Thrift shop XA

S

st. paulitan

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I was finally rewarded for my garage sale habits by finding an XA for a whole buck. The film advance was stuck on "S" at the store, but I bought it, brought it home, stuck a couple batteries in it and got it to work. Needs new light seals, though. Anybody had any luck with DIY in this? Also, what are the chances the shutter speeds might be off? How common is it that XA's need a CLA for shutter speeds?

Thanks!

Bill
 
When the technician cleaned mine a couple years ago, he said the shutter magnets tend to gum up because people carry XAs in their hands or pockets a lot. A guy trading as "interslice" on eBay sells seal kits and instructions pretty cheaply. The rangefinder patches seem to fade with age and I don't think there's a quick and cheap fix for that. Flickr has an active XA community if you don't get the answers you need here.
 
I can vouch for 'interslice'. His name is Jon Goodman and he's actually a member here though he doesn't post very much.

Actually you may find the camera doesn't need new seals. I got an interslice kit for my XA but I've put a few rolls through it and even the seals are all but gone, it doesn't seem to leak light.

If the shutter sounds about right then it probably is. Unlike older all-mechanical cameras that need regular-ish servicing, ones like the XA tend just to keep on going or die completely - there's not a lot of middle ground.

Matthew
 
Another thumbs up for interslice. I did an XA and an XA2, and if I can, then anybody can. Even if it is not vital to renew the seals, there is something particularly gratifying about opening the back to load film and seeing that brand spanking new foam.
 
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