I took a trip back to Algeria to see my grandfather. Packed my faithful Olympus XA. I needed a camera I could easily hide for some street shots.
Wikipedia moment: Algeria, the biggest country in Africa. Mostly Muslim population. They went through a hellish civil war in the 90s, fighting off terrorism. Since then, it’s been a slow recovery. A lot of the youth are disillusioned, some desperate enough to risk crossing the Mediterranean for a shot at Europe.
These shots are from Oran, my birthplace on the western edge of Algeria. It’s damn cool to shoot street photos in the old streets of the city. People interact, hug each other like long-lost friends. It’s a world apart from my daily grind in Paris. Oran’s like a big village where everyone seems to know each other. Mdin’jdida is the heart of the city, the place where euros turn into dinars, where the latest knock-off sneakers are sold, where fruits and veggies are bartered.
With an Olympus XA in hand, it’s easy to shoot without aiming. The 35mm lens is wide enough to give you a rough idea of the frame without having to lift the camera to your eye.
I love the Olympus XA. It’s a sneaky little thing, that camera. Zone Focus mode. You can snap shots in a church and no one would hear a damn thing. It’s stealth, pure and simple. But yeah, it’s got that plastic feel, feels like it might shatter if you so much as sneeze on it. Slide the door open, slide it shut, and you wonder if it’ll survive the trip. But man, it’s light as a feather. Who cares, the plastic’s got this retro vibe, cool in its own way.
What to say about the XA? Everything’s been said. From its origins (Thanks, Maitani) to its descendants (XA-1, what a joke). More efficient than an Olympus MJU, the lens is a real gem. Why did the Olympus engineers go so hard on this one? Blows my mind how such a tiny lens can produce such sharp images! Sometimes, I slip another camera into my pocket for a bit of street photography, but I always end up regretting it. This little thing never leaves my jacket now.
The real hassle about this camera is advancing the film. It’s like using one of those disposable ones. It eats up precious time when you’re trying to grab another shot in a hurry. A real pain, but that’s the way it goes. Then there’s the vignetting. Sometimes, when the sun hits just right, the lens throws a color shift that’s hard to describe. But I dig the look it gives the photos.
As for the trip? Not much to say. Maybe just a shot of my grandfather.
Thanks for reading.
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Ibraar Hussain on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
Thank you
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
John Greene on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
Steve H on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
Martin on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
Daniel Castelli on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
I’m always curious about film photographers passing through security checkpoints from various destinations. How was your experience?
My favorite shot was the storefront, but your Granddad has a style to himself.
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
Francois Marlier on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
What film did you shoot with?
The XA is a fantastic little camera, I’m always impressed by the quality of its lens.
Comment posted: 18/07/2024
Giuseppe on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 19/07/2024
Giuseppe
Comment posted: 19/07/2024
Shaun Edwards on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 19/07/2024
I’ve lost track of how many of the original XAs I’ve bought and sold over the years. Still have one and it’s a great little camera.
Although with my aging eyes the rangefinder focussing can be tricky. But as you said it’s easy to treat as zone focus and behave just like an XA-2.
I wish there was a digital equivalent of this. Olympus really hit it out of the park with how tiny this is for the features and the sheer quality of the lens.
I guess the closest digital would be the Ricoh GR series.
Comment posted: 19/07/2024
Geoff Chaplin on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 19/07/2024
Comment posted: 19/07/2024
VU2 on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 19/07/2024
James on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 20/07/2024
I just got a Trip 35 at a thrift store today. Bit by the early Olympus bug. Your photos show what these lenses can do, even "undercover". Well done!
JC on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 21/07/2024
thanks for showing us your algerian shots. Very interesting !
Of course it's a mysterious country for a standard european citizen, isn't it ?
I have an XA in my cupboard too and for my opinion this is one of the two best pocket cameras ever made.
The other one is the Minox 35 GT.
Cheers, Jens
Jeffery Luhn on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 23/07/2024
Huss on Visiting Algeria with My Olympus XA
Comment posted: 24/07/2024
If you love the size of the XA, but do not like the film advance wheel, then I highly recommend the Ricoh FF1. Looks like a Minox 35 but actually works… Super sharp lens, single stroke film advance lever. I like them so much I have two (had three but gave one to a friend).