OT oly XA2

[Kat]

I was a konica store today to check for 6v battery availability, to my surprise, a familiar item greeted me in the glass display--an Olympus XA2, brand new! (well, maybe not that new, but never used) Well, that's it, just wanted to share, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. Too bad it wasn't an XA, I would have grabbed that in an instant.

 

[cbass]

Kat, don't underestimate the little XA2. 😉

While the RF model XA gets all the attention, its lesser-known sibling is capable of taking equally nice photos. I actually prefer using the XA2 in candid/street situations becasue of the accurate meter and the full AE. I've taken shots with the XA2 that I would have missed if I was fumbling with the focus and aperture controls of my XA (which I have since sold).

There are a few others in the forum who would also consider themselves members of the "XA2 Scale Focus Appreciation Society".

If the XA2 that you spotted is reasonably priced, try adding it to your collection and see the results for yourself! 😀

 

[ray_g]

Hi, Kat. I have large fingers that are not very compatible with the XA's tiny focus lever. Most of the time when shooting in good light, I just use it on the hyperfocal distance setting, unless I have ample time to fiddle. If the price is good, I would give the XA2 a try.

 

[Kat]

I was very tempted, so I asked for the price hoping it would be a good deal, but it wasn't cheap, it was a little over $80...Though maybe when I have some cash later and it's still there, and if they're willing to haggle a little...Maybe it has been there forever, and they'll be happy for someone to take it off their hands (I wish!) 🙂

I have small female Asian hands 🙂

 

[XAos]

The local shops here have XA2's in nice but well used condition for $100. I wouldn't pay that, I bought both of mine in the $25-$40 neighborhood, but if it's really NIB then $80 is a good price.

 

[Kat]

really? You guys are starting to convince me...hehe. Reviews sound good on the XA2. I've been thinking of adding a small compact to carry around, but I was thinking of the Stylus Epic or RC. Have to wait till my wallet recovers, though, I just bought a new puppy recently.

 

[XAos]

I bought my XA2, and later the Stylus Epic to keep in my gear at the fire station. I've been impressed time after time with the sharpness of the XA2. Its biggest shortcoming is the flash will barely reach the near focus limit (not quite, but these two areas are its biggest weaknesses). The SE's lack of manual ISO setting is turning out to be a big drawback for me, and keeps me coming back to the XA2, even though the SE has the edge in a number of regards. (otoh, once I get the dx coded label thing figured out, it'll actually go to ISO 5000, where the XA2 stops at 800). If you need the flash - the SE is a LOT smaller than the XA (w/ flash)

When I first got the SE and decided I was happy with it, I figured I'd end up selling my XA2's, but right now it aint gonna happen.

 

[Kat]

Oh, you're confusing me more! Haha. I did read some comments about problem's with the SE's flash being too strong for some people and producing red eye...Thank you for the pros and cons comparison. I'm off to the photo shops soon to check out any old stock that they might have.

What's the dx coded label?

 

[XAos]

Red eye - or yellow eye (if you're photographing your cat) I think is more a function of the proximity to the lens, and hence the angle of reflection, than strength. My experience is dealing with redeye is that its better to try to avoid the conditions, use off camera flash, or barring that fix it in the print. I've had far more trouble with "solutions" to redeye than I have with redeye itself. It's been my experience that red-eye reduction attempts by the camera work by prompting the people to shut their eyes, eliminating the reflection. It's a simpler job to photoshop the red pupils out than it is to try to paint eyeballs back in 😉

 

[cbass]

My redeye solution is not to use flash at all. The X11 flash is pretty weak so I usually leave it at home anyway. See below for examples of what happens when you don't use a flash with the XA2. These were both taken on Kodak Gold 200, hand-held, well after dark (in fact, it was well after several mojitos, too 😎 ).

The XA2 will take semi-long exposures but the images will have a dreamy cast. Using a tiny travel tripod & self-timer will yield better results (as will drinking fewer mojitos 😎 ). Using faster film will help, too.

I like using the XA2 at night, especially indoors. It's fun.

 

[Kat]

Those are very interesting shots, cbass. I don't like to use flash, either, my worry is just that I have very unsteady hands, so camera shake is a problem for me. I do have a tripod, but that would kinda defeat the purpose of having a tiny pocket camera, LOL.

Sorry, XAos, I mixed up the comments. You're right, the feedbacks I read said that the flash was too close to the lens, resulting in red eye, and that it was too harsh, resulting in ghostly people floating in a mass of darkness. LOL. If I'm not mistaken, the Olys are smaller right? So I'll go for one of those.

I just came from a small street in our downtown area with many camera stores. I saw a lot of old SLRS, but only 1 or 2 RFs. Spotted a Minolta Hi Matic 7s for almost $100 and a Leica which model and price we can't figure out because the storeowner stepped out and the salesclerk knew nothing about. Oh, well, I figure I can't afford it anyway, even the used SLRs weren't cheap, they were not too far off the price of brand new ones.

But the most disappointing part was, no Oly XA series at all.

OT: I asked around about BW films which I have never used before, the film itself is cheaper than colored, but the developing is a more expensive. Is it the same case for everyone else?

 

[ray_g]

OT: I asked around about BW films which I have never used before, the film itself is cheaper than colored, but the developing is a more expensive. Is it the same case for everyone else?

That is usually the case, Kat, because these cannot be machine developed like the C41 films. One solution would be to buy CN41 b&w film like Ilford XP2, Kodak TCN400 or the new Fuji BW400, which can be developed the same way as color film. Another solution is to learn to develop the film yourself. This is not difficult, is actually fun, and will let you have more control over the process.

For the red-eye problem with the oly epic, one way to minimize this is to devise a make-shift diffuser. You can tape a thin piece of tissue paper over the flash, or even tape frosted scotch tape over the flash if you are more adventurous.

 

[ray_g]

Kat, you may find this helpful.

http://www.themassif.com/bulk_loading.php

 

[mcgrattan]

I love my XA2 - I think I get consistently better results from that camera than any other I own. It's also tiny so it's always with me.

The programmed exposure gets it right nearly all of the time and the lens is very sharp. The zone focus is a positive benefit if you are trying to grab quick shots and is only really a problem in low light where the ability to focus manually would really help.

$100 seems a LOT! I paid less than $10 USD for mine without a flash on Ebay (in the UK) with postage and the going rate with a flash seems to be more like $25 or $30.

I can upload some scans of shots from the XA2 if you are interested.

{I recently also picked up a little Chinon 35EE, which is more less the same as a Konica C35 automatic, and it's not much bigger than the XA2 and also has a nice sharp lens and added rangefinder focusing. It's still not as quick to use for the rapid shot as the XA2 though... }

 

[mcgrattan]

I have a flickr gallery here which is all XA2 pics.

I don't have the original .tiff scans here at work so can't upload higher res scans to my gallery here...

http://flickr.com/photos/85361107@N00/sets/394019/

 

[Kat]

Ray, thank you for the tips, and that very, very helpful site. I was just looking for local sites on photography, but wasn't too successful with it. I'm going to bookmark that one, definitely 🙂 And yep, the place I went to today was Hidalgo...

mcgrattan, those are nice shots.🙂 Sounds like you got a good deal off ebay. I'm still waiting for mine...I'm broke these days, so even a reasonable price for an NIB is a little steep for me, if I can get a perfectly working used one for 1/4 the price...