The Lomo LC-A for the Poor - Olympus XA2

Always being called the poor man’s LC-A, Olympus XA2 is the reliable option to the beloved Lomo LC-A. It is small, pocket-sized, lightweight. This mini monster maybe overlooked based on its appearance, or praised for being such a cutie, but will amazed you for its performance. =p

Olympus XA2 is a user-friendly camera. The XA2 were provided with zone focusing and a programmed exposure system altogether with super sharp Zuiko 35mm f3.5

Once the XA2 is loaded with film you first need to select the correct ASA by simply move the little switch under the lens to the ASA setting that matches the speed of the film you are using (available options are ASA 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 & 800).

Before taking a shot, the only thing you need to set the correct zone focus. On the front of the camera there is a switch with 3 symbols, one for each of the focus zones:

1. Close (Two head symbol) = 1.2m-1.8m
2. Near (Two orange bodies) = 1.8m-6.3m
3. Far (Mountain symbol) = 6.3m-infinity

Every time you reopen the clam shell to take a shot, the XA2 resets back to its default medium zone (the two orange bodies) so be sure to change zone before shooting if your subject is close by or in the distance. The Olympus XA2 works by using a selenium light meter which is incredibly sensitive. When shooting you will hear two clicks: one when the shutter opens, another when it closes . You need to keep the camera perfectly still until you hear that second click, particularly if shooting in low light.

The XA2 needs to be powered by two SR44 batteries. The A11 flash is only effective at short ranges, but if you need better flash, you can mount in A16 flash, which are hard to find nowadays.

written by naqi on 2011-02-26 #gear #review #camera #xa2 #olympus #lomography #film-camera #user-review