I can't focus my XA at infinity - is it repairable?

[carlb]

I've got my hands on an XA that's been languishing in a cupboard at my brothers place for a very long time. It's in very good condition and seems to work well, except that when I focus it at infinity, the yellow patches in the viewfinder don't line up. They seem to line up OK at closer distances.

I'm planning on having it CLA'd just because it's never been done since it was bought. Is this focussing problem something that can be repaired, or is it something that can't be fixed?

 

[kuzano]

Infinity not necessarily at the end of the stroke

Infinity not necessarily at the end of the stroke

Focus on something about 60-80 feet out using the patches lined up. Shoot a few and see if they are in focus using just the rangefinder patch. These little camera's have such a small distance on the focus scale, I never trust them. I've had a few, and two things I usually don't trust about them. The distance scale, and the stated shutter speed they say they shoot at. Yet they shoot good pics, well exposed. I have one right now that the needle doesn't even move on the shutter speed scale, but it's shooting proper shutter speeds, so the meter works.

On my two current ones, if I move the rangefinder lever to the end of the scale (supposedly infinity), the patch is off at great distance. So what? and So what on the shutter speed arrow. The pics are fine, well exposed and sharp.

I can buy two, maybe three, working XA's for the price of a CLA.

 

[shadowfox]

Unless you have a sentimental attachment to that camera, I agree with kuzano.

Heck, you can get a working XA-4 with 28mm lens and a closer focus distance for the price of a good CLA.