This is a story about love! Untainted love, a love so strong and pure….. oh man, I’ve got to stop this gushing. Just concentrate and get down to the basics about why I came to love this tiny lump of glass and plastic.
The Olympus XA2 is the third in the line started by Yoshihisa Maitani. After the amazing Pen series of cameras, after the outstanding Pen F SLR and the undying OM series, Maitani San wanted to create the ultimate pocketable 35mm full frame camera. And he succeeded wildly.
The first masterwork was the diminutive XA. Tiny but nonetheless a full featured rangefinder with aperture priority automatic exposure and a fabulous lens. The lens alone has been a marvel and a real headache for the optical engineers. How to fit a 35mm lens in a 32mm deep housing? Easy peasy, just build it like a telephoto lens (A 500mm lens is NOT 50cm long, hopefully). This worked, all the time retaining a superb lens quality, sharpness and contrast.
Then came a line of derivatives of the original XA. The XA1 was forgettable… utterly! A fixed focus with a selenium meter like the Olympus Trip 35, full automatic exposure…. nothing to write home about (I’m not putting down the Trip 35 here, that’s a fantastic camera on it’s own). Just that the XA1 did not reach it’s stellar performance.
But there were the other models, the Olympus XA2, an XA without rangefinder but nice zone focus system and a full automatic exposure that gives premium results. The XA3 was an XA2 with DX coding built in and the XA4 had a 28 ‘macro’ lens that focused down to 30cm…. OK, they existed, but my camera of choice is the Olympus XA2. Wonderful sharp lens, smooth operation, near completely silent operation and so small I can stick it in the front pocket of my (tight) jeans. Yes, I’m over 50 and wearing tight jeans….
I prefer this camera so much that over the last 3 years I bought, sold, bought again and sold and bought one again. It’s always in my pocket and it’s the camera that always brought me back to film photography when I foolishly tried to save money by relying on a digital camera. Now it will stay for good! I found a very good one with a perfect lens, a sliding lens cover that does not block the shutter as can happen with this camera – you always have to pay attention that the cover is fully open.
Focus is a bit of trouble, sure, but you just have to try and set the slider to the right position. Sometimes it works out! Well, often it works out as my developed films show. Exposure is normally spot on even in difficult conditions. A wonder as you don’t have many possibilities to tweak it, except for changing ISO.
It’s simply so small and hassle free that it incites me to use it. Then again, did I mention that the lens it very sharp?
Compared to ‘other cameras’ (Hamish will understand the pun ;-), it’s tiny!
Unobtrusive! A spy camera. You can bring it to your eye in a split second and fire off a shot before anyone takes note. I even shoot blind from the hip sometimes, making for ‘interesting’ pictures….
Sometimes it’s hard to find a rational reason. Some cameras just click into place with you, they just work. This one does for sure, though it’s not the only one. Now as an additional bonus it can live in my coat or pants pocket. You can get a clean and perfectly working Olympus XA2 for around 40€ (30£) and might even get the fitting A11 flash with it. The A16 flash is bigger but more powerful, and more expensive too. Even with the flash attached to it’s left side, the XA2 is amazingly compact.
Try one out sometimes, it’s well worth it, and faster to shoot than the XA rangefinder. If you nail focus, it’s just as sharp or even better.
More from the mighty Olympus XA2 on www.franklehnenphotography.com and www.whyfilmcameras.wordpress.com
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Sean Fisher on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Frank Lehnen on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Blinx on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
A zone or scale focus camera is still the fastest thing out there for street photography, and for black and white the vignette is less intrusive. And it is tiny!
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Robert on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Robert on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Thanks for the advice!
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Charles on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Simon on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
My girlfriend said, "it's me or the camera."
Being single isn't so bad.
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
simon on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Seriously though, I'm constantly amazed by the images I get from the XA2.
Andy Sedik on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 27/03/2016
Here's one of my favorite snaps from the trip: https://www.flickr.com/photos/arachide/16416563029
Frank Lehnen on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 28/03/2016
JK Lockwood on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 28/03/2016
Comment posted: 28/03/2016
Ken Hindle-May on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 29/03/2016
The XA was one of my first 'must have' film cameras. I didn't have a rangefinder at that time and as soon as I read about the XA I knew I had to make it my first. I wasn't disappointed and it's taken some of my most pleasing travel and street photographs. Then last year my wife was complaining about not getting the chance to take enough photos, so I resolved to buy her an XA2 so she could always have a good quality camera on her. I actually find myself wanting to borrow hers a lot of the time, because even though the XA's lens is probably that little bit better, the RF focusing is fiddly and the patch is small and pale. Zone focusing suits the camera better for its likely uses, I think.
I actually bought a non-functional XA2 that I thought I could get going, but after giving it a good clean and retensioning the shutter spring it wasn't to be. There must be some kind of fine electrical fault between the switch and shutter because it fires just fine when you trip the armature. If anyone wants it for parts or repair you can have it for the price of postage.
Frank Lehnen on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 29/03/2016
Then there's a ceramic element in the meter system that can just break - and that's the end of any XA camera.
But as long as they work, they are truly wonderful things! You are right.
Comment posted: 29/03/2016
Comment posted: 29/03/2016
Comment posted: 29/03/2016
walker on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 30/03/2016
Martin on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 13/02/2017
Comment posted: 13/02/2017
Keiran Clennell on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 02/06/2017
Comment posted: 02/06/2017
Mary on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 14/11/2017
Comment posted: 14/11/2017
Nate G on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 22/05/2018
Ken, if you've got that broken Xa2 I'd be willing to take a crack at its shutter circuitry. =)
Kosmopedia: Olympus XA2 - Kosmo Foto on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Zach on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 21/04/2019
I mainly just shoot it with B&W film, but often get surprisingly good results. My main hack is to adjust the ASA settings to get my /- one or two stops depending on the situation.
I think I had found the specs of the default settings of the camera, but didn’t see them when I just did a search. Knowing what different shutter speeds and f/stops the camera will default to in different situations sure could come in handy.
I also use this camera to look the part of a tourist - which I have found can be less intimidating than using a Leica - and depending the weather a better camera for a quick shot. Don’t want to expose an M camera to unnecessary light rain.
5 frames with a Canon Demi 28 - By Steve Karsten - 35mmc on Olympus XA2 Review – or why I learned to love a camera – by Frank Lehnen
Comment posted: 15/09/2019