Olympus XA - Review with samples

[@DeeRosa]

best example of this camera i think i've ever seen and its because you're a great photog!

[@CARLOSGUTIERREZ65]

Great video! Thank you for providing this review. It's so refreshing to see well composed images in a review. Great job!

[@danieldijo]

Thanks

[@intuitiveshutter7271]

Thanks it means a lot :)

[@avistop1]

Thank you. I Love this camera.

[@danieldijo]

Great video congrats on finding this camera

[@rabiakarbuz7583]

Love the outcome 👌🏽

[@intuitiveshutter7271]

Thanks a lot ! :)

[@phedacbiet]

Great review and great shots! I love mine, but prices are slowly climbing.

[@danieldijo]

It is great but other less capable cameras are priced higher

[@intuitiveshutter7271]

Yeah it's really getting pricey ! Glad we got it at the right time :)

[@atroche1978]

I have this same camera. It's a great little camera.

[@intuitiveshutter7271]

Such an amazing result for how small this camera is :)

[@andreasmalm2336]

Great video! How did you manage to take those beautiful night photos? Where they handholds or did you use some support? Because when I try to use the xa at night everything gets very blurry...

[@Buraion]

You need a tripod

[@intuitiveshutter7271]

With a tripod, the funny thing is with that camera the auto is amazing so you can put it on auto and kind of trust it for the exposure even at night :)

[@theundefinedphotographer]

Great shots and great overview. I've been considering this camera as a (slightly) less expensive alternative to the mju

[@intuitiveshutter7271]

Thanks a lot ! Definitely a great alternative ! You won't regret getting it :)

[@TheAdrheanne]

what film roll did you use?

[@randallstewart175]

An extremely convenient camera to use for snapshots on a trip or the like. However, her hyping omits its various compromises which may make it not so useful for many. There is no user control over the exposure. You can only select a lens aperture; the camera meter set the matching shutter speed. The view finder is "squinty" and that's being polite. The rangefinder focusing is so dim and small that it's there more to advertise the feature than to focus an image. The camera was designed for snapshots. The lens is not sharp by any normal measure. It's far more like a disposable camera than a Leica, notwithstanding the hype. It's reasonably sharp for modest enlargement in the center of the image, particularly if the lens aperture of shut down some. The edges and corners are not sharp, and adjusting the aperture isn't going to fix that. the image brightness in the edges and corners is much reduced; this is called vignetting, and is not a positive feature.In summary, practically every small pocket camera of the same era has much better imaging (lens). Why? Olympus did not want the camera lens to have to pop out and retract into the body when opened and closed. So, they designed a lens which sits very close to the film and does not need to stick out of the body. The price is terrible imaging performance outside the center of the frame. Finally, for such a small and inexpensive consumer camera, the XA has for its day a lot of internal electronisc, on which is is fully dependent. Over the interim years, that has proven to be unreliable, and the idea of repair is laughable. This camera sold used for about $50-75 up to its termination, then it became a "collectible", and prices jumped up to $200-300 for a time. Then the market dropped back to $50, leaving huge losses for dealers and collectors. Over the last 5 - 10 years, the Internet hype of the XA has started the trend all over again, prices now hitting $150+. If you want to try one and can get it fully working for $50 or less, have at it. Otherwise, this is a camera you want to avoid. Alternative: A nice little Rollei 35 model, particularly the 35SE Smaller, heavier, and packing a lens which will run a Leica into the ground, but no automation, no rangefinder and slow to use.

[@Luckywrench]

it can be tricky to use... Squinty really is a great term for it. I have yet to really figure out how to intentionally view the meter in the viewfinder... I do love how sharp the little lens can be

[@m.m.neubauer7734]

Because of the sensitive shutter button I sold the camera. Too many bad shots and too many blur shots. I was not happy. But I have enough other cameras to choose from 😜

[@intuitiveshutter7271]

Yeah it can be annoying although it's such a great camera :)

[@geraldward9765]

better music please.

[@danieldijo]

make better music and send it to us