Adjusting a Olympus XA meter - Need help

[fredus]

Hi there,

I've received my Olympus XA and while working great, the meter is off by at least a stop. Since the XA is already limited at 800ISO, with this problem I'm limited at 400 ... And since I want to bring this camera in a bar, it might not be fast enough. I'd like to adjust the meter but don't know where to start. I don't have the service manual which doesn't help.

Is there anybody who could help me on this one ?

Thanks !

fred

 

[Poptart]

Ask Mr. Google and Mr. Dogpile.

 

[fredus]

All right ... Got the service manual ... I'll try to adjust it myself ... Thanks for the 'pointer' 🙄 🙂

Fred

 

[fredus]

mmm .. now that I think about it I could adjust the meter to handle 1600ISO ... That should be possible right ?

Fred

 

[bmattock]

mmm .. now that I think about it I could adjust the meter to handle 1600ISO ... That should be possible right ?

Fred

I don't know - mine is off on the display, but the actual exposure value is correct. I can't figure it out, I'm sorry to say. Hopefully, someone here will have some useful info.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[bmattock]

Ask Mr. Google and Mr. Dogpile.

I keep hearing noises from under the bridge.

 

[fredus]

I don't know - mine is off on the display, but the actual exposure value is correct. I can't figure it out, I'm sorry to say. Hopefully, someone here will have some useful info.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

mm .. How do you know the exposure value is correct ?

 

[bmattock]

mm .. How do you know the exposure value is correct ?

I can't say I do, exactly - but then, with a stepless electronic shutter, I'd never know. But I can say that scanned negs that I get from my XA tend to have a nice histogram, with plenty in the blacks and whites and nothing running off the left or right. However, the indicated shutter speeds don't seem right. The display will say 1/125 and sound like 1/30 - and my external meter will confirm that it SHOULD be 1/30. So, since it appears that the exposure is correct in most cases, I guess the shutter speed display is wonky, not the actual shutter.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Kin Lau]

Mine has a bad display also... it'll work sometimes if I point it straight down and then back up. I've done a few rolls of b&w and c-41negs thru this, and the negs look fine, so I know the shutter's fine.

 

[Poptart]

The XA's have a lot of glitches. Mine sometimes won't turn on when I open the cover. It's a real "turn off," man!

 

[Graham Line]

Most of the erratic display, odd turn-ons and other problems can be rectified by a good internal cleaning and a fresh battery.
My repair tech says cameras like the XA that spend a lot of time in coat pockets and pants pockets pick up abnormal levels of grease and fluff, and can get pretty sticky inside.
Mine was bought new when they came out and has needed a cleaning and new seals. There's nothing else quite like it on the market.