First rangefinder, and XA or

[rosietapsmith]

Dear all,
This is my first post in this forum so please bear with me!
About a year ago I developed an interest in Lomos and Russian cameras and bought three different cameras from EBay (a Holga and two Smenas). I had loads of problems with all of these cameras- films jam in all of them and have cost me lots of time and money, as well as losing photos.
I decided that I would like a rangefinder, originally thinking that I would like a Lomo LC-A in line with my other Lomos. However I am frankly fed up with cheap cameras and jamming films so I've had to rethink. I looked at the Cosina CX-2 but these cost upwards of £150 and are as rare as hen's teeth.
So I decided on the idea of an Olympus XA, as I've heard they yield really good results and putting slide film in them and crossprocessing it will get much the same effect as a cheap plastic Lomo.
Therefore my question is- is there really that much difference between the XA and XA2? XA's go on EBay (UK) for £50 (about $90?) whereas you can pick up an XA2 for about £5 ($9?). Is it worth paying the extra for XA?
Thanks in advance,
Rosie

 

[nzhang]

XA has a rangerfinder and better lens, XA2 is a scale focus camera. I used XA and found some distortion with people faces for closeup protraits.

 

[BillBingham2]

The XA was a ground breaking camera, wonderfully small, great lens and easy to use. The XA2 was marketed at a lower price point (no RF, not as good lens) as the XA in its day was pricey. The XA4 is a wonderful camera, harder to find, but with a wider lens that does Macro.

What are you looking for this new camera to do for you? It looks like reliability is important, as is size. Help me understand what direction to go in. I know nothing about this style of photography.

Thanks.

B2 (;->

 

[sirius]

I like what Karen Nakamura has to say about it.

http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?OlympusXA.html~mainFrame

Always get the best you can afford when it comes to cameras and lenses. You don't regret it and you often can sell vintage cameras for the same price you bought them for (i.e. eventually trade up).

The XA is a very complex lens compare to later incarnations. It's also a glass lens. I've seen some wonderful XA photos on flickr. Do a search as see if you like the results before you buy. It is one of the smallest 35mm film cameras that you will find and it is discreet for street and candid photos.

I've always wanted to play with one!

cheers!

 

[rosietapsmith]

Thanks for replying, I'm afraid I have limited knowledge of rangefinders so this is all fairly new to me.
The Russian 35mm cameras I have used are made by Lomo who produced them as cheap, affordable cameras for the masses. They were cheap fixed focus cameras but because they were so cheap they have an odd, almost dreamlike soft focus effect and suffer from vignetting at the edges. Here's an example (http://boutwellstudio.com/fun-2005/holga/holga1.jpg).
I decided that I would like to buy a little rangefinder to play around with and I like the creative effects of the above cameras but a lot of the colour effects are generated by using slide film and crossprocessing it. So what I really want in effect is a small, 35mm camera that will yield good results, is fairly easy to use and below about £35. I want something I can carry on me all the time really that takes nice pictures with nice colours. The Olympus XA has been recommended to me time and time again but seems to be getting expensive on EBay.
Thanks in advance for your advice,
Rosie

 

[BillBingham2]

Rosie,

Ok, now I understand what you are looking for.

You are right about FSU (Former Soviet Union) cameras, they can be hit or miss. For me, they were not as much fun as my Bessas.

You are looking for a carry everywhere camera with a reasonably good lens that will not break the bank. The XA or XA4 are great places to start. For price, size, quality and reliability (perhaps after an initial CLA (Cleaning, Lubrication, and Adjustment)) they can not be beat. Take a look here for other options:

http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm

There are many alternatives for small cameras, one of my favorites is the Konica S3. Great lens, small, and built well. Take a look through all of the XA model descriptions, Stephen’s entire site is a great read.

Up scale, almost as small would be a camera like a Leica IIIa with a collapsible 50mm. Canon made several copies that were good and might be smaller. Lots of the old 50s have a few too many scratches or issues that could give you that “dreamy” look you are going for. While a collapsible IIIa/50 will fit in your pocket, they are heavy, but built like a tank.

Another alternative is to look at a Bessa L and a wide lens like a Komora, Canon or even Leica and a finder. For 35mm, FSU single focal length finders are fine low cost alternatives. This will give you a built in meter. Beware of collapsible lenses on any Bessa, they have a second shutter that gets in the way of many of this type of lens. You can put a rubber O-Ring round the shaft of the lens so it does not go all the way in, but more to worry about.

I’m not a big automatic exposure fan so I am do not know a lot about the cameras I think you might be looking for.

Hope this helps, please let us (RFF) know how you make out and share your results.

B2 (;->

 

[mike_j]

XA etc

XA etc

The XA2 isn't a bad camera and cheap as chips, up to 7x5 I doubt if you will see any difference from the XA. You can have mine for £10 including flash, case, instructions and UK postage - I need to clear out the cupboard bit.

If you really want to get into rangefinders I do think the best route is a Bessa (R2 is a reasonable choice) then you can play around with FSU lenses like the J8 etc and CV lenses, anything you buy will transfer to any other Leica LTM or M mount camera or be reasonably resellable if you decide it's not for you.

 

[wgerrard]

If it's possible, try to get a hands-on test before buying, or buy from someone online with a credible money-back return policy.

Things age in old cameras. The focus patch in the XA isn't all that big to begin with, and does fade. I bought an XA recently. Haven't used it much at all yet. It seems in fine condition but the focus patch is very dim when the light is weak. I've also noticed the the film sprockets don't engage the film lead until I close the door. Don't know if that's to be expected or is due to wear.

The clamshell case of the XA, and its small size, make it a great carry everywhere camera. Fits comfortably and safely in your jeans.

It also uses batteries you can buy today, not the banned mercury cells many old cameras use. (Note: The camera is on when the clamshell is open. Close it to reduce battery drain.)

You might want to first buy a really cheap XA just to determine if you like using the camera. If you don't, or if the camera goes bust, you haven't lost much. If you do like it, you can keep using it until it does break and then buy one in better condition.

However, here's a big caveat: If you think the rangefinder in the XA and its lens are attributes that won't mean that much to you, then don't pay for them and buy an XA2. You'll save a lot of money.

Plenty of small cameras exist from the same era, but the XA line is much easier to shove in a pocket because it has no protuding lense.

 

[shadowfox]

Things age in old cameras. The focus patch in the XA isn't all that big to begin with, and does fade. I bought an XA recently. Haven't used it much at all yet. It seems in fine condition but the focus patch is very dim when the light is weak. I've also noticed the the film sprockets don't engage the film lead until I close the door. Don't know if that's to be expected or is due to wear.

The RF patch on the XA can be enhanced using Rick Oleson's technique. Read here:

http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-165.html

After doing that, you'll find that the XA becomes a perfect camera in your pocket.

As for the film sprocket not engaging the film, you may have a worn one. I have two XA's and none of them do that.

 

[shadowfox]

Dear all,
This is my first post in this forum so please bear with me!
About a year ago I developed an interest in Lomos and Russian cameras and bought three different cameras from EBay (a Holga and two Smenas). I had loads of problems with all of these cameras- films jam in all of them and have cost me lots of time and money, as well as losing photos.
I decided that I would like a rangefinder, originally thinking that I would like a Lomo LC-A in line with my other Lomos. However I am frankly fed up with cheap cameras and jamming films so I've had to rethink. I looked at the Cosina CX-2 but these cost upwards of £150 and are as rare as hen's teeth.
So I decided on the idea of an Olympus XA, as I've heard they yield really good results and putting slide film in them and crossprocessing it will get much the same effect as a cheap plastic Lomo.
Therefore my question is- is there really that much difference between the XA and XA2? XA's go on EBay (UK) for £50 (about $90?) whereas you can pick up an XA2 for about £5 ($9?). Is it worth paying the extra for XA?
Thanks in advance,
Rosie

If you're used to LOMO, XA2 will feel like home immediately. They are so cheap, you might as well get one for backup.

Now, Olympus has some of the best fixed lens RF cameras, so you have quite a few of choices. I read this page to make my decision when I was in the same shoes as you are.

http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~yue/misc/rangfndr.html

Have fun deciding, and let us know what you end up getting.

 

[rosietapsmith]

Hi all,
Thank you all for all your valuable responses, especially Bill whose answer was very comprehensive and helpful.
I am now going to check out all the websites you have recommended to me for information and see if I can find some sample images from the cameras you have all suggested. I feel a visit to a second hand camera shop may be in order also, as wgerrard recommended I think it is a good idea to feel these cameras in my hand before I buy, and I am a bit nervous about buying off EBay as I've had some bad experiences of buying cameras online.
I am still gravitating towards the Olympus XA, the rangefinder feature is not I suppose a priority but I have heard so many good things about the lens quality that I feel it might be a good choice. (Having said that, I'm going to give it some more thought so mike_j I will get back to you if I go for the XA2, thanks). I will let you all know what choice I make and post sample photos when I get my films back.
Thanks again for all your advice,
Rosie

 

[BillBingham2]

Rosie,

You are very welcome. Here's another point of view of good low cost cameras.

http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/point.htm

B2 (;->

 

[wlewisiii]

Rosie, since you are quoting prices in pounds, I presume you are in the UK. If you are interested, I have an XA that is going nearly unused that I'll sell you for as silly cheap as I got it - $12 USD plus postage. It's in it's plastic presentation case with A11 flash included. If this is of interest, just let me know.

William

 

[rosietapsmith]

Rosie, since you are quoting prices in pounds, I presume you are in the UK. If you are interested, I have an XA that is going nearly unused that I'll sell you for as silly cheap as I got it - $12 USD plus postage. It's in it's plastic presentation case with A11 flash included. If this is of interest, just let me know.

William

Hi Wlewisiii,
I sent you an e-mail with regard to this.
Thanks,
Rosie

 

[jesse1dog]

Hi Rosie

Think you have some good advice from the guys, and a couple of good offers too. Before the XA offer I would have said go for the XA2. It wasn't going to cost much and you could afford that just for the experience to see if you liked the feel of the camera. With the possibility of the XA, just a small caution. Customs and Excise or whaterver they call themselves can be very unpredictable as far as duty is concerned. In the past they have charged me VAT on camera cost and postage on US purchases. Then there is a handling charge of £8 on top. There is a so called minimum package value on what is let through cost free but Customs can open packages and decide contents have been under declared in value. Cross your fingers and hope - I think I would take the risk with the XA though.

Have you looked at the possibilty of an Olympus 35RC? The sites mentioned in other posts will give you information on this camera. Prices in GB seem to be in the £25 - £40 range on eBay.

I think you will agree this forum is a great place to visit.
Hope to see you here often.
j