why I take my olympus xa everywhere I go

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  • Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
  • Today we talk about why my Olympus XA goes everywhere with me.
    The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/thephotodept04211
    This video was sponsored by Skillshare.
    Be sure to follow me on Instagram / christophermichaelsturm
    and / thephotodept
    Check out Hannah's ceramics at / hannahhodge.projects
    ________________________________________________________________
    00:00 welcome
    02:40 the camera
    04:20 the olympus xa is my sketchbook
    05:50 photo examples
    09:12 the flash
    09:55 motivation to create
    11:17 do you do the same?
    12:55 i love you, bye.
    ________________________________________________________________
    I get all my music from Epidemic Sound
    epidemicsound.com/music/featured/
    A Million Signs (Instrumental Version) - Vividry
    In My Locket - Tayler Watts
    ________________________________________________________________
    #olympusxa
    #35mmfilm
    #rangefinder
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Комментарии • 110

  • @ThePhotoDept
    @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад +1

    The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/thephotodept04211

  • @chrissstttiiine
    @chrissstttiiine 3 года назад +27

    man, I love that camera. it's so pocketable which means you're more likely to bring it with you and pull it out without feeling like you're intruding

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      You really need to get one.

    • @chrissstttiiine
      @chrissstttiiine 3 года назад +1

      @@ThePhotoDept I had it but I gave it to an ex LOL same as it ever was

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      Hahahaha worst idea.

  • @tonyrigby7948
    @tonyrigby7948 3 года назад +4

    XA2 was my 'combat camera' 1981-1987.
    The shutter delay function allowed me to take group photos of my mates in good places and bad places.
    I lost one, wore-out one, and bought my third in 2002 in Bangkok.

  • @BryceDearden
    @BryceDearden 3 года назад +3

    I am a fanny pack guy and the XA is a permanent fixture in mine. I have never thought of it as a sketchbook but I would say I use it in a similar way. Ideas and thinking about light but also, some of my most cherished memories. :)

  • @filmcicle
    @filmcicle 3 года назад +3

    I use my XA2 the same way! The total auto exposure makes taking a snapshot even easier and once you get the focusing zones figured out it's always spot on

  • @MrRuffun
    @MrRuffun 3 года назад +2

    Very happy to see the bicycle and glad that it's up and running :- )
    This has also inspired me to get out my red XA3 again. Such a fun system to take snaps on...

  • @jonkk
    @jonkk 3 года назад +2

    this yellow mic is an absolute vibe. Love your channel bro

  • @michaeldl49
    @michaeldl49 3 года назад +3

    I have the same Olympus XA camera with the A16 Flash that I got a couple of years ago, because the original one I had fell into the Ganges river over 30 years ago while traveling in India. I loved the photos I got and how tiny and fun it was to go out and take photos in kind of a stealth way. So, one day I saw this camera on eBay and had to buy it. And yeah it was less than 100 and in great condition. Thank you for featuring the XA. BTW I love coffee, bicycles and that poster (X-Files) haha.

  • @mardystube
    @mardystube 3 года назад +1

    I'm on the same situation with the Mju ii, so I use an Olympus Trip AF mini and I'm really grateful with it mostly because of the memories I've captured of my friends and my day-to-day life

  • @danieljung8046
    @danieljung8046 3 года назад +2

    JUST DO IT.
    "you have a camera in your pocket"
    love it

  • @mikaveloz4258
    @mikaveloz4258 3 года назад +1

    Love the video! I do the same thing with my Rollei 35, it goes everywhere with me. Not a perfect camera, but because it's always on me it's produced some of my favorite photos.

  • @LaLaLaLaLifeFabyu
    @LaLaLaLaLifeFabyu Год назад +1

    My dad got this camera with the flash attachment when he visited Japan in the 80s. Most of my baby pictures are made with this camera too!!

  • @brntgudn
    @brntgudn 3 года назад +1

    I love the Olympus P&S film cameras. I had an XA, Mju zoom 115 and now an Olympus stylus infinity camera. I didn't like how slow working with the XA was before and had misalignment issues with the rangefinder (a common issue). I like your idea on using it as a "sketchbook". I plan to do that this summer for location scouting. Use my phone + SLR for 35mm. Return to it later with my Mamiya RB67. With my new DSLR scanning set-up, knowing I can get good scans w 35mm really opens up things for me now.

  • @aucariseverywhere5360
    @aucariseverywhere5360 3 года назад +2

    Iced coffee, a bike, glasses, analog photography ... yes, i am on the hipster side of RUclips.
    Love my olympus XA! :)

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      Haha truly. I’m glad my crappy vision makes me hip

  • @Rielcool
    @Rielcool 3 года назад +1

    I love my XA for essentially the same reasons. It doesn’t give me an excuse not to create when I could easily just pass something by. I’ve heard about the softness you mention but the lens in mine has yet to disappoint, but I did get a full CLA done before I used mine. I’m more creative because I have it. Really the only downside is I shoot a lot with it, where most rolls took me ages to fill with my other cameras, somehow I can get through a roll on the XA in just one outing. RIP film stash!

  • @peterahn6832
    @peterahn6832 2 года назад +1

    For me olympus pen ee3 is my carry around camera. Being half frame it really do me good in not having to worry about film counts

  • @RichardStroffolino
    @RichardStroffolino 3 года назад +2

    I've started using a Canon Multi Tele the same way. Shooting it in half-frame mode makes it perfect for little "photo sketch" ideas (and also saving money on film lol).

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      oh sick. I wanna check one of those out.

  • @rolandorodriguez1132
    @rolandorodriguez1132 3 года назад +1

    Although I shifted into large and medium format, I still use my voigtlander bessa R for my snapshots and small trips!

  • @leodari915
    @leodari915 2 года назад

    Amazing! What film do you use for the photos in this video?

  • @thedondeluxe6941
    @thedondeluxe6941 3 года назад +1

    Same here! I use my XA and a digital Ricoh GR2 in the same way. But the Ricoh has some of the same problems as the mobile phone. It's just so easy and I end up with thousands of shots. Great camera though.

  • @kkam319
    @kkam319 3 года назад +1

    I used to own two XA at one point, as I fell for it because of the cult following and stayed with it as it proved it self as a very capable little sidekick.

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      I sold my last one and I don’t remember why.

  • @kevinpazmino6042
    @kevinpazmino6042 3 года назад +2

    I use it in a very similar way. I actually take it with me on long runs. I see so many photographable moments when I’m running. Funny that some of my most like photos on IG is from the XA and I shoot on a Leica M3 and don’t get nearly the love. Maybe I’m over thinking it with the Leica and the XA is more honest? Great video btw

  • @NPJensen
    @NPJensen 3 года назад +1

    Well yeah, I do have an XA and two A16 flashes for some reason (I mostly shoot outside in natural light). In fact, I just finished replacing the light seals on my XA today, and I'm getting a fresh load of film tomorrow, so it will be in my pocket from now on when ever I go anywhere.
    For me it's not a "notebook". I'll use it to take advantage of good light and subjects and occasions, that are happening in the moment, and won't be there, if I return another time with a high end camera.
    I do have a handful of AF point and shoot cameras (Pentax and Minolta), that I will also be testing at some point, but they are nothing like the XA.
    I was considering getting a Minox GL or GT, but simply never got around to it.

  • @ella-du1ub
    @ella-du1ub 2 года назад

    What should I set the apature distance and asa to for close pictures and for far pictures?

  • @SteveMorton
    @SteveMorton 3 года назад +3

    The old yellow two door car, is an old Austin/Morris 1100 or 1300 from the late 1960’s early 1970’s. I passed my driving test in one in 1976!!
    What film do you typically use in the XA? If 126 film was still readily available I would use my Kodak Instamatic 25 as a carry around film camera!!

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад +1

      I use a lot of Fuji Superia in mine. I always have a ton on hand.

  • @AbDaniel21
    @AbDaniel21 2 года назад +1

    i received my xa yesterday and suddelny it fell on concrete but survived somehow. i also have an xa2 wich serves me since 2019 and this series of camera is the best off all

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  2 года назад +1

      my gf has dropped all four xa’s we’ve had multiple times each. surprisingly resilient cameras’

    • @AbDaniel21
      @AbDaniel21 2 года назад +1

      @@ThePhotoDept yeah, i was also surprised, some minor scratches after it fell but really nothing drastic, do you have an instagramaccount?

  • @NotMyWiFi
    @NotMyWiFi 3 года назад +1

    Nothing panics me more than locking my bike in LA, lmao. Searching for my first film camera as I too have mannnnnny iPhone galleries that I never revisit after the initial snap. Looking to take my time and appreciate the moment. New sub and love the content!

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      i havent locked my bike anywhere just yet, I usually dont bike anywhere i need to leave it. im sure i will at some point though.

  • @anthonygibbs614
    @anthonygibbs614 Год назад +1

    I'm learning on a Olympus xa2 but I will get the camera that you're talking about the XA it uses the same flash how cool is that I think the A11 is good enough I like the pictures that you took

  • @GregoryVeizades
    @GregoryVeizades 3 года назад +1

    The camera that is with me all the time is my Yashica Electro 35 GT. Its almost perfect for what I want. Key among that being a damn good rangefinder patch. Mine is having some shutter/exposure issues. Need to track that down.
    Cons are weird metering display that i've grown to like, and a long... long shutter travel that can need a very firm press to get the shutter to fire. Don't know if that is just mind and I need to fix it or endemic to the camera.

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      i had one of those for a long time! cool camera, but I didnt love how cheap it felt.

  • @MegaSoundscapes
    @MegaSoundscapes Год назад +1

    I just got mine yesterday for a good price. Film is loaded. Will be interresting to see what I can get out of this little camera. the fact that it is so small is already exciting (a camera for any time, anywhere ). Having the peak design everyday sling 3L helped already a lot because it enables me to take a small SLR setup anywhere but the XA just takes it even a step further. Thankx for your video and thoughts about this little gem ! ....

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  Год назад

      awesome! i’m sure you’re gonna love it. that lens is wonderful.

  • @chriswilcockson8595
    @chriswilcockson8595 3 года назад +1

    And the XA is a rangefinder so you have total control about where you put the focal point of your image!

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад +1

      exactly! thats what attracted me to it in the first place

  • @MisterShimizu
    @MisterShimizu Год назад +1

    Would you believe I just found the XA and the XA2 at a local thrift store for $1 each… I’m so damn excited to get to using the XA.

  • @terrywbreedlove
    @terrywbreedlove 2 года назад +1

    Kind of thinking about this little camera as a film version of my phone camera. Something small and easy to shoot that will be easy to keep on me most times. Set focus to 3 meters F5.6 or F8 for big depth of field zone focusing point and shoot :)

  • @Fjalll
    @Fjalll 3 года назад +1

    The XA was my pocket go-to for years until I switched to the XA4. A wide zone focus camera with the same form factor. Until I find a Summaron 28mm for my Leica the XA4 will be the visual note book of choice.

  • @psychoanima
    @psychoanima 3 года назад +1

    I own this small beast and using it daily for street photography. Lens is a hit and miss with wide open aperture. I believe that the softness is caused by focus shift at closer distances. While trying to shoot wide open at 2+meters pictures are quite sharp.

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад +1

      I agree, it can be a little hit or miss. I think I’ve gotten used to the quirkiness and now 100% of my shots are great for the most part.

  • @itakepicswithalightcapture
    @itakepicswithalightcapture 3 года назад +1

    Quill stem and friction shifting babee! Love the bike! @bicyclelad approved 👍

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      hell yeah! come to LA and lets ride.

  • @nealdinkelman9551
    @nealdinkelman9551 Год назад

    Do you still have the link to the MKE film? I'm from there and would love to see it!

  • @tychomagneticanomaly
    @tychomagneticanomaly 3 года назад +1

    I always loved the XA, but just went the other direction, sizewise. I got into large format with a 150, 90 and 58 mm lenses and use the F2 and F3 as notebooks ;))

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      Haha nice. Wish I could take a large format camera with me everywhere.

    • @tychomagneticanomaly
      @tychomagneticanomaly 3 года назад +1

      @@ThePhotoDept Its great, you lug around 20 kilos of stuff and have the added fun of developing the sheet film in a Jobo CPP2 with a rotating Expert drum that needs reopening with a pump afterwords, while you fix your next coffee. Actually your thing! ;))

  • @alextat
    @alextat 3 года назад +1

    I've thought about grabbing an XA as it seems quite capable and fun to use. I nabbed the Mju II for $200 for the same purposes you grabbed your XA. $200 sucks, but surprisingly less than what it's currently going for. The "hype tax" for these cameras stings, but I'm in the same boat in that I won't shell out the hype tax for a T2 or something similar.

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      The hype tax is truly a bummer. I’m hoping eventually the fad passes and we can access good cameras for reasonable prices again. But who am I kidding...

  • @jezheywood9608
    @jezheywood9608 2 года назад +1

    I use a Lomo LCA+ for the exact same reason

  • @andrewnoden9117
    @andrewnoden9117 3 года назад +1

    Hi Chris, Andrew here in Ottawa Canada . I got to your site via a podcast by Analog Talk. Daniel Milner likes Bikes 🙂 he has a great show.
    Immediate fan of your show. Take care . Andrew

  • @tresnic09
    @tresnic09 3 года назад +2

    Great channel. Is your name a play on The Radio Dept?

  • @Nanijie
    @Nanijie 3 года назад +1

    When you shoot certain places do you write notes? Or do you just wing it

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      I carry a field notes notebook with me and write things down.

  • @brookswilson3588
    @brookswilson3588 2 года назад +1

    What type of film would you recommend for the vintage look?

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  2 года назад

      Hm, Kodak gold always has a nice warm vintage nostalgic look if shot in the sun

  • @DVisser14
    @DVisser14 3 года назад +1

    I use my Agfa Optima 1535 often for the same purpose 🤙

  • @donelljanvier9967
    @donelljanvier9967 3 года назад +1

    where can i get a pink "phot dept." shirt that I saw in grainyday's bay are video?

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад +1

      the-photo-dept.creator-spring.com/

  • @zguy95135
    @zguy95135 3 года назад +1

    The lens definitely does its best at f4 and above. Still its so freaking tiny you can forgive a little softness wide open.

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад +1

      honestly true. and with a little sharpening in post? wow. amazing lens.

  • @JohnKrill
    @JohnKrill 3 года назад +1

    Do you take written notes on where you took the photos with the Oly?

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад

      i do! i have a Field Notes notebook in my pocket usually.

  • @JohnKrill
    @JohnKrill 3 года назад +1

    eBikes! Have a RAD City. Love it.

  • @boblofblad8802
    @boblofblad8802 3 месяца назад

    Is that a Bedlington Terrier? Best dog!

  • @timzegstroo
    @timzegstroo 3 года назад +1

    I use an olympus mju 1 for the same thing. Just to always have a camera on me👍

  • @spyratekodaks7494
    @spyratekodaks7494 3 года назад +1

    Yeah I do this!! I just do it with my mju ii dlx!!

  • @TrevorHayes
    @TrevorHayes 3 года назад +1

    Possibly sacrilege to say on an analogue photography channel but I feel the same way about my GR3.

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад +1

      No way the GR3 is great. I don’t discriminate!

  • @aaronshapiroedc
    @aaronshapiroedc 3 года назад +1

    I like bike stuff fwiw!

  • @mp3remix171
    @mp3remix171 3 года назад +2

    My new rule is i cant watch an episode of tpd without sippin some coffee

  • @tallasianchick
    @tallasianchick 3 года назад +2

    Support

  • @melaninxhalide1165
    @melaninxhalide1165 3 года назад +1

    I have the XA2 and the Trip 35. I prefer the Trip 35 for the solid metal build, superior lens & rangefinder esthetics, but functionally the XA2 is the superior camera just cause Olympus made some really bad design choices when they made the Trip 35.
    1) ISO maxes out @ 400. WHYYYYYYYYY?
    2) Only 2 shutter speeds: 1/125 & 1/40.
    WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?
    3) Also, you can manually choose your aperture, but anytime you use the camera manually, you’re locked into the 1/40 shutter speed.
    WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?
    I get why everyone loves the XA/XA2, but the lens is mad soft & focusing on the XA2 is a crap shoot cause it’s zone focusing. Blah. The photographs I make on the Trip 35 are way better....lens is sharper than a Chef’s knife.....and it has a selenium meter which means no battery! I just can’t use it in low light like I can the XA2. It really depresses me when I think how bad Olympus screwed up the design of the Trip 35. It could’ve been my ultimate 35mm camera. 😢

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад +1

      So i thought the same, but recently Ive been adding some sharpening in post and, damn. the Olympus XA really pops now.

    • @HisBeverness
      @HisBeverness 3 года назад +1

      Re: your first point about the 400 max ISO - don't quote me on this but I'm guessing it's because 400 ISO films were about as fast as you could buy in the 1960s. Film technology has come a long way. Edit: a quick glimpse on Wikipedia seems to confirm this.

  • @jakeoliveira5086
    @jakeoliveira5086 3 года назад +1

    its funny to me because we pretty much run the same standard setups. Pentax 645n, usually with the 45mm. Carry an XA with me at all times. I have a few other cameras I use sometimes but, at this point, im 90% of the time using one of those two. @jko.pictures on instagram if you want to see any of it. keep up the good work, man.

  • @toulcaz31
    @toulcaz31 3 года назад +1

    I got the XA4 just before the prices increase. Cool cameras.

  • @Dahrenhorst
    @Dahrenhorst 2 года назад +1

    I'm no millionaire, so I can't afford an analog camera to be my daily sketchbook. I have an Olympus Tough TG-6 for that. Much more convenient, too. All other photography I'm doing is on film, though (or paper, I'm creating paper positives with my large format cameras).

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  2 года назад

      I am also not a millionaire, but I process film at home, avoid using the overpriced hype films, and budget for it. Costs less than my coffee habit all said and done.

    • @Dahrenhorst
      @Dahrenhorst 2 года назад

      @@ThePhotoDept Well, I rather spend that money on quality material for my medium and large format photography, when I easily can do everything I can do with a XA not only for free, but often also easier and better with my TG-6. Makro, for instance. Or switching between b&w and color. Or selecting between wide angle and tele. Or taking a picture under water. All that for free. If I'm looking for a good tool to document my life, I rather stick to the TG-6 and happily nod to my mju II and O-Product sitting on the shelf.

  • @dunkkid23
    @dunkkid23 3 года назад +1

    I care about bikes, keep talking about them!

  • @donots94
    @donots94 3 года назад +7

    everyone cares about bike stuff!

  • @nobraidps
    @nobraidps 3 года назад

    This camera is overhyped/overpriced because of people like you ranting about it on RUclips 🤣
    Ps. That goes for every piece of gear, ever.

    • @ThePhotoDept
      @ThePhotoDept  3 года назад +1

      They are overpriced because people with no understanding of the camera leverage it for profit rather than using it to take photos. Talking about a camera you like doesn’t make it more expensive. Also I have less than 10k subs, it’s def not me.