Olympus XA3 Stealth Machine.

[David Hughes]

An aside

An aside

Putting the brochures away I realised that only the XA1 and the XA2 have their own dedicated brochures; All the others cover a range of them. The XA2's is a cute little book the size of the camera and trimmed and designed to look like one.


When you open the cover it looks like this:-

All in all, a neat design. I scrounged one when I was at Olympus in the City and there were two boxes of them on the counter. With hindsight I should have pinched a boxful for my luxury retirement fund...


Regards, David

 

[Out to Lunch]

I'll have to side with Ko.Fe.: is there such a thing as a stealthy camera? Would it be small, or with black tape all over it? Or is it a cell phone?

I don't know and I also don't care since I am about half a meter taller than anyone around me and so, it doesn't matter what camera I use.

 

[shawn]

John, it was me who posted that information, in the other recent thread on the XA series. As I said in that thread, it was something that I'd read some time ago - but can't remember where.

Some are sceptical of the idea, but my experience is that it is substantially correct. I've had far fewer blurry shots from my XA2 since adopting that approach.

In the XA2 manual it calls that the snapshot mode. The middle position (what the XA2 and XA3 default to when you close the clamshell) is hyperfocal and it lists focus from 1.2m to infinity. Down is about 1m to 1.5m and up is 2.5m to infinity. So in good light the middle position will cover most shots. In lower light use the lever and if you are trying to optimize for in close or far away.

Shawn

 

[David Hughes]

Hmmm, it's interesting to play around with slide rules and calculators and work out what the XA2/3 focuses on. As I see it they must do the sums for f/3.5 and so I reckon that, if you focus on 4'.6" the DoF is from about 4'.0" to about 5'.0"

But - a great big but - the manual shows the default position giving a DoF from 1.2m or 4ft to infinity.

Smallest aperture is f/14 and the sums for 4'.6" focus point as before and the DoF is from about 3'.1" to about 8'.4"

And that's nothing like infinity at the far point; so you wonder what CoC and print size they were thinking of...

And the hyperfocal distance for a 35mm lens at f/3.5 is 38'.4" so what can we say?

And then I had a thought and looked in their posh XA/XA2 brochure and it says, for the XA, that with the "focus set at 3m [8ft] and an aperture of f/5.6 or smaller, all normal subject will be in satisfactory focus for point-an-shoot photography".

So there it is... (That will be a fiver, I mean five guineas and please pay my secretary in cash... )


Regards, David

 

[DwF]

I'll have to side with Ko.Fe.: is there such a thing as a stealthy camera? Would it be small, or with black tape all over it? Or is it a cell phone?

I don't know and I also don't care since I am about half a meter taller than anyone around me and so, it doesn't matter what camera I use.

Which begs the question of your technique in such situations: Do you just pound down on the top of the aggressor's head from high, or do you hold the camera up so high that even jumping it is out of reach?! 😀

 

[John Bragg]

Glad to say, first roll of HP5+ hanging up to dry with no obvious signs signs of camera fault. Good re-sealing job on my part and frames evenly spaced and sharp. Looking forward to scanning them.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Another self illusion thread.
Small size of the camera helps to deal with image taker fears.
Once you grow from it, you'll realize what best disguise is to be very open of what you are doing. It is safest way to have no trouble with those who doesn't like to be photographed.
In the opposite, playing spy games with XA is direct call for trouble.

Disguise it as a the latest iPhone and no one will bat an eye!

Chris

 

[Out to Lunch]

Which begs the question of your technique...😀

I'm fine. Cheers, OtL

 

[ChrisPlatt]

TLRs are pretty stealthy.

Chris

 

[John Bragg]

TLRs are pretty stealthy.

Chris

Yes indeed. Anything with a leaf shutter has a head start in the stealth stakes, and also looking down is not seen as taking a photo, given the age of smart phones and selfie sticks.

 

[DwF]

I'm fine. Cheers, OtL

Ooh sorry OTL, I didn't mean that seriously, just in fun.

 

[tbhv55]

Glad to say, first roll of HP5+ hanging up to dry with no obvious signs signs of camera fault. Good re-sealing job on my part and frames evenly spaced and sharp. Looking forward to scanning them.

Sounds promising, John. Will we get to see some results from your 'rejuvenated' XA3? 🙂

 

[John Bragg]

Sounds promising, John. Will we get to see some results from your 'rejuvenated' XA3? 🙂

You will indeed. As soon as I catch up with scanning. It is also learning to trust such a simple camera after a lifetime of full manual. It seems that the middle setting will cope 90% of the time.

 

[Jeremy Z]

You are not street ready, grown to act on it respectfully, if you are willing to escalate conflict with violence.

Whether it is or isn't OK to take street photos of people stealthily and/or without their approval is an issue that has no consensus. Bringing it up in a photography forum is almost like bringing up a contentious political or religious topic.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Whether it is or isn't OK to take street photos of people stealthily and/or without their approval is an issue that has no consensus.

True when you happen to live in North America or in Western Europe. In the rest of the world it's not a big deal.