Olympus XA service in 2025

[ChrisPlatt]

I just acquired a nice Olympus XA in the RFF classifieds.

It seems to be working okay but needs light seals and probably CLA.
John Hermanson at Camtech was my Olympus go-to repairman but apparently is now retired.

I am looking for a recommendation for someone who services Olympus XA in USA.
Any suggestions?

TIA,
Chris

 

[p.giannakis]

I found this online

REPAIR — ADVANCE CAMERA REPAIR

www.advancecamera.com

 

[armadsen]

I haven’t had them work on an XA, but Advance Camera Repair has been great for me, including for stuff not on that list.

 

[aw614]

Seals aren't too bad on the XA, just really messy to do...

 

[Tim Murphy]

Dear Chris,

I contacted LeZot Camera about having an Olympus XA serviced. The said they do service them but suggested I send it in for an evaluation. I haven't yet managed to do that though.

New and Used Digital Cameras | Film SLR | Camera Lens | Buying and Trading | Burlington Vermont |

Dedicated to new and used film and digital cameras including SLRs and point-and-shoots. We buy and trade camera gear. Repair services, camera cleaning, film processing and more!

www.lezotcameras.com

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Advance quoted a very high price. I am waiting for a reply from LeZot.
In the meantime I'm looking for more suggestions...

Chris

 

[ChrisPlatt]

LeZot says if camera must be opened they will also be high.
Both LeZot and Advance quoted prices of almost $300. 😱

Ken Strauss says if no parts are needed he can service my XA
as well as my Oly 35RC, which could also use seals and CLA.
He did a nice job on my Konica C35V, so I will give him a try.

Chris

 

[ellisson]

For $300 or less, new ones are available. These have increased on price on the used market, double or triple what they were 15 yrs ago when I bought my first XA from the analog users website at about $65.

 

[Tim Murphy]

LeZot says if camera must be opened they will also be high.
Both LeZot and Advance quoted prices of almost $300. 😱

Ken Strauss says if no parts are needed he can service my XA
as well as my Oly 35RC, which could also use seals and CLA.
He did a nice job on my Konica C35V, so I will give him a try.

Chris

Dear Chris,

Do you have contact information for Ken Strauss. I'd like to talk to him regarding my XA as I got a similar price from LeZot to repair my meter that reads several stops off. I'd like to see if the meter can be adjusted without needing rare parts as it reads 2 stops off. With ISO 200 film in the camera, I have to set the ISO to 800 to get meter readings that compare to known good cameras and hand-held meters that I own. I'm currently shooting a roll of ISO 200 at ISO 800. If the negatives look good, I may just stick with ISO 100 and 200 film and just bump the settings until I forget to do that, but I'd like to be able to use ISO 400 film and have the camera be operational as the rangefinder and viewfinder work perfectly.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

 

[aw614]

Is your meter off just in the viewfinder on your XA, or is it off when you fire the shutter? I recall reading the meter on the XA viewfinder and the one that determines the shutter speed firing is a different, I feel from the many XAs that I've had, the meter in the viewfinder is off, but the other meter is fine.

Out of the three XA's I still have, one reads fine in the viewfinder but has fungus in the rear element, one has a really bright and clear patch, but the meter is from the viewfinder, but shoots fine regardless. The last one is in the middle, like new exterior, but meter is a bit off in the viewfinder and patch is ok, but just usable.

 

[hap]

Give a call from Dave in Michigan. He has done very good work for me on various cameras.

Dave's Camera Repair in Chelsea, Mi

Dave's Camera Repair shop photo equipment repair. Digital & film cameras & lenses. Free estimates. Repairing cameras since 1973

www.davescamera.net

Maybe he might be able to help

 

[hellojamin]

Give a call from Dave in Michigan. He has done very good work for me on various cameras.

Dave's Camera Repair in Chelsea, Mi

Dave's Camera Repair shop photo equipment repair. Digital & film cameras & lenses. Free estimates. Repairing cameras since 1973

www.davescamera.net

Maybe he might be able to help

Have you sent anything to Dave recently? I was thinking about sending a camera to him but there other threads on here saying that he hasn't been very responsive lately.

 

[Tim Murphy]

Is your meter off just in the viewfinder on your XA, or is it off when you fire the shutter? I recall reading the meter on the XA viewfinder and the one that determines the shutter speed firing is a different, I feel from the many XAs that I've had, the meter in the viewfinder is off, but the other meter is fine.

Out of the three XA's I still have, one reads fine in the viewfinder but has fungus in the rear element, one has a really bright and clear patch, but the meter is from the viewfinder, but shoots fine regardless. The last one is in the middle, like new exterior, but meter is a bit off in the viewfinder and patch is ok, but just usable.

Dear aw614,

In the viewfinder the today the meter read f2.8 and 1/15th with ISO 200 film loaded in it. I checked a known good camera and 2 hand-held meters and they both measured f2.8 and 1/60th for the same scene. That's a little too far off for me to just roll with it. I'm finishing a roll of ISO 200 at ISO 800 on the camera. If the pictures turn out reasonably well exposed, I'll know it's the camera's meter that is at fault. If they turn out underexposed, then I'll just shoot a roll at the box speed and see what happens.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

 

[Tim Murphy]

Have you sent anything to Dave recently? I was thinking about sending a camera to him but there other threads on here saying that he hasn't been very responsive lately.

Dear hellojamin,

I'm going back a couple of years when I post this, but I asked on POTN if anyone knew someone who worked on Topcon SLR's. I got a response from a fellow in Michigan that said Dave fixed his RE-Super but had stop accepting new jobs. POTN is gone for a couple of years now, so I doubt anything has changed.

It's worth an email try though.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂