Did I hit the Olympus XA jackpot?

[Bingley]

You may well have hit the jackpot... some pix from my XA:

3d-and-long-091507.jpg by bingley0522, on Flickr


Street Portrait 2 by bingley0522, on Flickr

Birds in Paradise by bingley0522, on Flickr


Adeus, Lisboa by bingley0522, on Flickr


Morning walk by bingley0522, on Flickr


Trams by bingley0522, on Flickr

 

[Huss]

Love that tram shot Steve.

 

[Pál_K]

The XA has performed well for me - its rangefinder patch is clear and easy to focus with, its meter is accurate (both for the indicated speed and actual exposure), and it's sharp!

My old XA2 was always soft unless I used fast enough film to guarantee high shutter speeds and smaller apertures.

I've heard that the XA is fragile regarding the meter, so one has to be careful with bumps and jolts.

 

[tbhv55]

Love that tram shot Steve.

+1........ excellent.

 

[zenza]

Personally, I'd be bummed if it turned out to the an XA and not an XA3. The XA lens is the worst of the lineup (ignoring the XA1).

 

[oftheherd]

I am the original owner of an XA I purchased in 1982 at the old 47th Street Photo. I’ve had the seals replaced but the camera is still going strong. I’ve taken it on overseas trips as a pocket camera and always seem to return with some favorite photos taken with it. Very quiet and discreet for street photography. If your sample works, then you got a great deal. I would take an original XA over any of the later versions (except possibly the XA4). Yes, the rangefinder patch can be hard to see, but practice using it and you will be rewarded. I tend to shoot contrasty color film in mine and it works beautifully.

I acquired mine used from ebay, but the rest agrees with what I have found about the XA. When I was still taking photos, that was likely to find its way into a pocket or a photo bag. Quirky viewfinder until you get used to the rangefinder and recommended speeds, yes, but is isn't that easy to get used to. I did have to reform the capacitor in the camera's exposure system. Since then, all is well.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

There's still time to get in on this one today....


https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/92165450

 

[Huss]

Personally, I'd be bummed if it turned out to the an XA and not an XA3. The XA lens is the worst of the lineup (ignoring the XA1).

Yep, me too.

Advertised as an XA3, less desirable XA shows up...

 

[Pál_K]

The best website for the XA series (hit the red squares for each topic):

http://www.diaxa.com/xastart.htm

Just my opinion, but there's nothing lacking in the lens of the original XA, which I consider the best of the series.

 

[David Hughes]

...I do prefer the Stylus though, and a couple of its derivatives. The Epic is a bit overpriced for what you get in lens improvement, and mine cracked a film drive gear in the middle of a roll one day.

PF

That plastic is my main reason for preferring the XA range over the mju but someday someone may start printing parts for them...

Also the batteries (2x SR44's) go in a lot of my other cameras like Minolta, Leica, Pentax and so on.

Regards, David

 

[GarageBoy]

Never thought people would prefer scale focus over the RF of the XA
That beach umbrella shot is beautiful, Bingley

I like more than I thought I would - early on the shutter didn't fire every time I hit the button, but it's better now - surprised these are not $$$$ like the other fixed focal length point and shoots