Olympus XA. The Forgotten Rangefinder

Arkcure said:
Hey. Doing an article on the Olympus XA and I need first hand accounts of why it is so popular. I am bidding on a few, but until I get my hands on one, I was wondering why you guys like it. I see they still get top dollar here and there.

Olympus Fanboy
Click to expand...

Again, welcome to RFF. I hope you have gotten useful answers already. I also have an XA, and use it more often than I thought I would. I like it for the reasons already mentioned; small and compact, easy to carry; good lens; good auto-exposure; good RF (in my case it depended on where my eye was to even see it, then OK); no vignetting (that seems to be a particular run, or individual cameras).

Just for curiosity, since I see you haven't answered anyone, what type of article are you doing on a camera you don't own yet? Don't be afraid to participate in RFF. A lot of good and knowledgeable people here, almost all of whom are happy to share their experiences.
 
I got an XA when I was new to film and range finders. It's OK. I got some good pictures, but I brought it on a long trip as my only film camera and ended up really not liking it and disappointed with most results. It is really small, which is great, but I found it too small. Many misfires with the hairpin shutter. Very hard to focus and compose with the tiny range finder. Prone to purple fringing. My Canonet QL17 ended up being my small cheap range finder of choice. Not nearly as small, but infinitely more usable. I definitely agree with earlier comment that the XA is not successful for slide film, at least it wasn't for me. I got some good results for snap shots on print film. It depends on your shooting style and the results you want. I've become more of digital snap shot shooter and a film shooter for more intentional work.
 
This is indeed a nicely designed rf camera! The compactness, the manual controls, F.Zuiko 35/2.8, hmm, what else can I ask for more? 😀
+++ Support for an article about this lovely camera!
 
So far I like it. The rangefinder is definitely usable. I havent developed my rolls yet. I bought a c41 kit and Im saving up my rolls to process them all at once because I hear it doesnt have much shelf life when mixed. Im looking forward to seeing how well it performs. One of these days Im going to do a head to head showdown frame for frame with Olympus XA, Rollei 35 LED, Kodak Signet 35 and see which is sharper.
 
Count me in as another XA fan, mainly for the reasons above. I'm the original owner of an XA I bought in the early 80s, and I picked up another one from a member here a couple of years ago. The lens is more than good enough, and the design is a work of genius. It's the perfect stealth and carry-around-in-your-pocket camera.


Berkeley, Telegraph Ave. by bingley0522, on Flickr


Ashland, Oregon by bingley0522, on Flickr


Street Portrait 2 by bingley0522, on Flickr
 
I love my XA to death as noted above but really the only downfall is the small rangefinder isnt very usable in low light situations. I've been spoiled by my M2 in low light.
 
I've finally got an XA for less than silly money. It was a bit grubby, there's a slight crack in part of the dome, and the light seals need replacing. But the lens looks OK, and (from what I can tell in low light) the meter and shutter work fine.

Cleaned up. Loaded with Delta 400. Ready to shoot.
 
Most Olympus cameras, including the XA, are held in high regard. Olympus often led the way or went it alone when it came to cameras. In a way, it still does with its development of the Four-Thirds and Micro Four-Thirds digital formats.

The XA is an excellent example of a camera that went in a different direction. It offered the photographer an all-electronic (well, maybe not that different) aperture-priority camera mated to a fast, high-quality rangefinder-coupled lens in a compact body.

I like the camera because it is portable, gives predictable results and is reliable. Just make sure that you have spare batteries, because once the batteries are dead, you're finished shooting.
 
I love my XA as well. I had to set it aside so my other RFs wouldn't get too lonely haha. It is a great innovative design, and is one reason I got into m43 with an E-PL1.

The metal body is great, dropped the XA at Disneyland but still keeps on shootin. The rangefinder is a bit small and hard for me to use sometimes but that's not too big of a deal.
 
After I bought mine and developing the first roll I realized that the focus lever does not focus the lens, focus is stuck to infinity ... :bang: Would it be an easy fix, DIY ? (I have a PDF version of the XA repair manual somewhere but opening the camera looked complicated )
 
Ooh, that's a naughty fault, because you'd not find out till you saw the negs.

*reaches for own XA*

Hmm. Can't see anything moving with the lever on mine. Worried now.

Nevertheless, I had some fun shooting stuff on the way to work this morning (though I wasn't really seeing anything new, and didn't get any people shots).
 
maddoc said:
After I bought mine and developing the first roll I realized that the focus lever does not focus the lens, focus is stuck to infinity ... :bang: Would it be an easy fix, DIY ? (I have a PDF version of the XA repair manual somewhere but opening the camera looked complicated )
Click to expand...

Here's what it looks like on the inside


Camera Innards by br1078phot, on Flickr

Link to the full set showing tear down to clean shutter

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjHSaF3A

It's different, but not much more than most P&S cameras.

PF
 
med_U3187I1360679141.SEQ.0.jpg
 
One of our daughters took my XA yesterday to try it.
It is one of the best ever made RFs.
The only one thing, which isn't perfect is Zuiko lens.
It is very good lens, including colors. Sharp. But it just doesn't something own, like some other lens have.

XA_PPF_July_2013329.JPG
 
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