I’ve never read a negative review of Olympus’s XA2, a remarkably compact 35mm camera. Everybody seems to like it. eBay bears it out: prices hover around $100 for working and complete examples. I am fortunate, as this one came to me for free from the collection of an old friend’s father.

Olympus XA2

The tiny XA2, introduced in 1980, was based on the 1979 XA but replaced its rangefinder with zone focusing and its f/2.8 lens with an f/3.5 lens. And when I say this camera is tiny, I mean tiny — it’s only fractionally larger than my Canon S95 or my wife’s Sony RX100, both compact digital point-and-shoot cameras that don’t have to hold a 35mm film cartridge.

Olympus XA2

I loaded a roll of Ultrafine Xtreme 100 black-and-white film, pulled a battery out of another camera I’d just finished using, slipped this XA2 into my coat pocket, and took it everywhere for a couple weeks. And then, as I explained in this post, I got black shadows, blown-out highlights, poor sharpness, and lack of detail. Here’s a shot from inside a nature park near my home, heavily Photoshopped to make it usable.

Starkey Park, Zionsville

I know better than to test a new-to-me old camera with an old battery and film I don’t know well yet, and then to send the film to a lab I’m still getting to know. So I declared the first test roll null and void, and loaded a fresh battery and tried-and-true Agfa Vista 200 into the camera. I had the camera shop downtown process and scan the film. Glory be, I got good stuff back from the XA2 this time.

Indianapolis Artsgarden

The little green light inside the viewfinder came on a lot, meaning that the XA2 needed a slow shutter speed to get a good exposure and that you should consider using flash or a tripod. Bollocks, I said each time. Every day but one I shot this camera I enjoyed full sun. I should have been getting plenty fast shutter speeds.

Co-op

I can’t tell what is making that green light come on so often. The XA2 doesn’t tell you what aperture and shutter speed it’s choosing based on the meter’s reading, so I don’t know how I would check this meter’s functioning against a known-good meter. But these results speak for themselves: it didn’t matter.

Suburban autumn

Autumn came late in central Indiana this year. It served to deepen the eventual colors, but to shorten their life span. It seemed like all the trees changed color and dumped all their leaves inside two weeks. I was fortunate to be able to take several good walks with the XA2 in my coat pocket during those days. That’s the XA2’s killer feature, by the way: you can carry it everywhere so easily.

Red

These full-sun photos were all noticeably vignetted, so much so that in the centers, light colors tended toward white. I was able to fix that pretty well in Photoshop. I had the same effect with an XA2 I used to own, so I assume this is endemic to the camera.

Yellow tree on Old 334

I experienced the common (and minor) challenges with the XA2 as I used it: the clamshell cover hangs up unless you slide it open in exactly the right direction, and the shutter button is super sensitive and likely to fire when you don’t mean it. If this were my only camera I’d get past those quirks after three or four more rolls.

Wrecks

I finished the roll before meeting a friend for lunch Downtown on a gray, chilly day. That green slow-shutter light was on for every shot, but as you can see the camera did fine.

Maryland St.

When you close the XA2 it moves the focus to the middle zone, which brings into focus everything 4 feet or more away. Because the camera biases toward big depth of field, for most subjects you can just open the camera, frame, and press the button. For truly far-away subjects you can use the landscape setting, and for close subjects (no closer than three feet, though) you can use the portrait setting. I did that here, and in this light got a narrow-enough in-focus patch that the background blurred a little.

Blue umbrella

To see more from both XA2s I’ve owned, check out my Olympus XA2 gallery.

Many film photographers say they prefer the XA2 to the XA. I’m not in that camp. I like the XA’s rangefinder and I prefer the characteristics of its lens. That said, the XA2 is almost point-and-shoot simple with plenty great optics. If I shot people on the street, this would be a great camera for it: open it, frame, snap, done.

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Comments

15 responses to “Another Olympus XA2”

  1. mike connealy Avatar

    It does seem somewhat hard to find an XA or XA2 in perfect working condition. My XA has a rather low contrast rangefinder spot and the XA2 underexposes in bright light. The cameras are usable, but the small problems negates the convenient size. I’m hopeful of finding examples in better condition as they really are marvelous little cameras when working well.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I got lucky with my XA, which I bought on eBay. It works perfectly. My first XA2 did, too. I don’t remember what I did with it. I probably gave it to somebody. This second XA2 isn’t flawless in operation as I described, but these photos belie any problems.

  2. tbm3fan Avatar
    tbm3fan

    A $100 for such a camera? I personally can’t see it but then everything has seemingly gone way off the rails over at eBay. Actually this camera is much like the Canon previously. Once a groundswell develops these can quickly skyrocket as everyone jumps on the bandwagon like a hip new restaurant to check out. A very far cry from back in 2000 when I got my working F2 off eBay for $75. Luckily I no longer need to be in the market plus I only give out name, rank and serial number.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Right now that groundswell is around point-and-shoot cameras with good lenses. You can’t touch them for three times what they’re actually worth.

      1. TBM3FAN Avatar
        TBM3FAN

        Fortunately the one I do have seems to fly under the radar most of the time and it is by a another well known maker. Just not as sleek looking but excellent lens.

  3. Doug Anderson Avatar

    I’ve long admired the XA and XA2. If I were ever to abandon my no batteries stance they would be near the top of my list. I find I take more pictures with a pocketable camera than with the bigger ones that make me tote a camera bag.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Oh yes, little cameras like these can go anywhere with you easily. That plus their good lenses equals great photo fun in an easy to carry package.

  4. jon campo Avatar
    jon campo

    Nice pictures Jim. I have several of each model, none fully working. The funny thing about Ebay right now is that cameras like this are going for big money, but two weeks ago I bough a one owner Canon F1n in nearly perfect condition for a c note, not including shipping. Go figure.

  5. Alan D Avatar
    Alan D

    I’ve had a mixed bag with XA2 camera. I’ve owned about 3-4 in the last 5-7 years. The first one worked fine but then the focus switch jammed. The next one just wasn’t the same, seemed lack luster and photos now where as good. Realised the shutter was firing slowly when I picked up another. I luckily paid only £5-15 for my ones but the price has shot up here in the UK in last couple of years

    Ironically I got my XA at car boot sale for just a few quid. Looked a bit grubby and battered but works perfectly !

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      You got good bargains on your XA2s, fully working or not!

  6. Joe shoots resurrected cameras Avatar

    Great pics there, and wonderful colors! I definitely want an XA at some point :)

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I really enjoy mine. Here’s hoping you can find one at a not-exorbitant price.

      1. Joe shoots resurrected cameras Avatar

        That is the trouble…

  7. […] For the uninitiated: The Olympus XA2 is a 35mm compact camera produced by Olympus in Japan from 1980 through to about 1986 or so. This small camera was designed by Maitani Yoshihisa. It was the second of the XA line which introduced “clamshell” style cameras to the world, as a sliding cover served as the camera’s case and protected the D.Zuiko four-element 35mm f/3.5 lens. The XA2 featured automatic exposure, zone focusing, and manual film advance and rewind, the end of the era for those things (well, except auto-exposure) in a “premium” camera. For more technical details and reviews, see posts by Mike Eckman, Matt’s Classic Cameras, and Jim Grey. […]

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