Is there an Olympus XA/XA2 forum?

Even though the XA2 is a zone focus viewfinder, they've not booted me out for it. It's just the black sheep in a rangefinder family.
 
There are no forums because there is little to discuss. The XA is simply the best camera ever made, period!



;)
 
jvx said:
There are no forums because there is little to discuss. The XA is simply the best camera ever made, period!



;)
Click to expand...

Wow do you really feel this way about this camera? whats so good about it?

I guess there shouldnt be any leica discussions either ;)
 
lubitel said:
Wow do you really feel this way about this camera? whats so good about it?

I guess there shouldnt be any leica discussions either ;)
Click to expand...

I find it hard not to love this camera. Despite a few inconveniences, it's a terrific shooter. I don't really think it is "the best" camera ever made, because I'm a firm believer in using equipment in function of your goal: the XA won't keep up with a 1D with 500mm f/2.8 lens if it comes to sports, it won't be a better camera than the Nikonos series for underwater photography (hah!), etc etc. It just isn't possible to say one camera is 'the best'.

I do absolutely love the XA though... Let see, advantages include:

1) small; fits into a pocket (it's a true rangefinder, yet it is actually smaller than most so-called "compact" p&s cameras), it is unobtrusive; the black color adds to that
2) extremely quiet
3) I like the design
4) I like how the cap slides in front of the lens: I can't inadvertedly press the shutter, and there is no lenscap I could (read: would) lose
5) I love the lens' focal length: much better for me than the 40-45mm's on other fixed-lens rangefinders
6) The optical quality of the lens is fantastic
7) it's aperture-priority, which I like much better than all the shutter-priority fixed-lens rangefinders
8) a real rangefinder, not scalefocusing as is common with similar cameras
9) did I mention it looks good? Like, really good? and it feels good in my hands.. I always thought it was an ugly camera when I saw pictures online.. as soon as I picked one up in a shop, I had to have it..

There are undoubtedly a couple of downsides... f/2.8 is over a stop slower than f/1.7 or f/1.8 (as in Canonet, Yashica, Minolta and Konica fixed-lens rangefinders), sometimes f/2.8 won't cut it. The rangefinder isn't terribly bright, harder to focus in low-light than most other rangefinders. ISO 800 is a bit slow (IMHO), although that is the case for a lot of older non-SLR cameras. These three negatives basically mean that I don't use the XA in the dark, for a lot of other things I do it's the perfect camera (not for everything - I use Nikon SLR's for portrait and some pj work; sometimes medium format cameras for superior quality, etc etc).
 
Jonas: The XA in the dark on a tripod is a wonderful tool, esp. if using the self timer is appropriate.

David: Just post here in 35mm/other if you have questions, shots to show, etc.
 
There is a group of XA people at olympusXA@yahoogroups.com. The group is civil and helpful, just like this one. There is not a lot of traffic, but it is active. I own the entire XA group, XA, XA1, XA2, XA3, XA4 and think they are great. Dave
 
I have an XA & XA2 both with A11 flash. The XA is the best candid-street camera I've seen. The 35mm lens is a more useful focal length than the 40-50mm usually found on single focal length rangefinders. It's small & light enough to fit nicely in a sportcoat pocket. The shutter is quiet. I like it much more than the Rollei 35 I used to have, or my Petri Color 35.

The biggest drawback is the lack of flash synch with any other flash than the proprietary A11 or A16. I find those flashes to have long recycle times and are too limited; you can only use it with 100 or 400 asa.

I don't care for the XA2. It seems to vignette with flash pictures.
 
With a little practice the XA or XA2 can be operated entirely with one hand. Not as quickly, of course, but it can mean having your grab shot and eating the rest of your double-dipped ice cream cone too.
 
Trius said:
Jonas: The XA in the dark on a tripod is a wonderful tool, esp. if using the self timer is appropriate.
Click to expand...

When I'm carrying a tripod, I'm usually carrying my camera bag - which means I'm stupid enough to carry bigger and bulkier cameras - Nikon SLR's, Yashica or Minolta rangefinders, ... On a tripod the size difference between the cameras isn't all that important anymore, and I can usually shoot at f/8-f/16 then, which means image quality will be pretty much equal for all of my cameras/lenses... I'm sure the XA will do great though, but the few times I'm carefully setting up an image on a tripod, I prefer a little bit more choice as far as focal lenghts go. Most of my photography is pj/street though, and for that, the XA's 35mm is just amazing.

I only own one, I don't want to own the other versions if the XA does it all better than the others (well, the one with the 28mm lens is an exception though, if you prefer 28mm over 35mm...). I'm rather suspicious, and I don't trust those pesky scalefocusing symbols - I want to check and double check what I've focused on!

Mine has a small problem - the needle in the viewfinder indicates two stops slower than the actual exposure. Ie if it should be 1/30th, it indicates 1/8th, not really such a big problem since it still exposes correctly at 1/30th. If this one ever stops working, I'll get another XA, and another one after that, etc (though I doubt they break all that easily).

I would buy a digital XA. Same size, same functions, same lens, etc; with a fullframe digital sensor. Unfortunately, the majority of the people want fully automatic point-and-shoots with a 15x zoomlens (that only starts at 45mm) and a tiny sensor which gives horrible noise above ISO 200. Sorry, I'm ranting again.

I love my XA!
 
While I understand a preference for a rangefinder, my experience with both the XA and the XA2 and XA# (the only difference between the XA2 and 3 is that the 3 reads the 35mm cassette and sets the ISO automatically (DX) and it has a provision for exposure adjustment under backlight conditions) is that the scale focusing on the 2 and 3 is excellent as is the lens. After all, the lens is a 35mm which means that it has lots of depth of field, and in normal daylight, it stops down giving it even more depth of field. Under conditions in which the XA rangefinder is hard to use, the 2 and 3 are perfect. Then too, I worry much less about bouncing a 2 or 3 around because there is so much less to get out of adjustment. Finally, while the 3 is pretty difficult to find, 2's are really inexpensive. Dave
 
Jonas: I understand the tripod = larger camera/broader choice of focal length, and yeah, that's usually the path I follow. But one time I set the XA on a tripod for a campfire shot, set the backlight switch, and got magic; it can do a pretty long exposure. My point is that most folks wouldn't think of this setup, but it works. From stealth to tripod. The bigger boys can't do the stealth bit as easily.

Earl
 
Earl -- My experience using the XA series, primarily an XA2 has been similar -- excellent. What I have found to be particularly useful is a small "bean bag" device called "The Pod" priced at $10-$15 USD. There are three types -- one about 3" in diameter and one about 4 or 5" in diameter, both with a tripod screw centered. The third type is the larger diameter with the screw offset for cameras which have the tripod mount screw point at one end of the camera. The weight of the larger with the center screw, the one I use is probably less than 8 ounces. It has a non-slip bottom and will confirm to all sorts of surfaces, rails, posts, etc. Turn on the XA self timer, mount the camera, focus if you are using the rangefinder, put the camera down headed in the correct general direction (after all, the lens is a wide angle and rather forgiving as to direction) and fire. Hold your hands loosely around The Pod if you are nervous about the camera falling (I am). I have some very nice night shots taken in this manner. Small camera, the advantages of which are capitalized upon by not having to carry the tripod. Dave
 
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