XA or Epic

[~QL~]

I am going on a trip and am taking my Leica IIIf and some lenses, but also want to take a smaller camera. Choice is between my Olympus XA and my Olympus Epic. I haven't really compared the two as far as lens quality. Is the older XA lens as good as the new Epic? Opinions appreciated. Am leaning toward the XA because I have control over the f stop.

 

[denishr]

I have an Epic (called "Olympus mju" in these parts) - got it after reading raving reviews about quality of optics in a very small package. However, I've used it only a few times, since I can never predict the results - I've even had several misfocused shots with it.
Man, I *hate* cameras that won't let me see where the focus is, and which set the f-stop (and shutter speed) by themselves, without letting you know.
My advice - if you want any kind of control over the resulting image, dump the Epic and use something else!

Denis

 

[Biber]

I have owned and used both an Epic (called Mju:II in Sweden) and I'd go for the XA every time. I sold the Epic after the first roll of film because of the time it took from I pressed the shutter release until it actually exposed the frame.

The XA shows you where the focus is, it has a much better (although not very good) finder, lets you choose aperture and gives you some means of exposure compensation via the film sensitivity. It is also much faster than the Epic.

The only good things about the Epic are that it's possible to push film to higher speeds if you change the DX-coding on the film, and it has a spotmeter.

 

[Jeroen]

The Epic/Mju:II is always in my coat pocket. Lovely little machine. It takes a few rolls getting to know it, but if you do, it's a nifty little machine with a great lens, on par with my Nikon F + 35/2.0 (a bit smaller, though). Having said that, I'd love an XA someday, too.

But hey, why not take them both? They're small enough! And don't worry about lens quality. Zuiko is top notch.

 

[kuvvy]

I have recently bought both these models. I ran a roll through each and the XA roll was very good. All shots were sharp. The Epic roll however had 4-5 shots that were out of focus, though exposures were fine. You need to be aware of where the AF is focusing. Both lenses perform well.
You could take both along as suggested as they are indeed small enough, unless you are really limited for space.
Is this trip a family holiday or a photo jaunt?
I am off to Lanzarote in February with my family and it will probably be the Epic I take for its weatherproofing, built in flash and ease of use though I prefer the XA for more serious shooting.

I don't think I've helped you much have I?

Enjoy your trip anyway

Paul

 

[berci]

I have got an Epic as well, needs to be set to spot metering/focusing mode (so you can focus on your subject) and then it won't disappoint you. I recommend some high speed film (iso400) too. You need to press the button halfway down and then it will set up everything for the exposure (gree light) and then if you press it totally, it will fire away nearly immediately.

 

[EsaS]

If not both, I´d take XA. It gives you more control than Epic. Though I have not used Epic so take my "advice" accordingly.
I have had XA as a spare on many trips and I think it handles many situations that are even "non point and shoot" quite nicely. Example from Madeira. AF would have been much more like guessing focus point.
Cheers Esa

 

[GeneW]

I have both cams and often carry both of them in my commuting kit. I load the Epic with Fuji Superia 800 and the XA with either Tri-X or Neopan 400.

As previous posters have mentioned, you need to work with the Epic for awhile to learn how to use it effectively. I think its lens is somewhat sharper than the XA. Because the Epic is biased towards faster shutter speeds, a high-speed film is a good match for it to help stop down the aperture to get more latitude in focusing.

The XA is a useful little rangefinder and if I were to choose one over the other it would be the XA, mainly for the greater overall control.

Gene

 

[FrankS]

You already have the IIIf for controlled photography, so I would suggest taking the Epic with it's auto-abilities and built-in flash. This would be a great camera for parties etc. when you don't want to have to think too much about the mechanics. But by all means, simply take both!

 

[Nick R.]

Once you attach the flash, the XA is no longer a pants-pocket camera. However, if you're doing mostly available light photography, even snapshots, the XA's greater control is a winner for me.

 

[bmattock]

Once you attach the flash, the XA is no longer a pants-pocket camera. However, if you're doing mostly available light photography, even snapshots, the XA's greater control is a winner for me.

Well, it is for me. I guess I've got big, er, pants pockets!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Scarpia]

I have the mju version boughtat a townwide garage sale early in October for $5.00. It had no battery and I had no idea if it worked or not. The seller asked me to name my price and I said "five bucks" and it was mine. I drove home where I had the proper battery and it immediately came to life. I have since shot one roll with it and all pictures were fine. One proviso, though. The clamshell tends to move when the camera is removed from the pocket or case, thus the camera turns itself off or on as the case may be. Once turned off it resets itself to the auto flash mode which is a nuisance when I want to avoid using flash even in diminished light as I have to reset it with the tiny little buttons which because of the diminished light are fairly hard to see. Like Jeroan it is the camera I carry when I don't want an RF or SLR around my neck.
Kurt M.

 

[~QL~]

thanks for the advice. i have used the Epic for many years and haven't had any problem with focus. the trick is to be sure to press the shutter release in half way so that it locks the settings before pushing it all the way down. after awhile this becomes automatic and you don't even know you are doing it. Leaning toward the XA because it is quiter...no autowind.

 

[nwcanonman]

QL,
I've never used the XA, but have used an Epic for years and find for it's size and price did great work. Rarely there is the "not quite" focused image, but not enough to cause concern. Having a built in flash and fitting into a small pocket means I can have some kind of camera everywhere.
And since I got it off Ebay for $3usd, if it's lost or broken, no big deal ~ ; - )

 

[Scarpia]

Three bucks nwcanonman??? I feel cheated.
Kurt M.

 

[rovnguy]

No doubt about it, I'm a diehard XA user. I've used the Epic, but it just wasn't the camera for me. I really don't like the shutter lag and not knowing where my aperture, shutter speed and film speed are. You'll get no arguement from me about how difficult it can be to focus with the XA RF, but with a bit of practice you can nail it every time. I put four (4) recent photos in my gallery to demonstrate the versatility of the XA in different lighting and focusing situations. Have a look and then show me some Epic work. After some long thought and discussion with other RF diehards, we have determined that we just plain love tinkering with all the variables possible from a given camera when out shooting. Point and shoot folks do what they want and we wish them well.