Every few months I get into this mode where I cannot help but collect old film cameras. I usually start at Goodwill and make the usual tour of all the pawn shops around the city. So if one of you saw me going in and coming out of a pawn shop – it is not because I am broke, but just hunting for that gem of a find. For some reason the prices for cameras at the local Goodwill have been going up consistently – good for them though. Back to the original topic – so I found a Nikon L35 AF P&S camera about a month ago at Goodwill and I instantly discovered the joy of the snap shot. No more fiddling around with aperture or shutter speed. Just point, focus, and click. I was hooked.
I then started scouring the internet for other classic P&S cameras and came to know a lot about the legendary Olympus XA series of cameras. Many have expounded on the brilliant Japanese design here and here.
I got lucky and took a chance on an AS-IS sale on eBay and now I am a proud owner of both an Olympus XA and XA2 cameras. I put both cameras to the test not only to make sure that they were working, but also to check for light leaks etc. The Olympus XA2 is a P&S cameras in the truest sense. It is a Zone Focus camera and is fully automated. Here is a photograph from the Olympus XA2 first:
The Olympus XA is a range finder and gives you little bit more control and operates in the Aperture Priority mode. Here are some photographs from a test roll that I shot using the Olympus XA:
Film Used in Olympus XA test: Ilford HP5 Plus ISO400
Developer: Kodak HC110 Dilution H
Time: 11 Minutes
