XA

I have a little Olympus Stylus Epic which I take nearly everywhere. It seems to have developed a crack or chip somewhere which is showing itself as a dark hairline at the edge of every frame. I like the camera so much that I started looking for another one. Of course in the process I discovered the Olympus XA. Now this is a pocketable point and shoot. 6 element fixed 2.8 Zuiko lens, coupled rangefinder, aperture priority and tabbed focusing.

I bought one.

I don’t think $50 is too much for this, according to Modern Photography, 1979…

“Achieving this unprecedented degree of sophistication in so light, pocketable and superbly integrated a package is certainly a noteworthy achievement which carries forth the Olympus tradition of compactness combined with technical virtuosity. "

Update: It seems that the XA has somewhat of a cult following. I love cults!