Review on 📷 Olympus XA2: A Compact Camera for Capturing Memories by Talapon Blackburn

Ever since I got my first Holga a few years ago I've rediscovered film photography and as much as I love my Holga I needed a camera with the right viewfinder to be more precise with my film stock. I bought a used Olympus XA2 - a little shabby on the outside but with a clean lens and everything else works. I really like this camera. It is built like a Russian main battle tank with a solid metal and plastic hull. The fact that this camera was manufactured in the early 1980's and there are still so many working models is a testament to the quality of its construction. Power consumption is minimal. It runs on two silver oxide batteries (don't use alkaline batteries or your shots will be underexposed) which I've heard can last for several years with normal use. To turn on the camera, open the clamshell. The lens is a fixed focal length lens, no zoom and no retractable; As soon as you open it, it is immediately ready to fire. The trigger requires minimal pressure to work. This is useful when you're shooting in low light and want to keep the camera steady, as lightly pressing the shutter button won't cause excessive camera shake. The focus is controlled by a lever in 3 zones: near, medium and far. There are other versions of XA that give you more control over focus, but I prefer area focus because it's faster and more than adequate for most situations. Also, it reminds me to shoot my trusty Holga. The picture quality is excellent. I'm not the type to scan my negatives at 150,000 pixels per inch (or whatever ridiculous number they accept these days) and examine every pixel with a magnifying glass. I don't give a fuck about that kind of nonsense. There are plenty of internet trolls that make such comparisons, so a simple internet search will provide this information if you're interested. delivers excellent results. Many people who are thinking about buying this camera have also looked at the Stylus Point and Shoot. I have both an Olympus Stylus Epic and the original Olympus Stylus (mju 1) and both cameras can also take good photos. I prefer the XA2 mechanics simply for the zoned focus and the ability to set the ISO manually. I shoot a lot of landscapes and sometimes the autofocus on the Stylus Epic and Stylus pulls things out of focus. While I try not to shoot through glass, this is sometimes the only option and another area where the XA2's zonal focus shines, while my Stylus Epic sometimes focuses on the glass rather than the subject behind it. In the world of digital photography, where you're offered to spend thousands of dollars on gear that will be obsolete in 2-3 years, it's nice to have an old-school camera like this that has stood the test of time. A good film camera from decades ago is still a good film camera. Considering how easy it is to find one of these gems for a fraction of the price of a comparable digital camera, it shouldn't be hard to get one if you're looking for a great tool to capture those special moments.