Olympus XA 4 - undecided

[River Dog]

I picked up a XA 4 today for a good price but I am not sure that I like it, apart from the 28mm and close focus, I prefer the Rollei 35 S I got last week for pretty much the same price.

Here are two different styles from today. What do you think, where does the XA 4 fit? Seems odd to set the distance, but everything else is auto.

 

[FrankS]

I'd say the 2 cameras would make a good pair for walking around.

 

[River Dog]

You have a point Frank. It's cheaper to carry a couple of these little cameras than to buy separate lenses and I have a project in mind where I will need some wide shots with close focus.

 

[kuzano]

Intended purpose for the XA4

Intended purpose for the XA4

The XA4 was originally intended as a close focus macro camera. In fact, you don't have a complete XA4 unless you also have the red carry cord that a black button slides on to stretch out to the ideal close focus. In all my camera years, I have seen only one of the XA4 measure cords for the camera, and I bought it separately from a camera.

However, the XA4 stands in nicely for a quick action zone focus street camera. It delivers nice quality and may have less manual control than the rollei, which would be the rollei's strong suit.

Personally, I like the XA2 for a no brainer zone focus camera, but mostly because I like the slightly exaggerated vignetting of the XA2.

 

[sleepyhead]

The lens on the XA4 is quite sharp, and the two cameras have quite different fields of view and as Frank said, would make a nice pair.

One criticism I have of the XA4 is the vignetting - it's not like the more pleasing "corner darkening" of the XA2 (which I still use), but more of a dark vertical zone on the two sides of the pictiure. It is visible in the second of your photos. I have seen it worse in some of my own photos, that were perhaps underexposed a bit.

Those dark bands were often distracting enough to me that I had to spend time dodging the edges abit to lightene them up.

 

[River Dog]

One criticism I have of the XA4 is the vignetting

Yeah, I was wondering about that. It only appears in the shadows of some of the shots but I am still not sold on the camera. I might just flip it on eBay.

Anyway, tomorrow I run out my CL with a 40mm Rokkor for the first time. Back with the big boys 🙂

 

[Bingley]

I would say the XA 4 makes a fine, inconspicuous camera for street photography. Load it up w/ Tri-X or HP5, bring a second camera w/ a 50 lens, and you've got a great walking-around set.

 

[jsrockit]

They are so cheap and small, that I can't see stressing over it. just use it when you have the need and let it sit when you don't.

 

[FrankS]

Yeah, I was wondering about that. It only appears in the shadows of some of the shots but I am still not sold on the camera. I might just flip it on eBay.

Anyway, tomorrow I run out my CL with a 40mm Rokkor for the first time. Back with the big boys 🙂

It'd be interesting to do a few duplicate shots for comparison with the 40 on the CL and the 40 on the Rollei.

 

[pinkarmy]

The XA4 was originally intended as a close focus macro camera...

I would say XA + XA4 make a great street photo team.

...but if you have doubt, then it means it is not for you (or your photography style). no matter what other says.

 

[p.giannakis]

I had a XA2 once and I never liked it. The big majority of shots displayed some horrid vignetting, almost like Holga. I always wondered about my sample - the pictures you have here from your XA4 look fantastic, i wish my ex XA2 was performing this nice!

 

[River Dog]

It'd be interesting to do a few duplicate shots for comparison with the 40 on the CL and the 40 on the Rollei.

You're on but the weather was nasty today - typical for the Easter break in England. I'll do some comparisons when it brightens up a bit.

 

[River Dog]

I would say XA + XA4 make a great street photo team.

...but if you have doubt, then it means it is not for you (or your photography style). no matter what other says.

I also have a XA, that has not been tested, so it would make an interesting experiment. They are no problem to carry around after all 🙂

 

[btgc]

I would say XA + XA4 make a great street photo team.

Zone focus XA4 and 50mm XA5 RF would be more appealing - 35mm is "neither this or that" for me.

 

[pinkarmy]

...50mm XA5 RF...

😱__X__A__5__😱