I find the XA to be more interesting in what its achievements were. Tiny rangefinder with a telephoto 35mm lens. The XA1’s 35mm f4 was shocking and I gave that to my kids to play with. It was truly a massive cheapening. The XA2 is perfect for bulk loaders, no DX coding. The 3 can shoot up to 1600 but has coding so you need to make sure you cover the DX on the cassette. XA4 is the one. Can be shot quick with kids. 28mm is great. Macro focusing is great too, the strap is adjustable to measure focus for 2 closest measurements 😊
Back in the day it was one of those cameras everybody recommended. I had one back in the early 90's, I remember shooting the Notting Hill Carnival with it using colour slide film. You are right about the metering, it exposed the shots fine with the slide film and the lens is stellar so long as you nail the focus. At £5 you scored a bargain, if you want one from a dealer, probably £100 or more these days!
I inherited an XA and an XA2 from my father. He loved them. Bought them as soon as they came out. I have been using the XA exclusively but after watching your video I will give the XA2 a go. Thank you!
Mine has been in a draw for years, got it out a few months ago with the intention of using it for some street photography, this video has inspired me to get a shift on!😀 Back in the day (forty years) I had poster size prints processed from the images taken with it! Digital is obviously easier, hope film prices will drop, so we can occasionally get back to using our old cameras.
I have 3 original XA cameras. As others mentioned, we photographers tend to prefer the XA due to its rangefinder (though dim) and wider aperture. Some of my favorite photos are taken with a XA. I wouldn't say the original XA is sharp wide open but it has a charming quality to it.
It's a pity they chose to cut corners with the lens and rangefinder on later versions, but I assume the original camera was a bit too expensive for its intended market.
@@zenography7923Not the XA1, that's s..t 😄 XA, I have 3 of them, can't get enough. Btw, it has a 6 element lens but some say the XA2 has better sharpness. Keep up the great work and thanks for the content!
Sold those back then. I did a test drive with the XA4, with the 28 mm lens, that was fun. I like them and they were an alternative to the Minox in our store.
I have an XA3, it's more or less the same camera but with DX coding. It's a great fun camera to use. I think the Lomo LCA (Zenith Compact) was probably inspired by this camera.
The XA3 is my good. You can override the DX with film speed setting, and the ISO goes to 1600. The XA series clamshells have advantages over the later MjuII, zone focus doesn't misdirect in snap situations. All that era of compact cameras can suffer from dirty shutter contacts and failure of flexible cabling.
Simple controls, can be easily operated with gloves -- used to take mine skiing! Note the "slow shutter" warning lamp in the viewfinder -- if it's on (exposure longer than 1/30th), brace camera or use flash. Greatest warning -- at end of roll, be careful to turn rewind knob clockwise ONLY to rewind the film. Turing anti-clockwise with too much force will break the rewind knob, rewind shaft, or shaft's collar.
I have an XA with the flash that came with it in a nice tight package. Awesome f2.8 lens and photo taking is a dream. Time to get it out of the closet. Extremely portable/pocketable and the case with the lens slide, chef's kiss!, no lens caps to lose!
They all have great lenses, I don’t differentiate much between my XA and XA2 because somehow they both work. The only thing is the sensitive shutter release so sometimes you take a photo you didn’t mean to.
I have had an XA2 since the mid 90s. I love it, a better lens than the XA, an accurate centre weighted metereing pattern speed of use. My XA2 is currently loaded with B&W yet I think it is better with colour film, I think colour is what it was designed for.
Thanks Nigel. Useful vlog as I have the Olympus AF10 on the way costing £20, which also has a 35mm f3.5 lens with autofocus. Thanks for the advice on using 400 film.
Great and fair review. This camera is sublime in my view, but zone focus for some might be a deal breaker., not for me though. The lens as you rightly highlight is really superb!
It reminds me a bit of the first camera that I bought in the navy, the Pentax pc35af. It was a bit more advanced and had a nice auto focus. But the body style was similar in that it had a cover that slid over the lens, and it had a built in pop up flash. A very nice little camera, most of my navy memories were taken with it. When it finally died in the late 80’s I almost looked for another one. But a friend gave me an old k-1000, and that was a turning point learning about manual exposure and interchangeable lenses….🙂📸👍
I had both XA and XA2. XA2 lens better but slower than XA, but XA more versatile maybe...both totally pocketable. Maitani the genius. The other great thing is that no-one takes you seriously when using it. When you close the camera it always to back to the mid distance setting.
This was my Xmas present when I was about 14 many many years ago! I think it was selling for about £70 then. It’s a superb camera with a cracking lens. Really well made and practical. A few years ago I also got the rangefinder XA and it’s also great but I found the rangefinder patch difficult to use. The XA-2 probably wins for me for simplicity. Many thanks for the video/.
I'm hanging out with my old pal Prince Albert and what shows up but a relaxing Zenography video. That makes for a pleasant Sunday afternoon. It's really hard to find out anything about this, but here is what I found: close-up (3-5.9 ft) medium distance (4 ft-infinity), and landscape (20.7 ft-infinity). One website claims that varies depending on film ASA. Another had the claim that you should use the landscape setting in low light. It's supposed to be a four element D Zuiko lens. You should probably take all of the info with a grain (or three) of salt. And I did look at the OEM manual and it was as clear as mud.
Awesome camera and such a nice pocket film camera. I just picked up mint Neoca K-35. Seems I been picking up zone focus cameras lately, I just shot with a Kodak Retina S1 and had a great experience with great results. The learning curve slows down the process, but worth it. Thanks for sharing!
Bit of audio issue after the bus and no problems with focusing etc, replayed it as i thought there was something scratching! Weirs but its there and that was on a iPad 13” M4, i have several of these and they are also quite easy to repair, the shutter button sometimes gets stuck and also that front clam is a ball bearing that slots in a groove.
As a PhotoJournalist (with a full Kit of (2) Nikon F n 24mm n 105mm n 300mm lenses) in the 70's-early 2000 ,,, I used the Olympus XA (THE BEST EDC Camera of the time !!!) With Tri-X 400asa !!! The camera was Easy to focus it is a FF 35mm !!!! It slipped easily into My tight jeans !!!! Amazingly sharp f2.8 !!! Still have it... :) :) Great for the Crazy partys (unless You lived in Cali. n Phx. in those times, You can only imagine the wildness of them !!!!!!! Fast Cars n MotorCycles, NiteLife, Sex, Drugs, n RocknRoll & Cameras) !!!! ;) ;) ;) Long Live NIKON :) :) :)
![Lil Uzi Vert - Chill Bae [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D7F42F_JM3U/mqdefault.jpg)
I had one back in the day, took it everywhere. Very sharp, always got a full 36 prints back with no naughty stickers.
Yep. Me too. My parents bought me one when I went interrailing back in the early 80s. It was perfect. I now have an XA and an XA2.
I find the XA to be more interesting in what its achievements were. Tiny rangefinder with a telephoto 35mm lens.
The XA1’s 35mm f4 was shocking and I gave that to my kids to play with. It was truly a massive cheapening. The XA2 is perfect for bulk loaders, no DX coding. The 3 can shoot up to 1600 but has coding so you need to make sure you cover the DX on the cassette. XA4 is the one. Can be shot quick with kids. 28mm is great. Macro focusing is great too, the strap is adjustable to measure focus for 2 closest measurements 😊
Back in the day it was one of those cameras everybody recommended. I had one back in the early 90's, I remember shooting the Notting Hill Carnival with it using colour slide film. You are right about the metering, it exposed the shots fine with the slide film and the lens is stellar so long as you nail the focus. At £5 you scored a bargain, if you want one from a dealer, probably £100 or more these days!
I inherited an XA and an XA2 from my father. He loved them. Bought them as soon as they came out. I have been using the XA exclusively but after watching your video I will give the XA2 a go. Thank you!
The XA1 is actually a more basic fixed focus model. The XA is the premium rangefinder / aperture priority job.
I've had the whole XA range over the years, and I rate them very highly indeed - mostly because of the superb lenses.
Whats your favorite iteration?
@@trels203 I think the XA itself, but I also really liked the XA4 with its 28mm lens.
Yoshihisa Maitani was a genius.
Mine has been in a draw for years, got it out a few months ago with the intention of using it for some street photography, this video has inspired me to get a shift on!😀 Back in the day (forty years) I had poster size prints processed from the images taken with it! Digital is obviously easier, hope film prices will drop, so we can occasionally get back to using our old cameras.
I'm not sure film prices will drop anytime soon, unfortunately!
I have 3 original XA cameras. As others mentioned, we photographers tend to prefer the XA due to its rangefinder (though dim) and wider aperture. Some of my favorite photos are taken with a XA. I wouldn't say the original XA is sharp wide open but it has a charming quality to it.
I find the first version XA is preferable because that is a true rangefinder - and the lens is 2.8 if you want that.
It's a pity they chose to cut corners with the lens and rangefinder on later versions, but I assume the original camera was a bit too expensive for its intended market.
I'd like to try an xa1, I'm sure I'll find one someday.
@@zenography7923the XA is much more involving and as ulrik notes is a true rangefinder.
@@zenography7923 I think you want to try an XA (not the same as XA1, see Wikipedia). I had one in the 1970's.
@@zenography7923Not the XA1, that's s..t 😄 XA, I have 3 of them, can't get enough. Btw, it has a 6 element lens but some say the XA2 has better sharpness. Keep up the great work and thanks for the content!
Sold those back then. I did a test drive with the XA4, with the 28 mm lens, that was fun. I like them and they were an alternative to the Minox in our store.
I have an XA3, it's more or less the same camera but with DX coding. It's a great fun camera to use.
I think the Lomo LCA (Zenith Compact) was probably inspired by this camera.
The XA3 is my good. You can override the DX with film speed setting, and the ISO goes to 1600. The XA series clamshells have advantages over the later MjuII, zone focus doesn't misdirect in snap situations. All that era of compact cameras can suffer from dirty shutter contacts and failure of flexible cabling.
After watching the first 16 seconds or so, the answer is YES. That reminds me that I must take mine in for repair
Simple controls, can be easily operated with gloves -- used to take mine skiing!
Note the "slow shutter" warning lamp in the viewfinder -- if it's on (exposure longer than 1/30th), brace camera or use flash.
Greatest warning -- at end of roll, be careful to turn rewind knob clockwise ONLY to rewind the film. Turing anti-clockwise with too much force will break the rewind knob, rewind shaft, or shaft's collar.
ASTONISHING
427
I have an XA with the flash that came with it in a nice tight package. Awesome f2.8 lens and photo taking is a dream. Time to get it out of the closet. Extremely portable/pocketable and the case with the lens slide, chef's kiss!, no lens caps to lose!
😊 I have it.... They XA1 goes for a lot... XA2 less expensive... Still have to try it out... Should be good for street photography...
They all have great lenses, I don’t differentiate much between my XA and XA2 because somehow they both work. The only thing is the sensitive shutter release so sometimes you take a photo you didn’t mean to.
I have had an XA2 since the mid 90s. I love it, a better lens than the XA, an accurate centre weighted metereing pattern speed of use. My XA2 is currently loaded with B&W yet I think it is better with colour film, I think colour is what it was designed for.
Thanks Nigel. Useful vlog as I have the Olympus AF10 on the way costing £20, which also has a 35mm f3.5 lens with autofocus. Thanks for the advice on using 400 film.
Great and fair review. This camera is sublime in my view, but zone focus for some might be a deal breaker., not for me though. The lens as you rightly highlight is really superb!
Nice little camera- ideal for street shooting and more reliable than the XA which can be rather fragile. £5 - bargain of the year ! 😎👍
I like small things. Is have the Xa4 with the 28mm. My preferred focal length and easy to focus. I do use 400 ISO film most of the time.😊
It reminds me a bit of the first camera that I bought in the navy, the Pentax pc35af. It was a bit more advanced and had a nice auto focus. But the body style was similar in that it had a cover that slid over the lens, and it had a built in pop up flash. A very nice little camera, most of my navy memories were taken with it.
When it finally died in the late 80’s I almost looked for another one. But a friend gave me an old k-1000, and that was a turning point learning about manual exposure and interchangeable lenses….🙂📸👍
The XA2 was a pretty good place to start I guess!
@@zenography7923 oh yes, having one that small was something that made it easy to carry, and that meant you had it more often when you needed it….😊📸👍
I had both XA and XA2. XA2 lens better but slower than XA, but XA more versatile maybe...both totally pocketable. Maitani the genius. The other great thing is that no-one takes you seriously when using it. When you close the camera it always to back to the mid distance setting.
This was my Xmas present when I was about 14 many many years ago! I think it was selling for about £70 then. It’s a superb camera with a cracking lens. Really well made and practical. A few years ago I also got the rangefinder XA and it’s also great but I found the rangefinder patch difficult to use. The XA-2 probably wins for me for simplicity. Many thanks for the video/.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have xa, xa2 and the 3. Not used them for a while but can you recommend which battery to use? Good review as always.
Sr44 is a good one to use and lasts longest
I'm hanging out with my old pal Prince Albert and what shows up but a relaxing Zenography video. That makes for a pleasant Sunday afternoon.
It's really hard to find out anything about this, but here is what I found:
close-up (3-5.9 ft)
medium distance (4 ft-infinity), and
landscape (20.7 ft-infinity).
One website claims that varies depending on film ASA.
Another had the claim that you should use the landscape setting in low light.
It's supposed to be a four element D Zuiko lens.
You should probably take all of the info with a grain (or three) of salt.
And I did look at the OEM manual and it was as clear as mud.
Thanks for the info, rather clearer than the manual!
Awesome camera and such a nice pocket film camera. I just picked up mint Neoca K-35. Seems I been picking up zone focus cameras lately, I just shot with a Kodak Retina S1 and had a great experience with great results. The learning curve slows down the process, but worth it. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for looking in.
I have a Fed 50. It has both zone and scale focussing with the advantage of the four zones showing in the viewfinder.
The earlier XA version has surprisingly good focus mechanism and an f2.8 variant. It takes good shots and is otherwise much the same
I was given one a few weeks ago. I really like it so far. I'm still searching for a flash that works.
A very nice little machine!
Bit of audio issue after the bus and no problems with focusing etc, replayed it as i thought there was something scratching! Weirs but its there and that was on a iPad 13” M4, i have several of these and they are also quite easy to repair, the shutter button sometimes gets stuck and also that front clam is a ball bearing that slots in a groove.
I've got XA and it's a really nice camera, but film is too expensive.
Would buy it if they came out with a digital version.
It had good reviews in the day
Digital version please Olmpus OM systems … same lens …. was SO SHARP
That would be nice for sure!
What film did you use? Foma again?
Yes foma, but I'm finding it a bit too contrasty I think. I'll try another one next time.
@@zenography7923 Kentmere maybe? It's Ilford's budget brand and I think about the same price as Foma, possibly even a bit cheaper.
Ah ha. Mountain mode... Shame Cosina CX2's are so expensive for a comparison.
As a PhotoJournalist (with a full Kit of (2) Nikon F n 24mm n 105mm n 300mm lenses) in the 70's-early 2000 ,,, I used the Olympus XA (THE BEST EDC Camera of the time !!!) With Tri-X 400asa !!! The camera was Easy to focus it is a FF 35mm !!!! It slipped easily into My tight jeans !!!! Amazingly sharp f2.8 !!! Still have it... :) :) Great for the Crazy partys (unless You lived in Cali. n Phx. in those times, You can only imagine the wildness of them !!!!!!! Fast Cars n MotorCycles, NiteLife, Sex, Drugs, n RocknRoll & Cameras) !!!! ;) ;) ;) Long Live NIKON :) :) :)
Sounds like a wild time!
@@zenography7923 YES SIR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amazing camera but the shutter button is awful. Could be a great camera with some better design.
I owned an XA-2 in the 1980's including the flash and was not impressed at all.
I seem to remember mine having f stops , not symbols ?
You probably had an XA rather than the XA2 he is showing.
@@druszaj Ah ! Right, thanks. It was a long time ago.
They have quite a cult following.
I can see why
I would only want the original XA rangefinder but they are now so over priced. 🙄🤷♂️👍📸
True, but worth it if you want one I guess!