Guess who's back? Okay, so it's not Wednesday. I'm sorry... but my state of upheaval seems to be finally downheaving itself. So, I bring you this delayed post about a great find: the Olympus XA. I bought this guy at Shipwreck Days in Anacortes, WA.
This camera came out in 1979 and is a favourite of many... but why, you ask? The main thing is the handiness. That flash bit on the camera's right side is detachable and often it's better to remove it altogether, especially since it's only made to work for ISO 100 and 400 films. So, when that piece is removed, you can see that the camera itself is really quite small... and it's light! It's the kind of thing you can just keep in your pocket when you're out with your family or on vacation and it won't weigh you down.
The other great thing is that it consistently takes decent photos. Its lens is a pretty sharp 1:2.8 35mm, which apparently uses "magic" to focus internally (to paraphrase Ken Rockwell). In other words... the lens doesn't retract or extend when you focus or open the camera. This means once you open the camera, it's good to go! So simple... I love it.
Here are the basics: the XA is quasi-automatic, choosing its own shutter speed according to the ISO and f-stop you select, kind of like the Nikon EM. It is a rangefinder, although I found it quite hard to see the guides through the viewfinder. And, of course, it has that flash component as well as the awesome clamshell cover.
Although it is a delightful specimen, the XA does have a couple of shortcomings... The film advance is really, really picky, and you have to load it just right for the film to catch properly. I've also heard of older models getting weird and increasing the distance between shots so you end up with fewer photos on your roll than you should. Also, the little shutter release, while charming, is incredibly sensitive. I often end up snapping the picture before I've totally prepared myself. This can be annoying if you're trying to get your horizon level, or whatever.
That being said, I don't regret picking up this doodad. The following shots are pretty neat and are enough to make me love this camera forever. These were taken on Velvia 50 in Edmonton. I really like the lens flare in the third one, which was taken at the Muttart Conservatory.
Cheers,
Caity
Caity,
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty fond of my Olympus XAs and my Olympus XA2. I think I prefer the XA2 the best.
I don't have any posts of them at http://whatisafilmcamera.com/ but I will one day.
You're absolutely right, the shutter on the Olympus XA is quite quirky. The red button either works too easily or very badly. Sometimes I've used a pen to press the red shutter button because it doesn't respond to my finger's pressure.
But the photos are wonderful.
By the way, my wife and I visited your lovely Vancouver on our 10th wedding anniversary, over 15 years ago.