Olympus XA Question

JeffGreene

JeffGreene

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A friend is interested in trading his XA to me for one of my scanners (ancient Microtek Scanmaker E6) and a Canon IIB that I recently had CLA'd. I realize the cult status and headsets of many XA owners, but was interested in the thoughts of the more knowledgeable members out there. He also offered to throw in an XA2 in questionable shape. What are your thoughts?
 
On my XA the rangefinder got so dim that it was useless, and I had to start zone focussing. The light falloff at the corners was often annoying, and it could have been a bit sharper. The lens finally got infected with fungus, and the camera was dropped onto a paved sidewalk. It is now dead. I don't miss it.
 
Why don't you borrow both the XA and XA-2 from your friend and shoot a roll of your favorite film with each? Make sure to shoot at least some of the exposures at the the same subject with both cameras. Then you will really know what you are dealing with.
 
The XA is still my most frequently used backup camera. The inability to use the rangefinder should not be a problem. I have always used it with zone focussing since I got the camera used. As a matter of fact, I didn't even realize that it had a rangefinder for many many years after I had the camera, and I haven't gotten much more out-of-focus pictures with my auto-focus digital camera than with the XA.
 
Jeff - the XA is an acquired taste; many people love it and you might just become one of them.

My worst gripe with the XA (and there were many) was the flimsy rewind knob that I could impossibly hold and turn at the same time. That and the fact that its 800 ASA maximum setting made it a bright-daylight-only camera were the strongest motivators in putting it up for sale. (If anyone's interested, it's technically flawless.)
 
I have an XA, XA1, XA2 (several), XA3, and XA4. The XA1 is only to complete the collection. I use a 2 and the 4 most. The 2 has zone focusing and is sharp enough for me. The 4 has macro and a 28mm lens as opposed to the 35mm on the on the others. With a 35 mm lens and reasonably fast film, (I use 400 almost all of the time), there is plenty of depth of field to zone focus. I find the XA finder to be acceptable, although, admittedly, not extremely bright. I should add that I wear pretty strong glasses for nearsightedness. Placing a black dot on the larger viewfinder opening over the place where the rangefinder spot is increases the contrast. Someone cited an article on this which was found on the net. I think it was Rick Oleson's site. The cameras are so easily to carry that I always have one with flash with me. Other than light seals, I have had no problems. I have replaced the light seals myself. Not a big deal. There is a great website on the XAs, easily found.

I have no idea as to the relatively trading value.

I agree that if you can try and roll or two, at least you will find whether the camera is acceptable to you.
 
I shot most of my senior thesis show with an XA. It's still my go-to rfdr carry-along camera. I find the rfdr very usable and I lurve the magnetic soft shutter release. So pah! to all you naysayers.
 
I have two XAs and like them very much. I'd love to have an XA4 as well. I'd trade one of my XAs for the right item, but I wouldn't go without t least one. The ease of handholding at slow shutter speeds is invaluable.

Trius
 
I love the XA as a compact carry-everywhere camera, and the nice extra-soft shutter release in combination with the long auto exposure times available (at least 30 sec.) make it a great choice for night-shooting (hand-held or with a tiny tripod).
That said, the RF does have a very small base (but then, the lens is only a 35/2.8 that does not need a wide one), and it does lose contast with age, and the lens does vignette at f/4 and f/2.8 - but it is still a very handy camera!
Your swap does not sound to good a deal, though - I got both my XAs for considerably less than 50 Euros, and even for a totally mint/pristine one I would not pay more than 100 Euros.

Roman
 
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