Oly XA4 question

[eclat]

I've got what I assume is a simple question re. my newly purchased (on

eBay) xa4, which appears to be in fine working order. Is there

supposed to be any information in the viewfinder? How do I know what

shutter speed and aperture it's set at? How does the exposure work on

these beasts?

 

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give.

[Mike Gammill]

The XA-4 (along with the XA-2 and XA-3) offer program only exposure from a few seconds at f 3.5 to 1/750 second at about f 16. There is no aperture or shutter speed indicator in the viewfinder. However, if the shutter speed drops below 1/30 second, a low light indicator will light up in the viewfinder. Only the original XA gives you control over the aperture. It shows the shutter speed set.

You have the option of using the +1.5 EV to handle backlighting, or if you cover the DX strips on the cassette before loading, you can reset the ISO to vary the exposure.

Even with these limitations, the XA-4 is a very capable little camera that can produce high quality results.

[ilkka]

"Only the original XA gives you control over the aperture. It shows the shutter speed set. You have the option of using the +1.5 EV to handle backlighting, or if you cover the DX strips on the cassette before loading, you can reset the ISO to vary the exposure"

 

Not sure if the last comment refers to XA4 again or the original XA as it logically reads. But at least in my XA there is no DX coding, ISO is set manually in a scale under the lens and can be set to any number at any time, to vary the exposure. It also has the +1.5 EV switch for convenient against the light compensation.

[david_stanton1]

No, there is no information in the viewfinder as to shutter speed or aperture. The camera chooses based on a program. You can find a copy of the manual for the XA4 by doing a search on the internet. I think that the manual has a graph showing the aperture and shutter speed which the camera is choosing for you based on lighting and film speed. In any case, you will enjoy your XA4. It will be quite accurate in its exposures and the lens is excellent. Finally, Ilkka is correct: Neither the XA nor the XA2 will read DX codes on 35mm cartridges. The XA3 and XA4 do read the DX information.

[Mike Gammill]

Sorry if I caused any confusion. A quick XA series summary: Original XA is aperture priority/ no DX coding. It is the only one that displays shutter speeds. It also has a +1.5 ev switch. XA-2 is program only with no readout except slow shutter speed warning. Like the XA, it has no DX capability. It does not have the +1.5 ev switch. The XA-3 and XA-4 both have DX capability and like the XA-2 are program only with nothing but a slow shutter warning in the viewfinder. Like the XA, though, they both have the +1.5 ev switch. Should you stumble across an XA-1, it's unique feature is that it needs no battery as its lens is surrounded by selenium cells.

[michael_frangos]

Mike's description of the XAs is correct. You can however override the DX code on a XA4 by covering the bar code on the film cartridge and using the ISO setting under the lens.

[Mike Gammill]

Another note on XA-4: When you select the closest focus (1.7 and 1') the lens stops down a little even on low light to gain a little extra DOF. Just noticed this yesterday.