MarkoKovacevic
Well-known
Black tape worked great for me.
gasfitter
Newbie
I don't know bout you, but I found that if you put your eye too close it is invisible, or am I just discovered something new, but if you have your eye like 2inches away its much better..
bucks11
Established
My RF patch was very contrasty on my XA I foolishly got rid of. Found another and the RF is nothing to brag about. Might have to try the black tape...
Tuolumne
Veteran
I never knew the RF on the XA was so bad until I bought one. I used to have an XA2, zone focused. Much better than the XA. Unfortunately, the shutter stopped firing on the XA2.
/T
/T
ethics_gradient
Well-known
I've had two XA's at one time and they had pretty different RF windows. One was a bit purplish and nice and contrasty, the other was more yellowish and not as nice. They both eventually broke, and unfortunately the one with the inferior rangefinder was the one the tech couldn't get working again. RIP little buddy.
feenej
Well-known
Mine is okay. I finally got an XA, exactly a year after my XA2 died in a rainstorm. I got a deal on it at a camera store where the guy commented to me, "Wow, you have to have good eyesight to use one of these things". Turns out that it was just coated with dirt. It improved dramatically once I cleaned the outside of the viewfinder and rangefinder windows.
watchyourbackgrounds
Member
If a bigger camera had the tiny VF and RF of the XA, it would be howled off the block. But the XA remains a favorite. It's DINKY and SIMPLE, and FITS IN A SHIRT POCKET...and the lens is capable of great photos.
amhildreth
Hootie-Hoo
I voted for "just OK". Over time, my RF patch has become less patchy. It still works fine, but it's beginning to show its age.
wgerrard
Veteran
If the XA's patch was my first exposure to rangefinders, I wouldn't use a rangefinder.
colt45
Member
I voted excellent as I just bought a new in the box XA. It must have been in a time capsule or something. The patch in the rangefinder is very, very contrasty and easy to see under all lighting conditions and it is even easier to use than the rangefinder in my Leica IIIf (Heresy)So my opinion is based on what a rangefinder is like when it is in as new condition.
Robert
Robert
ZeissFan
Veteran
I have no problem seeing mine, and I wonder if some (not all) of the dim viewfinders might be a different issue. Perhaps the rangefinder window needs to be cleaned. Or maybe there's some degradation of the semi-gilded mirror. Just a guess.
ElectroWNED
Well-known
my XA (now with stuck shutter) had the worst VF of any RF I've owned.
The actual window would close if I bumped the camera, causing the shutter to not fire. I lost a few pictures in the few months I had the camera. the patch was also pretty small and not very contrasty.
The actual window would close if I bumped the camera, causing the shutter to not fire. I lost a few pictures in the few months I had the camera. the patch was also pretty small and not very contrasty.
piumach
Member
Hi, it sems that at least two different version of the rangefinder are there on the existing population of XA cameras...
Some people has red patch, some others a yellow one like me, which one do you have?
Thanks,
Nicola
Jack Conrad
Well-known
When are they gonna put "auto focus" on these puppies?
fotomeow
name under my name
I know of a guy whose XA RF is so bad, the RF is unusable, and he simply uses the camera as a scale-focus camera!
maggieo
More Deadly
My XA, which my dad bought right when they came out, is still going strong. The RF patch got a bit dim, but a swab with some sensor cleaner (I know!) on the RF window completely rehabilitated it and it's as sharp and contrasty as ever. In much better shape than my Canonet's, for sure.
Juan Valdenebro
Truth is beauty
Mine is usable. but I don't enjoy using it... It's pale and only clear with contrasty edges on subjects...
Cheers,
Juan
Cheers,
Juan
not_in_good_order
Well-known
Wow, I just cleaned my RF and VF windows with a little lens cleaner and I'm getting much more contrast with my rangefinder patch.
