until I closed the back. The rewind was arduous.
 
steamer: yes, that is quite true. once u move the tab then it gets easier.

terence: yeap. singapore. and how do u darken the VF?

gerrard: its hard to see the shutter speed needle because of the glasses i think. i have that problem sometimes with my other cameras. your shutter button isnt sensitive? mine is so sensitive i hit it by accident more than once.
 
Everyone--
Has anyone figured out how to mount a filter on an XA?

I can somehow do without a lens shade, but shooting Tri-X without a yellow filter is very unrewarding.

And yes I do love my 2 XAs--one bought new in London in 1980 and still treasured.
--Lindsay
 
Hey iceman, welcome to the forum. I like the first shot a lot. I am looking for an XA myself. I want something that can stay in my work bag all the time. I missed a great photo op last week and I don't want a repeat.
 
Filter

Filter

Santafecino said:
Everyone--
Has anyone figured out how to mount a filter on an XA?

I can somehow do without a lens shade, but shooting Tri-X without a yellow filter is very unrewarding.

And yes I do love my 2 XAs--one bought new in London in 1980 and still treasured.
--Lindsay
Click to expand...

Lindsay, do a search on filters for digital P&S. I remember seeing some contraption for the "old" Olympus clamshell digital P&S cameras a while back.
 
On my XA and XA4 I use square resin Cokin filters, with the relevant point &shoot universal camera adaptor, I found cheaply in Toronto at Henry's outlet shop.

sniki
 
I like it because it's so light weight and the sliding shell closing cover. I'm amazed at how sharp it is too, blows my Stylus Epic out of the water.
 
"....shooting Tri-X without a yellow filter is very unrewarding..."

Really? I've tried shots with and without yellow filters and did not really see a very significant difference other then perhaps some slight increase in contrast in the suppresion of some of the blue light. Can you show some examples that make you think it's so " very unrewarding" vs. with a yellow filter? Not denying it has it's purpose at times but that's a bit of a blanket statement for a filter that's generally considered fairly subtle.
 
filter holder

filter holder

sniki said:
On my XA and XA4 I use square resin Cokin filters, with the relevant point &shoot universal camera adaptor, I found cheaply in Toronto at Henry's outlet shop.

sniki
Click to expand...

I agree that the Cokin 'point and shoot adapter' originally made for small digital cameras seems to be the answer to the filter issue. It takes Cokin 'A' series filters.
I've just got my hands on one that I found on Echo-bay and am playing around with it on my 35 RC - it folds flat for storage and screws into the tripod socket. There is a lot of adjustment possible to get the filter just where you want it. What it does to the rangefinder when a filter is fitted is going to depend on the camera. It certainly is going to slow down your picture taking.
Took me several weeks to track one down because I think they are discontinued!
j
 
Iceman: Using it today, the shutter speeds were easier to see. I noticed if I pull my eye back a fraction of an inch they are more visible.

The shutter on mine is not in at risk of going off by mistake. No force is required, but it definitely is not hair-trigger. I recall reading, somewhere, that others have noticed this on their XA's, too.

I had it out yesterday soon after sunset on a roofed east-facing patio. Still a reasonable amount of light, but the focus patch was visible only if I pointed at a white wall. I'm thinking of sending it for a CLA after running several rolls of film through it, just to see if anything goes wrong. If the focus patch can be made brighter and I'm comfortable that the shutter isn't going to stop working, I could be using this little camera a great deal.
 
I have two XAs. I wear progressive glasses (nearshighted). As to the difficulty seeing the focusing square, check Rick Oleson's site for his discussion on blacking the center of the viewfinder with a felt tip type pen. That will increase the contrast. If you don't like the result, simply wipe off the ink. The other "work-around" is to use the marked in red hyperfocal distance on the distance scale on the lens. If you are using the camera in reasonable light outside with 200 - 400 ISO film and an aperature from about f8 or smaller, this will get you in focus without worrying about the rangefinder. A 35mm lens has significant depth of field. I shot several rolls in Lake Tahoe CA last week, largely using hyperfocal distance on my outdoor shots from about 8 feet to infinity. They were very sharp.

I have no problems seeing the shutter speeds, but maybe that's just my good luck.

Dave
 
the shutter speed scale is a little bit hard to see for me as I wear glasses and I used to stick my face on the camera very close...

it takes me some little practice so I can see the scale everytime I put my camera on my face.

the RF square...is really hard to see sometime, I tried put a small piece of color transparent over the whole VF window, which helps a little, but at last I just use a black tape masking part of the VF and it works great.
 
Back to the filters!

Back to the filters!

Got round to taking a picture of the Cokin 'point and shoot' filter attachment fitted onto my XA3. Didn't put in a filter but as its squre you can tell it covers the viewfinder and just about everything else.
It must be an idea worth pursuing but I have yet to try it myself!!!!
 

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That Cokin thing is UG-LEEE!!!

BTW, I recommend a yellow-green filter as an alternative to the yellow. Helps with contrast in foliage as well as darkening skies a bit. It's also good for Caucasian complexion.
 
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