Looking at the Olympus XA for last minute buy for road trip, still not sure.

Yoyoma · Feb 11, 2015

Heading out for a month with 8 other people in 9 days, looking for something small and quite of course, & something to just have to take photos without someone looking twice at what im doing. Loved what ive seen on the flickr pool for the XA through the XA3.
The XA4 would be my choice as a 28mm lens would be perfect for me, but the price is crazy & they're hard to find.

My one beef with the XA is the iso only going to 800, but i think i could manage. i would preferably want something to go to 3200, but ill have my digital with me too, so im not to worried.
the 8 people are in 2 two bands, so im going to be shooting the shows & whatever in between if it feels good at the time. im taking my x100s & yashica mat124g, & i really wanna add a 35mm p&s.

Anyways, recommendations?
I've looked at some Yashica t4's, & on flickr, & it looks like its great, but im looking for something under $200.

bsdunek · Feb 11, 2015

Love my XA. Took it all over Japan last Spring. Used Kodak & Fuji 400 film and got great photos, day, night, inside, outside, everything.

Yoyoma · Feb 11, 2015

Nice, i know it seems that way from the photos & what ive read.

What did you pay, if you dont mind me asking? seems like the prices on these things can vary a lot.

Ken Nadvornick · Feb 11, 2015

Also love my XA. But it doesn't get the use it once did owing to the fact that there is no provision for viewfinder diopter correction. Times change. So do eyes.

I might be able to jury-rig something external and non-purpose-built. But that would somewhat negate the size and pocket-ability advantages of the camera.

Depending on your own eyes, just something to perhaps keep in mind as you search...

(And welcome to APUG.)

Ken

Jon Buffington · Feb 11, 2015

Love mine as I prefer to manually focus and manually adjust the aperture. Be warned, the rangefinder patch is small and dim and takes some getting used to as well as patience. With that said, took mine on vacation last month out west and absolutely loved the images I processed. It was my take anywhere, always with me camera. I paid around $60 on the bay last summer.

Yoyoma · Feb 11, 2015

Yeah, it seems like the take everywhere camera, plus i would love to have it for on the street.

So its kinda impossible i think for me to buy one online at this point since im leaving on the 20th this month, how likely do you guys think it would be for a shop to carry the XA? I know if im lucky i could grab one at goodwill or at a thrift shop if i searched.

trythis · Feb 11, 2015

The thing about putting your hopes on finding one of these with such short notice is that they dont always work exactly right and WILL need new seals unless someone has recently replace them. I like mine well enough but if you want easy to find and nice enough image quality consider buying a Stylus Epic zoom 80 (38-80), no, its not a 28mm or a prime 2.8, but you can find them all day for for $5 -$15 bucks. They use an irritatingly expensive battery but it is available. The flash defaults to ON which is dumb especially in museums. However, the image quality is so good, exposure is perfect and they are front pocket small. They look like digital P&S and no one will think anything of it especially in champagne color

Jon Buffington · Feb 11, 2015

Looks like KEH has an XA for sale (no affiliation). At least you have some reassurance that it will work and can have it shipped to you before the 20th versus the unpredictable nature of private sellers on the bay.

Yoyoma · Feb 11, 2015

I looked on keh earlier, was is for $100 or something? i might as well do that, i was going to go with this person through paypal, but i just remembered that it takes like 3 or so days to add funds to my paypal.haha I might go for the one on keh, and worst thing is i would have to get a stylist or soemthing on the road, which i have looked at, i like the sounds of the zoom, but the simplicity of th XA really gets me.

Prof_Pixel · Feb 11, 2015

I used (and still possess) an XA for years. I later found the Olympus Stylus to be a more convenient point and shoot camera - and it's smaller than the XA. The Stylus will use DX coded film up to ISO 3200; non-DX coded film is limited to ISO 100. It takes great pictures.

Richard S. (rich815) · Feb 11, 2015

Where are you? Your profile is missing that info.

Yoyoma · Feb 11, 2015

Im in humboldt county, CA, i didnt think to add it, i wanted to ask this question on here because it seemed to get some good traffic, ill update soon with a profile pic and all.

so i think were heading south first. & kinda a bummer i was just told by my friend that we're actualy leaving the 19th. i wonder if i ordered from keh, if the 2 day shipping would be actually two days.

& im not getting paid til tomorrow or friday so i cant actually buy any P&s camera friday/saturday.

Alan Gales · Feb 11, 2015

Yoyoma said:
Heading out for a month with 8 other people in 9 days, looking for something small and quite of course, & something to just have to take photos without someone looking twice at what im doing. Loved what ive seen on the flickr pool for the XA through the XA3.
The XA4 would be my choice as a 28mm lens would be perfect for me, but the price is crazy & they're hard to find.

My one beef with the XA is the iso only going to 800, but i think i could manage. i would preferably want something to go to 3200, but ill have my digital with me too, so im not to worried.
the 8 people are in 2 two bands, so im going to be shooting the shows & whatever in between if it feels good at the time. im taking my x100s & yashica mat124g, & i really wanna add a 35mm p&s.

Anyways, recommendations?
I've looked at some Yashica t4's, & on flickr, & it looks like its great, but im looking for something under $200.

If it was me I'd shoot the Yashica TLR when ever I could. For point and shoot candids or if the light was low I'd shoot the X100s. Save your $200 or less for film for the Yashica TLR.

I shoot an X100s and I also shoot a Wehman 8x10.

Fixcinater · Feb 11, 2015

If you're still looking, send me a PM, we might be able to set something up.

Richard S. (rich815) · Feb 12, 2015

If you're coming through the Berkeley area I could hook you up. I have two XA's and an XA2.

Yoyoma · Feb 12, 2015

Richard, that might work if we are close enough, we are going through Berkeley im pretty sure. if you want PM your info and what you would like to get paid for your XA. its amazing that you reach you like this and stuff pulls through so fast. Otherwise i gues Keh is my other option with their 2 day shipping, so let me know!
i would love to buy from someone via mail but i would feel uncomfortable having someone send something out and then having to wait the 3-4 day period it take to get money from my card to my paypal, i could just do money order or something and take a photo of it at the post office with my phone, but it would just be to so fast for me since i am leaving the 19th.

& to Alan, i agree. i am going to try and use the yashica as much as possible(as its my favorite MF camera i have), but it seems to take a slower approach to whatever im shooting, so it works for most situations & the x100s is lovely for a lot of things (a lot), but the XA is the camera i would bust out for when i want to look as touristy as possible, and when i dont want to carry something more flashy. not that i think the x100s is an eye catcher exactly, but it can be. Im just excited to try something super simple like this.

Alan Gales · Feb 12, 2015

Yoyoma said:
& to Alan, i agree. i am going to try and use the yashica as much as possible(as its my favorite MF camera i have), but it seems to take a slower approach to whatever im shooting, so it works for most situations & the x100s is lovely for a lot of things (a lot), but the XA is the camera i would bust out for when i want to look as touristy as possible, and when i dont want to carry something more flashy. not that i think the x100s is an eye catcher exactly, but it can be. Im just excited to try something super simple like this.

I bought the all black X100s so it wouldn't stand out. It looks to most people like a cheap point and shoot digital camera. I like that.

If you really want to shoot an XA then do it. We only live once.

Richard S. (rich815) · Feb 12, 2015

PM sent to Yoyoma.

thuggins · Feb 13, 2015

My personal favorite is the XA1. No need for a battery and it has a real shutter release button instead of that extremely fiddly electronic release. Second in line would be the XA2 or 4, depending on whether you're wanting to frame 35mm of 28mm (note that the XA3 is the same as a 2, but with one of those annoying date imprinters). The original XA is last on the list, mainly because the rangefinder is practically useless.

The Stylus is also an excellent camera, both the original and second versions with the fixed 35mm lens. The zooms are nice if you want that functionality. They are a bit annoying with the flash, but you get used to turning it off.

Any of them will take great shots with perfect exposures.

Richard S. (rich815) · Feb 13, 2015

thuggins said:
The original XA is last on the list, mainly because the rangefinder is practically useless.

What are you talking about? I'm packing up an XA for yoyoma right now and found I have TWO more on my shelf. I'm looking through all three, the viewfinder patch is bright and contrasty and works just fine. What is useless about it to you?

TheToadMen · Feb 13, 2015

I'm shooting my first roll with my XA.
Pro: Compact, easy to handle, fits in my pocket.
Con: very sensitive shutter button, look at it and it fires ...

Bert from Holland
http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl

JW PHOTO · Feb 13, 2015

My wife bought me an XA when it first hit the store shelf in my nearest big city many moons ago. I thought I had the world by the tail, but soon found out that f2.8 was out and f5.6 was standard from then on. I guess I was spoiled by Rollei 35's and Minox 35's when it came to lens quality. I sold the camera years later and then stumbled on another for the stiff price of $5.00. Well, I had to see if this one was better in the lens department. Nope, just about the same. I have owned about four or five XA cameras and all seemed much, much better at f5.6. Later I switched to the XA2 and found it just as fast to use and the lens was as good, if not better than the XA. Can't explain, but just was? Now, it's the later Minox for me and I love them, but only the Touring, ML or MB. Super-great lens! The XA will do you fine if you stay around f5.6 - 8 - 11 and will do pretty good wider, but will drop the edge wide-open. All this is just one persons opinion and you should weigh out what you require for image quality, weight to carry, ease of use................I think you know. That said, I always think bigger is better and a 35mm negative is not the same as 6cm x 6cm. Use the heck out of that Yashica! John W

tessar · Feb 13, 2015

I found the Olympus XA a perfect travel companion except for one problem. The rangefinder on mine pooped out about halfway through a long trip to Asia. It didn't stop me shooting -- I used zone focusing which usually worked OK with the 35mm lens. After I got home and had the rangefinder fixed by one of the last technicians in town he told me that the rangefinders on XAs were fragile and this was a common problem.

trythis · Feb 14, 2015

I dropped My XA from 10 feet and the range finder mechanism popped off inside the camera. It was an easy fix for me. I was surprised that was all that broke. I also find them fiddly in dark light with slow film. It just wont fire if it doesnt like the light.

frank · Feb 14, 2015

Strange, but I prefer the XA2 over the XA. To me, the XA is too small for the manual control it offers. I found it too fiddly. Now, I prefer manual SLR's, RF's, and MF cameras, but not on such a small camera. The more limited functionality of the XA2 is more in line with its size. I also love the XA4 which has a better/larger viewfinder than the others.

Looking at the Olympus XA for last minute buy for road trip, still not sure.

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