How do I test the meter on an XA2?

I bought an Olympus XA2 from the flea market awhile ago. Replaced the light seals and shot a roll of Arista Legacy Pro 100 (aka Fuji Acros) to test it out. The negs came back very thin, which makes me wonder if the meter is having issues. I double checked the ISO setting and it was correct. However, it's been awhile since I shot that roll, so it could have been wrong at the time. I'm planning to shot another to rule that out . Another roll of Legacy Pro I shot in a different camera, but developed at the same time, came out fine.

So, before I waste another roll of film, what's the best way to test the meter on this camera? It's zone focus and doesn't display ISO/shutter info, which is going to make things difficult.

Point it to the light. Release shutter. I should hear click right away.
Point it to the dark. You should hear shutter open and close slower.
Close the lens by hand. It should take few seconds for shutter.
Test it like this with ISO100 and ISO800.

The XA2 shutter has a maximum time of 2 seconds. Anything 1/4 second or slower can be easily counted off to check for accuracy. Faster speeds up to 1/60 or so also each have their distinctive sound, so you should be able to tell if it is close. But if you really want to check the accuracy you need to shoot a roll of slide film.

Put a roll of film in and shoot some test shots: same scene, same lighting, and take one frame with each ISO setting in sequence. When you develop it, check and see which frames are closest to your desired exposure. I had to do this with my XA4, which it turns out is off by about two stops.

Thanks! That's a great idea!

Isn't the simple and instant test of the meter the sunny f16 or f11(depending on your latitude) rule

I'd choose a large area of green grass on sunny day between 10:00 am and 3:00, set the aperture to f16/f11, point the camera at it and the meter should give you the reciprocal of the film speed.

If the reading is close to a 1/100th then you might then want to check shutter speed for accuracy

pentaxuser

pentaxuser said:

If the reading is close to a 1/100th then you might then want to check shutter speed for accuracy.

Click to expand...

There's no meter indication in the viewfinder of an XA2; there's nothing at all. The XA indicates selected shutter speeds.

02Pilot's idea is very good.