I just picked up an XA as a consolation prize after getting sticker shock at the price for the Mint Rollei 35AF 
. I'm hopeful it will be my trusty "backpacking camera" for when I want a high-quality film option but need to be hyper conscious of weight and space.
I'm running my first roll through it, and while the rangefinder patch is serviceable in decent or better lighting, it's pretty dim. Reading up, I'm seeing a few proposed solutions:
1. Put a "1/2 blue" lighting gel or similar over the viewfinder window. This darkens it a bit and tints it cooler, both of which help improve contrast from the yellow rangefinder patch
2. Put a yellow filter gel of some sort over the rangefinder window. Theoretically I kinda see how this would help, but at the end of the day it's still making the patch dimmer overall. Not sure I want to bother trying this unless someone here can attest to its effectiveness
3. Darken or block part of the viewfinder via sharpie/tape/similar. Very wary of this, probably not going to try it.
4. Clean the rangefinder (and possibly viewfinder as well). I'd love to take a stab at this if it's something that can be done with a standard set of small screwdrivers and a healthy sense of adventure. Anyone have a reliable set of instructions that has worked for them?
My main question is - the 1/2 blue (Rosco #3204) gels are not terribly expensive. They can be had on Amazon for about $11 for a 20x24" sheet. I can spend that if I must. But 20x24" is enough to do many hundreds of XA viewfinder windows. I figured I'd check here to see if anyone has already got some of that gel, who doesn't mind cutting me off a little rectangle and mailing it my way. I'll pay for it with cash money and/or a print from the camera after my first roll comes out of the soup
. I'm hopeful it will be my trusty "backpacking camera" for when I want a high-quality film option but need to be hyper conscious of weight and space.I'm running my first roll through it, and while the rangefinder patch is serviceable in decent or better lighting, it's pretty dim. Reading up, I'm seeing a few proposed solutions:
1. Put a "1/2 blue" lighting gel or similar over the viewfinder window. This darkens it a bit and tints it cooler, both of which help improve contrast from the yellow rangefinder patch
2. Put a yellow filter gel of some sort over the rangefinder window. Theoretically I kinda see how this would help, but at the end of the day it's still making the patch dimmer overall. Not sure I want to bother trying this unless someone here can attest to its effectiveness
3. Darken or block part of the viewfinder via sharpie/tape/similar. Very wary of this, probably not going to try it.
4. Clean the rangefinder (and possibly viewfinder as well). I'd love to take a stab at this if it's something that can be done with a standard set of small screwdrivers and a healthy sense of adventure. Anyone have a reliable set of instructions that has worked for them?
My main question is - the 1/2 blue (Rosco #3204) gels are not terribly expensive. They can be had on Amazon for about $11 for a 20x24" sheet. I can spend that if I must. But 20x24" is enough to do many hundreds of XA viewfinder windows. I figured I'd check here to see if anyone has already got some of that gel, who doesn't mind cutting me off a little rectangle and mailing it my way. I'll pay for it with cash money and/or a print from the camera after my first roll comes out of the soup
