Olympus XA Goes to the Oregon Coast

[BlueMoonCamera]

Years ago, humorist Dave Barry wrote in one of his newspaper columns of having a large main dog and a smaller auxiliary dog because it only seemed reasonable to do so. A pocketable 35mm camera is a reasonable analog for those "just in case" moments.

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[miha]

If this camera were still in production, I'd buy one in a heartbeat!

 

[Chan Tran]

If this camera were still in production, I'd buy one in a heartbeat!

If they make one today it would cost more than $500. Could be $1000.

 

[miha]

If they make one today it would cost more than $500. Could be $1000.

Still worth it.

 

[Chan Tran]

Well I have mine in great condition so no problem there. I have the few which the rangefinder patch is still very good.

 

[benderscameracorner]

If they make one today it would cost more than $500. Could be $1000.

That's what they cost when they were new, back in the late '70s and early '80 - allowing for inflation (~USD150 then = ~USD600 today) - so the maths checks out. Improvements in automated mass production would likely be negated by the much smaller potential market for a new film camera, admittedly.

Then again, if the Pentax 17 had been a sexy, compact aperture-priority full-frame rangefinder with a fixed 35mm/f2.8 lens but with, say, an exposure compensation dial, a light meter that'll go from ISO12 to 6400 and a slightly larger viewfinder with a fresh rangefinder patch, it likely would have sold way more units, even if the price had been closer to a grand. The XA is one of the few 'hype' cameras that's still (a) affordable-ish and (b) actually worth those prices - mine gets regular use - but there's still opportunity to improve the formula for today's film shooter market.

 

[Chan Tran]

That's what they cost when they were new, back in the late '70s and early '80 - allowing for inflation (~USD150 then = ~USD600 today) - so the maths checks out. Improvements in automated mass production would likely be negated by the much smaller potential market for a new film camera, admittedly.

Then again, if the Pentax 17 had been a sexy, compact aperture-priority full-frame rangefinder with a fixed 35mm/f2.8 lens but with, say, an exposure compensation dial, a light meter that'll go from ISO12 to 6400 and a slightly larger viewfinder with a fresh rangefinder patch, it likely would have sold way more units, even if the price had been closer to a grand. The XA is one of the few 'hype' cameras that's still (a) affordable-ish and (b) actually worth those prices - mine gets regular use - but there's still opportunity to improve the formula for today's film shooter market.

I paid $179 for a demo unit with the A11 flash in 1979. I think the price was higher than $200. I don't need the EC, the ASA dial works fine for the purpose. Of course if I can have manual exposure control it's even better. At the time I liked the Rollei 35 because it has manual exposure control but it lacked the rangefinder so I picked the XA.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I have one of those somewhere. These days, though, I usually prefer a normal lens over the somewhat wide one in the XA, so my (barely bigger when folded) Weltini (f/2 50 mm Xenon) is my preferred "just in case" pocket camera. No meter, but a longer RF baseline and faster lens.

 

[miha]

I still use it regularly, but not as a notebook as used to be the case (my smartphone handles that job nowadays):

Live gig, Berlin, Germany in 1999, film was KODAK SUPRA 800

 

[Chan Tran]

I still use it regularly, but not as a notebook as used to be the case (my smartphone handles that job nowadays):

View attachment 400119

View attachment 400120

Live gig, Berlin, Germany in 1999, film was KODAK SUPRA 800

For that type of pictures I don't use film.

 

[miha]

For that type of pictures I don't use film.

In 1999, you had to.

 

[Chan Tran]

In 1999, you had to.

Yes and that's the one type of photos I think digital excels.

 

[miha]

Yes and that's the one type of photos I think digital excels.

Wrong forum

 

[GregY]

For that type of pictures I don't use film.

The XA/XA2 is still perfectly capable under those conditions. (neg from 2022..... tri-x @ 400)

 

[eli griggs]

I used mine to covertly photograph folks, especially in dining rooms and in linei have two XA2s to play with but the XA I bought as a project still does not work and I'd like to be carrying it, with another c

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

Bringing mine to Orlando on my trip to Orlando, Florida.

Pro features on a pocketable size