Talk me out of buying a XA

[MarkoKovacevic]

I already have a stylus epic, but I want a XA for the old style and the quiet shutter. It is $110 canadian with shipping from KEH, which was the price of my Stylus epic new.

I really want it, but I don't know what I would do with the Stylus Epic.
Talk me out of buying one!

 

[capitalK]

I recently got a Stylus Epic second hand and used it as a backup snapshoot camera on a road trip last weekend. My friends are emailing digital P&S snapshots and in my opinion there's no comparison.

Missed focus a few times so the manual-focus XA could have come in handy, but I have no experience with it.

 

[benlees]

I recently got an XA and love it so I am not going to try and talk you out of it- except maybe say look for one for a little less $$.

 

[Bike Tourist]

Okay. Don't buy an XA.

 

[funkaoshi]

You can find them for much less than $110, on ebay and on craigslist. My friend has an XA. It's a nice camera, but the rangefinder is almost unusable. Perhaps this is just an issue with his copy. If you already have the Epic, i'm not sure what you gain the with XA. Also, max ISO is 800.

 

[xayraa33]

do it , go buy it.
enjoy your money before your lawyer does.

 

[Ducky]

The Epic is tough to beat.

 

[rbiemer]

OK, talk you out of it: It is too small to hold well, the shutter button is very sensitive and can fail before the rest of the camera, max iso of 800, focus is "fiddly"--very short throw from near to far, not built in flash and when the dedicated flash is attached the package is no longer the small pocket full it was, it's old.
The same arguments could be used in favor of the XA too, though...🙂
Rob

 

[Borghesia]

I got a XA+flash for 12 euro's, 110,- dollars is too much.
I don't like the camera, it's too light and focussing is very instable even with a good rf patch. I also have an Epic, and I think that lens is sharper.
From my Oly trip I got more keepers then from my XA.

 

[Leighgion]

Don't buy the XA if you're going to Spain? 🙂

I like my XA. Wish it didn't top out at ISO 800 and that it had a faster lens, but the size and stealth are virtually unparalleled.

 

[chambrenoire]

Yeah, way too much money for an XA. I found mine at a good-will store for $3USD in mint condition.

 

[aad]

$110 is a lot. There's a guy named Desert Rat selling some XAs right now, on this page.

Oh, yeah, they are small enough to be fiddly. Nice lens, most rangefinders are faded.

 

[Merkin]

take a month or two to hunt yard sales, thrift stores, flea markets, craigslist, etc. a lot of people just see them as another old 35mm point and shoot, and part with them for almost nothing. If, after that time, you can't find one, and you are still desperate to get one, order one from the classifieds here. The only way i would pay 100 bucks for one would be if it were practically new in the box.

 

[kuzano]

I have 4

I have 4

Well two XA and two XA2 examples. I don't have $110 in all of them and I also have three flashes.

1) XA works good
2) XA works but does not indicate shutter speed used
Not uncommon.
3) 2 XA2's both work well.

I usually use the XA2 models for the scale focus and auto exposure. They shoot great picture.

The XA's also take great pictures, when I have the time to focus the teeny weeny little focus patch on the rangefinder, as soon as I can find the lever with the very tip of my finger. Delicate focus usually takes many seconds... forget action or children at activities.

use the XA2

Same body, same clamshell door, same issues with the super sensitive shutter button. But, small enough that you are always playing pocket pool to see if it's still with you.

My wife just looks at me and says, Do you have a rash, or are you carrying that damn toy camera around again.

 

[SimonK]

I'll be glad to talk you out of blowing 110 bucks on one. I got mine on ebay for around 45. I had to replace the seals (easy-peasy) and the shutter speeds don't indicate correctly in the viewfinder but apart from that it is a great little performer - silent shutter, great lens and the rangefinder patch on mine is crystal clear.

So, get one. Pay 40 to 50 from wherever and if you don't like it sell it on ebay for what you paid.

 

[drewbarb]

Talk you out of it? Ok; $110 -especially Canadian dollars- is way too much money for one, as everyone else has said. The last XA I bought cost me $30 USD from the classifieds here. Admittedly that's a really good price, and I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for another deal like that, but you should be able to find a good one for under $75 US- possibly even with an A11 flash for that price.

XA is a great little camera. I stick one in my pocket most of the time, whether or not I'm carrying a bigger camera. It's great for fill-flash, too- just re-set the aperture to f5.6 or f8 after you turn on the flash, and the camera fires the flash but also drags the shutter for the available light- very cool.

 

[MarkoKovacevic]

Its around 70 us with a A11 flash from KEH and the shipping is 16-20$

 

[MarkoKovacevic]

Is the ceramic breaking and leaving the shutterin self timer mode common?

 

[shadowfox]

If you're going to spend that much, get an XA4 instead. 🙂

 

[MarkoKovacevic]

Can you guys give me a list of questions to ask the salesperon about the XA?