Olympus XA2 versus Stylus Zoom 105 ?

[mcgrattan]

Hi all,

I have a little Olympus XA2 which is my usual pocket camera which I always have with me, even when my larger cameras are at home.

Recently I had a chance to pick up a used Stylus Zoom 105 [actually a Mju zoom since I am in the UK] for around £10 GBP.

What I wanted to know is whether I'm likely to see an improvement over the XA2 in terms of image quality?

The Mju has the zoom lens which might not be as nice as the fixed focal length in the XA2 (I don't know) but the added autofocus and the more sophisticated metering might make more of a difference..

First, does £10 sound a reasonable price for one in well used but perfect working order... and will I see any improvement over the XA2?

How good are the Mju/Style zoom lenses?

[I may just buy it anyway in order to get the extra focal lengths]

Thanks in advance,

Matt

 

[John Koehrer]

mcgrattan,
I doubt you'll see any difference in 4X6 prints. The XA2 has a definite speed advantage with max aperture. 2.8 or3.5 vs 8 and smaler with the zoom your max aperture decreases so you may need to be in full sun to take advantage of the zoom.

 

[skahde]

When you are used to going outdoors with an XA2 you will probably like an XA without the "2" as soon as you try one. As an alternative I recommend the mju II with its fast 2,8/35mm (for the second time within 8 hrs, actually). Having used both, the latter is even sharper and more flare-resistant than the lens in the XA.

 

[benjiboy]

When you are used to going outdoors with an XA2 you will probably like an XA without the "2" as soon as you try one. As an alternative I recommend the mju II with its fast 2,8/35mm (for the second time within 8 hrs, ac
tually). Having used both, the latter is even sharper and more flare-resistant

I would try to find a used X. A. they had the advantage of a coupled rangefinder , which is a big advantage when shooting in low light at large appatures

 

[johnfalky]

For entertainment: I recently purchased a Minolta Autofocus "V" (complete with tinny little computer voice that warns you of the obvious). While tinkering with it in a dimly lit room I noticed that it has an extensive range of shutter speeds down to what appears to be several seconds. Anybody ever heard of this camera ??(it does not appear to be common) Got it complete in the original wrapper, instruction manual and Minolta Box...$5.00. Couldn't pass it up. The first roll of film is being developed. I was looking to buy an XA but it this unit works well, I will probably pass on the Olympus.