Olympus XA if I already have a Stylus Epic?

[Markok765]

I have a Stylus Epic, and it's great. I was thinking of getting a XA for the manual control, and the fact that it is way quieter than my Stylus epic.

What do you guys think?

 

[Barry S]

I've owned both cameras and I have a real soft spot for the XA. The Epic probably has a better lens, but you can't beat the aperture control and the overall feel of using the XA.

 

[jasonjoo]

I'm not sure if others have had similar problems as I have, but I purchased 2 XA's last summer and both the film winders snapped off within 3 months. It was stupid of me to try to wind the film even though there was obvious resistance... I tried to save the photos but most of them ended up getting ruined anyways.

I paid $70 a piece too

Best of luck!

 

[Markok765]

I'm not sure if others have had similar problems as I have, but I purchased 2 XA's last summer and both the film winders snapped off within 3 months. It was stupid of me to try to wind the film even though there was obvious resistance... I tried to save the photos but most of them ended up getting ruined anyways.

I paid $70 a piece too

Best of luck!

Someone on APUG is selling one if you want. Look on the classified section.

 

[jasonjoo]

Yes, I was considering it, but I already have 2 XA paperweights at home

I've also been bitten by the LF bug, so most of my investments are going to that medium at the moment. This analog stuff sure isn't cheap

Jason

 

[df cardwell]

I'm not sure if others have had similar problems as I have, but I purchased 2 XA's last summer and both the film winders snapped off within 3 months.

Twenty years later, mine works fine.

 

[Eric Rose]

I loved my XA2 but alas it died a sudden death. Well not really dead, just wouldn't get off the self timer mode. A real hassle to say the least. I took the entire camera apart to see if I could fix it and found out two things; 1. the XA2 is a very well built camera, 2. I couldn't fix it. So it went into the trash all in pieces. Naturally I said a few words over the trash can in loving memory.

 

[mabman]

If the price is right, I say go for it. I've owned both (and managed to break both), and I have to say the XA's weak point is the rangefinder spot - it's very small, and ends up being dim-to-very-dim when not in bright light (eg, indoors), which makes focusing challenging. However, aperture priority can be a very handy thing, the meter is usually quite accurate, and it has a handy +1.5 EV "backlight" switch. So, it really depends what kind of photography you'll be using it for.

(Incidentally, I broke both a Stylus Epic and an XA on a vacation last year - still not sure how, as both were in my carry-on, but both ended up DOA...)

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Twenty years later, mine works fine.

Same here after 25+ years. Both my original XA and the A16 flash continue to work flawlessly. Although I did once several years ago have to open up the flash unit and pinpoint solder a small wire back into place. I relooped that wire such that it will never fatigue and break again.

Other than that, perfection. Both pieces still even look brand new. As does the original case and uncreased owner's manual. What a sweet little gem of a camera.

Ken

 

[thuggins]

Definately go for the XA (any of them). The Stylus was designed with a completely different philosophy. It is a snapshot camera intended for the real amateur. It uses extremely high shutter speeds and the aperture is wide open with 100 speed film and even a light overcast. It wants to use the flash even in daylight. The exposure with the flash is dead on, though. Mine also overexposes by about 1/3 stop, adding to the open aperture to make the photos look even softer. It is obviously intended for shooting people, not landscapes or scenics.

The photos from the XA (XA2, in my case) are razor sharp with wonderful contrast and color. It's shutter is practically silent, with no vibration. I've easily hand held it down to 1/8 sec.

 

[bufo]

I own both the XA and the Stylus Epic. I love them both and they both produce really good results. However I enjoy shooting with the XA more because you have control over aperture and focus. I usually take the Stylus Epic when I go somewhere with a bunch of buddies.

 

[Peter Black]

With the mju II/Stylus Epic you are always guessing what parameters the camera has chosen, whereas the XA (literally) awaits your command. Each is a great camera in a given situation, but total reliance on the mju II's algorithm is quite a leap of faith for an important shot.

 

[thuggins]

Here are a couple of shots that show the very different philosophies between the Stylus and XA2. These are all shot with VS. Of course, the scans can't capture anything close to the detail and quality of the original slides. The scanner had an especially hard time dealing with the contrast and saturation produced by the XA2 (a common short-coming of scanning). I tried to bring them up as close as possible to the appearance of the original slides. But no electronic medium can capture the razor sharpness of the XA2 photos. The Stylus photos, with their "flatter" look, scanned much easier and more accurately. These came out very close to the original slides with little to no postprocessing.

In the first two samples below, the left hand shot is from the XA2, the right hand shot is from the Stylus. Given the Stylus' preference for large apertures and fast shutter speeds, the barn was probably shot at f4. This shows clearly in the reduced DOF (foreground plants are out of focus) and the overall softness of the shot. The Stylus was full open for the mountain path (I had to turn off the flash!), as the out of focus grass in the foreground and softness at infinity show. The XA2 was probably at f8 for both shots, and everything is in razor sharp focus. These also show that the Stylus exposes by about 1/3 stop over the XA2 (Interestingly enough, my AX1 exposes about half way between the Stylus and XA2).

On the other hand, the Stylus' setup produces remarkably good low light images, as shown in the last shot. In low light or heavy overcast (or both), the XA's have a hard time capturing the flatness of the light, making the images too dark with artificial contrast. Although some of these XA photos have a striking appearence with a slide viewer, the scanner is completely unable to do them justice :-(. One option would be to set the ASA 1/3 stop slower when using the XA in low light.

 

[Nathan Smith]

I don't have a Stylus, but I've owned and used a Yashica T4 which is, I understand, similar. They're excellent for trips with kids or other subjects which are constantly moving - so you don't miss that one-second shot while you're setting the camera. Otherwise go for a manual camera.
So, sure, buy both - just consider them cameras with different purposes.
Nathan

 

[Mark Fisher]

I'm shocked that no one has mentioned that the XA is the quietest camera around....particularly compared to the Stylus. I have both and rarely use the Stylus. The XA, however, is best used as a zone focus camera. The rangefinder works, but it is really hard to use.

 

[ajuk]

I would not have trashed a camera like that just because the selft timer was stuck on, I think I would have given it to a second hand camera shop before I did that.