Olympus XA 3

Yea, I think you guys are right. I shall go and get it if it's still there. I will try a haggle starting at £10 and see what happens. At the end of the day, it is a charity shop so the money helps.
 
Ok, nearly there, I had a good look over it and noticed a couple of things that I thought I'd run past you guys.
1. I pointed the camera out the window into daylight and pressed the shutter keeping an eye on the shutter. I pointed into the dark of the shop and pressed again. I could see no difference in size of aperture or determine any difference in shutter speed. Is this right?
2. Looking very carefully from both front and back, I tried moving the zone focus through all 3 stages and could not see any movement whatsoever of the lens. Not even a small slight movement. Is this right?

I know it seems like I'm being a bit picky, but I have bought too many bad cameras in the past and can't really afford it anymore. I want a working camera that will be used on a regular basis. D&P + purchase of a film is around £11 so I don't need to spend that to find out I've bought a dud.

Also, does the XA3 have any real advantage over an Olympus Trip 35?

Thanks.
 
The lens is a retrofocus design. I'm not sure if that also means that an inner element focuses the lens or not. Either way, it's an element-focusing lens (not a unit-focusing lens), so focusing movements will be very small.

Regarding the XA2/XA3 vs. the Trip 35: They're all basically a Tessar design. Very sharp, if not super fast.

I have an XA and an XA2; I find myself using the XA more than the XA2, but probably more because I've had it longer and am used to how it focuses. (I always have it in my bag, loaded with Arista Premium 400. I think of it as a camera notebook.)

The XA2 has a little yellow light that appears in the finder when it selects a shutter speed below 1/30. XA3 is probably similar. But the metering feature might be inoperable if there isn't any film in the chamber, and it's unable to select a proper film speed.

They're great little cameras.
 
Assuming XA3 is XA2 with DX reader, lens (frontal part, at least) should move when changing focusing positions. Movement is really small, but is visible. I'd check exposure with opened film door and peeping through lens, pointing meter at bright place and then covering it with finger.

If it's dud then you have saved yourself money, time and empty hopes.
 
pete63uk said:
Ok, nearly there, I had a good look over it and noticed a couple of things that I thought I'd run past you guys.
1. I pointed the camera out the window into daylight and pressed the shutter keeping an eye on the shutter. I pointed into the dark of the shop and pressed again. I could see no difference in size of aperture or determine any difference in shutter speed. Is this right?
2. Looking very carefully from both front and back, I tried moving the zone focus through all 3 stages and could not see any movement whatsoever of the lens. Not even a small slight movement. Is this right?

I know it seems like I'm being a bit picky, but I have bought too many bad cameras in the past and can't really afford it anymore. I want a working camera that will be used on a regular basis. D&P + purchase of a film is around £11 so I don't need to spend that to find out I've bought a dud.

Also, does the XA3 have any real advantage over an Olympus Trip 35?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
1. Did you do this with the back open? If yes, then the shutter went off at f3.5 @ 1/60th fixed. There's a micro switch that senses whether the back is open. That provision is there because the XA2/XA3 can only advance film when the shutter has been released. You need to be able to do a number of advance/shutter releases when you load the film with the back open while at the same time the clamshell is closed to have access to the rewind lever to pull the film tight. Normally when the clamshell is closed, the shutter is without power.

Another reason that the shutter speed can stay fixed, is the flash lever at the front. It's just under the lens. When set to flash, the camera goes at 1/60th only. I've got an XA2 where the contact of the lever was a bit iffy from being unused for a long time, and had to work it a couple of times to get it to toggle between flash (1/60th) and ordinary exposure. Note that the lever can only be moved when there's a flash attached..

2. The XA2/XA3 have front cell focusing. Only the front lens element moves, the lens barrel stays fixed. The amount of movement is minute by the way. It's completely invisible if you look at the lens straight on. You'll have to glance over the top of the camera to see it..

Hope this helps..
 
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XA2/3 vs Trip 35.

XA2/3 vs Trip 35.

The cameras both take a decent picture and have decent lenses etc. The Trip is bigger, has symbol instead of an up or down lever for zone focusing (so you have to look at it) and needs a large flash on top of it. It also needs a lens cap (expensive when lost) but takes filters and a lens hood (also expensive).

Flash is auto on the XA2/3 and needs to be set using the "flashmatic" on the Trip. It links the G|N to the aperture...

The XA2/3 shutter runs from 2 seconds to 1/750th but no "B" setting and the Trip's is either 1/40th or 1/200th. Both cameras are programmed so no say in it but you can give +1½ EV on the XA3 or change the film speed setting to fiddle it on the Trip.

Also (as an edit) the XA's have a neat little wrist strap and are pocketable.

Put roughly XA2/3 small and convenient and Trip large and not so convenient but little in it after a bit of use. I like them both.

I don't know what the others think but if a wicked dealer saw the XA3 he might buy it after looking at it just as you have for £10 or £15 and then sell it on at £35 or so. No film test but they rely on only a few coming back for refunds. I'd risk it because £15 is dear in charity shop terms for a film camera and so you could easily get your money back if NBG.

As for film test costs; buy film in packs of 5 at Boots (that's Fuji's 200ASA stuff in 24 exp's) for £8-16 (£1-63 each) and get developed only plus a CD scan at Tesco's or Asda for £2 or £3, without prints. Not all branches will do this but ask if they do and what size the scans are. In my part of the world I can get it and do A4 prints from APS film but branches vary in equipment and attitude, imo.

Regards, David

PS Both the XA's and Trips have a cult following. The Olympus µ[mju:]-Zoom or µ-I sells for a pittance and are far more easy to find and use (but AF). Or there's the AF-1 Mini, Pentax ESPIO mini, Leica mini and Konica A4 to consider. And the XA1 (also common and cheap) but not such a huge following.

Look on this thread

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99884

for a good list of what's worth buying in charity shops if still undecided.
 
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Thx for that link David, wish I had a job lot to play with.

@ pvdhaar, I looked real good at the lens. I used to have another zone focus camera years ago that also had a very small movement. This one really had nothing moving at all, no matter which angle. You're probably right about the fixed speed with the back open as that is exactly how I was looking.

I've been stung so many times I seriously think I'll give it a miss, probably maybe, that's what I'm thinking.

Now I'm gonna search ebay for job lots as that's my new favourite must have thing.
 
Hmmm, but have you worked out what it would cost to go through the job lot and do film tests. And the batteries...

Regards, David
 
Think you have made the right decision over the XA3.
I always remember advice given to me - 'if in doubt, don't'.
As you know there are other XA3 on eBay that aren't at that price even with p&p included. Keep your eyes open, ask the potential seller questions before you bid, and make sure you can return if it doesn't work.
Keep looking!

jesse
 
I think I made the right decision.

I went back to have a final think over it and gave it a quick test and the winder is jammed. I think someone must have been playing with it and managed to jam it. if I had bought it, it would have probably jammed in the near future so I'm glad I didn't get it. It's a real shame as the camera was in beautiful condition.

I saw another camera in there, a Canon EOS 500 for £5. Perfect condition. Not interested though as I have an EOS 700 and an EOS 100 with some lenses. Great bargain though, if you have a Canon lens.
 
Point out that it's broken and offer them a pound. Then get it repaired.

Regards, David

PS If the battery in it is dead then it won't fire after being wound on and can't be wound on without firing. So try it with a new set of batteries. If you keep going back to it then I'd advise you to buy it. Otherwise you'll worry yourself and buy some other camera and then start looking for another XA3 and so on. I've been there, done that and am just waiting for the T-Shirt...
 
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If the focus is not working, this can be a relatively easy DIY repair, see this thread:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96991

One thing that I have discovered is that the focusing mechanism on the XA3 is not the same as on the XA2, the XA3 lens barrel does not rotate when focusing, while the XA2 lens barrel does. Apparently, the XA2 has a fixed focus helicoid and the lens barrel rotates along it to achieve focus, while the on XA3, the helicoid rotates while the lens barrel moves in and out.
 
xa 3 instruction manual

xa 3 instruction manual

David Hughes said:
Give a shout if you've no instruction book and I'll try and find the time to scan mine.

Regards, David
Click to expand...

hi David,
would you pls share the xa3 manual? i tried to find from net but always failed to find a free link...
Tks so much in advance.

Hififish
 
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