From: scleary@oak.math.ucla.edu (Sean Cleary)
Newsgroups: rec.photo
Subject: Re: Olympus XA ( was Re: Contax T2 )
Date: 23 Jul 92 18:29:04 GMT
Organization: UCLA Mathematics Department

Stephen Walker (SPW103@psuvm.psu.edu) writes:
>Before everybody jumps on the flame war, just remember that there were many
>different models of the Olympus XA made.  I personally don't know much of
>anything about the line, but I do know that some of the models are considered
>to be top-notch, with really nice lens quality.  These models fetch several
>hundred dollars on the used market, i believe.  The other models were
>are considered to be of mediocre quality.  So, I imagine both the person who
>thought the lens quality was good, and the person who thought it wasn't so good
>were both right.
>

Once again, questions arise about the Olympus line of "clamshell" XA cameras.
I have figured this much out from the net, Shutterbug ads, old Consumer
Reports issues and from first-hand experience:

There are 5 models, XA, XA-1, XA-2, XA-3, and XA-4.  They are all tiny, all
have a very soft shutter release, and all have the same sliding clamshell
lens-protector.  They all are manual film advance (multi- stroke thumbwheel)
and (normal pop-up lever) manual rewind.  They all have some kind of
auto-exposure.  They all have the property that they are battery-dependent;
battery dies, the camera cannot take a picture at all.  That's kind of a
pain in cold weather.  There are two small flash attachments for them, the
A11 and more powerful (hard to find, though) A-16.  The flashes are pretty
small and will screw into the side of any of the models.  But there are some
big differences:

XA   The original and the best.  This is the one I decided to get.  It
     uses a rangefinder to focus.  Thus, it's got a continuous range of
     focus and is very sharp.  It's a fast, sharp lens, a six- element
     35mm 2.8.  Top shutter speed, 1/500th.  It has aperture-priority
     auto- exposure and the ASA (25-800) is set by hand so you can
     'correct' (albeit inconveniently) for shots that its autoexposure
     would have a hard time with.  You pick the aperture and it shows
     the shutter speed it picks in the viewfinder.  It hasn't been made
     in at least eight years and they have appreciated in price as
     people have realized how wonderful they are.

XA-1 A much cheaper camera than the XA; it does not have a rangefinder to
     focus; instead just has a fixed focus lens.  That is, the focus is
     permanently fixed at 12 feet or so. Program exposure only.  Much slower
     lens, f/4.  Basically, a cheap imitation, trying to take advantage of
     the the XA's success.  No self-timer, either.

XA-2 Much better than the XA-1 but still no rangefinder.  Has program
     exposure, f/3.5 lens, and a scale focus with 3 zones.  The focus zones
     are something like 1 person, a group of people, and landscape. Fast top
     shutter speed, 1/750th, but other than that more or less inferior to
     XA.  A friend of mine has one and has been very happy with it.

XA-3 Better than the XA-2.  Again, f/3.5 aperture, 1/750th, 3 zone
     scale focus...  Has DX coding to read ASA; I'm not sure if this
     can be over-ridden.

XA-4 The most recent model, though production seems to have stopped a
     few years ago.  Has program exposure, a 3.5 28mm lens, scale focus
     with 7 zones.  With the wider angle lens (28mm vs 35mm for the
     other XA's), depth of field is better and scale focus is beginning
     to make sense, esp. with 7 instead of 3 zones.

Prices, roughly:
                      XA   XA-1   XA-2   XA-3   XA-4 
New prices in 1983:  $145   $75   $105
"New" prices now  :                      $110   $200


Used prices mint  :  $180   $90   $110    
              exc :  $140   $70    $80    $90

Sean Cleary         3915e Math Sci;UCLA Dept Math; 405 Hilgard Ave LA CA 90024
scleary@math.ucla.edu   UUCP: !{ucsd,ames,rutgers,uunet}!math.ucla.edu!scleary