silverscape Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Hi guys, I'm so excited right now! About an hour ago, I decided to stop by a thrift shop nearby and I'm so glad I did! I just bought an Olympus XA2 for less than $2! The price was $1.98, and everything was on sale today. It was 25 percent off, so I got it for $1.60! I can't believe it, I just bought a camera for less than the price of a soda! It's a cool little 35mm camera. I've always read about the Olympus XA and XA2. I really wanted an original XA since it has more manual controls, but it seems to be kind of hard to find and expensive. When I was looking around the thrift shop and came across the XA2 and saw how cheap it was, I couldn't pass it up. There was even a battery still inside, and the shutter works! It needs to be cleaned, and the paint is a little nicked here and there. But otherwise, it seems to be in really good condition. The lens looks good as far as I can tell...it's clear with no scratches or any other obvious problems. What's the cheapest you guys have ever bought a working camera for? Share your stories. If you got really lucky and someone gave you an especially unique camera, or you found one in an unlikely spot (mixed in with other stuff that you bought at a yard sale or whatever, or found in the trash!), lets see your stories! I can't wait to clean it and put a roll of film in it. I'm sorry, I don't have a picture of the camera for you guys, but I literally just bought it less than an hour ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels - NHSN Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Congratulations. That is a great little portable camera. Hard to beat that price. I once found a Leica M3 and Summicron 50mm for 500us$. Not cheap but a bargain for a Leica M + Lens. Niels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kahn Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 <p>Nice catch! My best one was an Olympus OM-1 that I bought at a flea market several years ago for $10. It's in excellent shape and came with the original leather case and a Zuiko 50mm lens. I still use it occasionally as a walk-around camera...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_medin Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 <p>Outside the ones given to me, I guess it'd be $10 for a Nikon EM + 50/1.8 Series E lens, or a Canon AE-1 + 50/1.8 for the same price, both from thrift stores.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gammill Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 <p>Nice find! A high quality compact 35mm for less than the price of a single use camera. I have three of them, plus an XA, an XA-1, and an XA-3. Can't wait to see some results.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverscape Posted November 26, 2011 Author Share Posted November 26, 2011 hey Mike, how's the availability of the battery? I just looked and it takes what looks like a little lithium battery. The battery that was already in there is "DL1/3N." Is that battery relatively easy to find? The one that's in there is still working, but of course I have no idea how old it is. I'd like to start with a new battery for my first test roll. I'm planning on taking some pictures with it this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 <p>Nice catch. 2 years ago I picked up a Njkon EM + 50/1.8 series E lens + case for a grand total of $8.00 at a charity shop. Although the case was worn, the camera and lens were immaculate. A new battery and I was good to go.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gammill Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 A pair of MS 76 silver cells is a better choice for power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvy Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 <p>I never seem to get such bargains but I am truly pleased for you!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou_Meluso Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 <p>Can't beat that with a stick. Such a compact little shooter. You now, officially, have no reason not to have a camera with you at all times. Good luck with it. And what comes next...pics!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gammill Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 <p>What Louis says is true. When an SLR or RF is too much to keep up with (which doesn't happen very often) I put on of my XA-2's in my pocket. I've painted the exterior of my house with one in my pocket, for example. Here's a couple of examples of what the XA-2 can do.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gammill Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 And, you gotta love that electronic self-timer. I propped the camera up against one of the roof vents to snap this self-portrait.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsigua Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 <p>At a thrift store I found an Olympus XA2 for $4.98. At the same store a few weeks later I found a Yashica T4 Super for $5.98. The pictures from the XA2 is nice but that Zeiss T* lens on the Yashica is a great lens. The T4 and Fuji Velvia 100 is one heck of a combination!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverscape Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 Thanks for the comments, guys! Louis, you know, that's true. There have been so many times where I've seen something interesting and I wish I had a camera with me. (And yeah, I have a cell phone and it has a "camera" but we all know that is NOT the same!) I've been seriously thinking for a while now that I should keep a 35mm camera with me all the time. This one is small and light enough that I could do that. It easily fits into a jacket pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gammill Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 <p>I would also add, that except for thickness, the XA-2 (and its siblings) are more pocketable than many of the 110 cameras that were once marketed.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anirbanbanerjee Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 <p>My monday mornings usually get worse when I read such good luck stories and then brood over my own run of bad luck at flea markets :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverscape Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 I know most of you in the forum are probably already familiar with this camera, but I finally have a picture for you guys. I took this today (with my cell phone...ugh). Here's my new toy: <p> <img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f86/gatewaycityca/OlympusXA2small.jpg"><p> I cleaned it up and loaded it with a roll of Fuji 200 film. I've already started taking a few pictures and I'm planning to take more tomorrow. One thing that I'm really surprised about is how quiet the shutter is. It's amazingly quiet, just a really soft click. It's a really fun camera to shoot with...it's so small and easy to hold. It has a nice, solid feel to it though and seems really well made. Even though it's plastic, it doesn't feel "plasticky" if that makes any sense. It feels like it has metal parts. I just hope the pictures turn out. I'll post some photos when I get the film developed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Currie Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 <p>I got my last XA2 for a buck, but you are well off at $2. I have a few of these, plus a couple of XA's, and actually prefer the XA2. For most shots the zone focusing and exposure settings are right anyway, so you end up with an unusually sharp, quiet, dependable point and shoot.</p> <p>I rarely go anywhere without an XA2 somewhere within reach. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Currie Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 <p>Oh, and it fits in even the smallest bike bag....</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 <p>A few weeks ago, my local Goodwill store had a half-price sale. An almost new, barely dust on it,was a Pentax Zoom 60X, point and shoot, in a nice case. Price $2.25 incl. tax. The batteries cost $9.04! Works like a charm.<br> The Olympus Stylus 140 Zoom, with battery, case by Minolta, was caught for $5,35. It was, when made in the 80's?, weatherproof. Larger than the XA but \easy into a pocket.Used both already and results very nice!<br> I was a pro photographer and NEVER considered these point and shoots! I carried a heavy retail shop of equipment with me! The Leica-M with normal lens began the slide to less is more..<br> I mostly use a P/S digital and spare batteries. These 2, only 1 at a time,nice addition when i need film results.<br> Not purchased some cameras were gifts because I still expose film. A Canon AE-1P, 50mm,28mm and 35~135mm, all Canon lenses: Praktica SLR,2 normal lenses,Fuji SLR(like Spotmatic) with a really sharp 50mm lens. A few others..</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertgiles Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 <p>My good fortune began when I came home one day with some items I had bought from an antique mall. My neighbor saw a framed print of General U.S. Grant and family and admired it to the point of asking "How much for it". I said $650.00 and he said would I be interested in some cameras and equipment I said lets have a look. I am not now or have I ever been a fan of General Grant. However, I am a fan of photography. He had a Nikon FE and 4 prime lens and a Canon AE-1 Program with 3 primes as well and case and filters and lots of goodies, filters, etc. He had no interest in his equipment at all. I had bought the framed print ( litho ) for the frame and boy o boy did I say yes, but not the frame. He was very happy. I was, and am still happy. I have had lots of enjoyment and I saw him last year (he moved) and he has added a few more U.S. Grant prints since that day. We both added to our collections and I have to say, mine has really got out of hand. I need more room. Oh, and the best part, I had paid $25.00 for the framed print.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_levine Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 <p>About 5 years ago,I bought a nice Zeiss Nettar (6x6 / 120 film) folder, with a box of old Zeiss filters, all in it's original cases for $8. The man at a local antique store selling it, insisted that film was "no longer made" for it.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markus maurer Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 <p>I got the rarest of the XA series, the XA4 macro with 28mm F3.5 lens with the A11 flash in good condition for $10 and the Oly XA was my first camera ever back in 1981.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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