Access port grip. RailView Software Manual. OmniScan X3 User's Manual. MiniMite Scanner User's Manual. Vanta Change Notice. OmniScan iX User Manual. FocusData User's Manual. FocusControl User's Manual. Focus PC: User Manual. MS User Manual. BondMaster User Manual. Wing Scanner User's Manual. Advanced Calculator Software Version 2. TomoView Software Version 2. Important Notice: MXE 3. The users manual for the XA2 warns against setting the camera to the landscape mountain focus setting as objects will be outside of the usable range of the flash.
For properly illuminated flash photography, you need to keep the camera at the close focus or the middle focus settings. Loading film into the camera requires the front clam shell to be shut in order to pull up on the rewind knob which doubles as the door release. Otherwise, what you are presented with is a rather ordinary film compartment. A new cassette goes on the left and you thread the leader into one of the multiple slits in the take up spool.
The very short path for the leader to travel across the film gate and onto the takeup spool means that you waste less film at the beginning and end of a roll allowing you to get an extra exposure or two on a roll of film.
The viewfinder for the XA2 is typical for the point and shoot segment of the late s and early 80s, which is to say that its still usable with prescription glasses, but not as big as a typical SLR viewfinder would have been around that same time.
When the original XA was designed, Maitani Yoshihisa designed a very sensitive shutter release that required very little pressure to activate. The thought behind this was that he could minimize camera shake by eliminating a long travel of the shutter release button. In theory, this accomplishes that task as the shutter release is very easy to fire, but it also has the side effect of increasing the chances of unintentional exposures, a complaint that many reviews of these cameras have pointed out.
This sensitive shutter release would be carried over to the rest of the series, including the XA2. As a result, it is highly advisable to close the dust cap, covering the lens and thus disabling the shutter when the camera is not in use.
Shooting the XA2 is a mostly forgettable experience, but that was kind of the point. I am no stranger to point and shoot cameras from the s and 80s, but most of these also included auto focus, something the entire XA series lacks.
It is very easy to put this thing to your eye and forget to focus it. Some of the illustrations are hilariously bad, such as the warnings on page 17 which suggest if the camera gets wet, a frowny face angel may come visit you, or if lighting bolts shoot out of the side of the camera, you may experience more lightning bolts if you also have a cast on your leg.
The strong preference for illustrations was probably a good idea for the target customer that the XA2 was likely sold to, but trying to glean some technical information, especially about the exposure or focusing systems is incredibly difficult. This is great because if you forget to change the focus setting after opening the camera, this is the default setting and one that should get anything you need in focus in ideal lighting. The table below offers what I believe are the depth of field ranges of the camera in all 3 zones, and in 3 different lighting situations indoors, cloudy, and sunny based on the following assumptions:.
In order for a 35mm lens to have a 3. I think therein lies the greatest asset of the XA2 making it one of the most unique cameras ever made. It is an incredibly small and compact full frame 35mm camera that has an excellent lens and metering system allowing you to get near SLR-like images.
The simplicity of the zone focus method makes it more predictable than any auto focus system could ever be, and faster than any rangefinder.
You could fire off 3 shots using zone focus in the time it takes the average person to stare at a rangefinder patch, trying to find a suitable vertical line to determine the exact correct focus distance and then take one shot. Overall, the Olympus XA2 is an outstanding camera whose best benefits only reveal themselves after using it. I will admit to being skeptical the first time I picked one up. It can sometimes be hard to review a camera that is as well documented as the XA2. Yes its portable, yes the lens is sharp, yes the metering system works well, and yes the zone focusing system is fast and easy to use.
In my time shooting the XA2, I never once thought that had I had a rangefinder, I could focus easier. In fact, the three focus zones and huge depth of field meant that I rarely had to think about focusing at all. The XA is a great camera for sure. The XA2 represented a hell of a value not only when it was first introduced, but today as well.
Great review. The XA is an incredibly good camera, packed with features that would usually be found on much more expensive — and much bigger cameras. In bright but overcast weather, the XA paired with Fomapan was perfect; punchy pics with hard, contrasty blacks.
The XA should be that camera. Thanks to Stephen Dowling for sharing this article with us. All the pictures are his and cannot be reproduced without his permission. Camera hunter, photographer, camera geek, Tokyoite and Englishman all rolled into one gracefully balding package. I have been living and working in Tokyo for 14 years now and it is my home. Tokyo is heaven for cameras and I know the secret spots and special places.
Let me be your 'camera enabler'. What a hoot! I still have one or two of these ancient analogue workhorses. One I believe still on the box. Strobe and all. But they were pretty fun. Olympus XA4 was not a real macro camera.
It sported an excellent Zuiko 28mm f. When closing, its camshell cover set the lens at 3m. You could set the distance without looking at scale, just by counting the clicks, inf, 3m, 1,5m, 1m, 0. A truly design ikon thought for the photographer. Nice article. Like all good designs it has a timeless quality — it just works really well. The lens is not at all shabby, either, even today. With the first XA that I bought, I found that the lower clam-shell runner had split and come away from the body.
I suspect that this might be a common problem to check for.
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