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[OM] Can someone figure this out? (LONG)

Subject: [OM] Can someone figure this out? (LONG)
From: ClassicVW@xxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 09:53:04 EDT
        Hi All, the following is a question posed by an AOL member (who is 
disabled),  and my reply to him/her and their reply back to me. Since you're 
all so knowlegeable and helpful...Maybe someone here has some info for them. 
You can see I'm baffled. Maybe their memory is confused, and it wasn't an 
Olympus, I don't know. To reply to them, the address is:                 
Roibinn@xxxxxxx

Subject: HELP!! What was my favorite camera -- I want another!
Date: Wed, 16 June 1999 09:38 PM EDT
From: <A HREF="aol://3548:Roibinn">Roibinn</A>
Message-id: <19990616213813.10142.00000202@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

In around 1983 or '84 my Dad gave me an Olympus camera for Christmas that 
probably cost a fair amount. It was the best I ever owned. It took terrific 
pictures -- I won a couple of amateur photo contests with it. Unfortunately, 
a repair shop sent it back to the factory during one repair session and gave 
me a really chinchy one in return. I've been trying to find out what the one 
he gave me was so I can look for another.
Here's what it was like:

   It was a 35 mm.  "point and shoot" with automatic film advance  (about 
which more anon). There was a dial/ring right behind the lens that allowed 
you to set the ASA of the film you were using. There was a place to screw in 
a cable release on the bottom left of the camera, to allow for delayed and 
extra - long exposures, as well as a hole for a tripod (I think). There was a 
three - position push - up - and - down switch on the lower left of the
front, near the lens, to alow to choose the exposure/flash -- bottom was 
bright daylight, center was dim daylight or indoors (no flash), top was night 
or flash. Seems to me the flash was integral and on the top left -- at least, 
I don't remember having to take it off or put it on -- tho it HAS been over 
10 years now! Seems to me it was brushed metal, tho again, that could easily 
be wrong. Can't remember whether it was clamshell or case, but I THINK I
remember clamshell. What I particularly loved about it was that by setting 
the ASA high or low and making sure the flash was off, I could bracket shots. 
I got some inCREDIBLE late sunset, twilight,  and "Christmas lights" night 
shots with it. It "framed" well -- what you framed through the viewfinder was 
pretty much EXACTLY the shot you got. It also took very clear pictures 
through all the distances -- everything was in good focus. The only problem
was ...

   The automatic film advance would jam up every once in a while and have to 
be repaired. This happened several times over several years. As I am 
disabled, my Dad took it in for me the last time. When he went to pick it up, 
he brought back some little piece - of - #$%^&! Olympus lightweight camera 
with automatic ASA setting, NO way to turn off the flash, NO cable release, 
etc. -- AND the framing was horrendous! The shop guys told my Dad that Olympus
was having so much trouble with the drive jamming on these cameras that they 
had instructed repair shops to send them back to the factory and to give the 
customers this particular camera as a replacement. AS you can imagine, I was 
really upset -- felt they should have asked me first -- I'd have GLADLY paid 
repair costs several times a year forever for that camera! I have always felt 
that this whole deal "didn't sound kosher" to me --
that the camera shop wasn't being completely straight with us.

  Can anyone tell me what this camera was -- I'd love to look for/search for 
a used one just like it. 

Thanks .... and <BTW>, no, I do NOT want an SLR or something I have to use 
light meters, etc. with. As I said, I'm disabled, and both for time and 
weight, can't get anything done, much less any pleasure out of it, if I have 
to deal with all that stuff.

Thanks, folks. Hope you can help! If you want, you can e-mail me at roibinn, 
but please put "Olympus camera" in the subject line so I don't think it's 
spam (HSSS. BOOO!) and delete it!
                                        
                                >>>>>           MY REPLY                <<<<<
Roibinn,
        What you are describing, Ref: controls, and accuracy as well as the 
time frame in years, is probably an Olympus XA as the others have replied. ( 
MY guess is XA-2 model )  HOWEVER- there are some differences in the actual 
XAs and what you describe. 

The cameras were all black.

The wind was MANUAL not auto. You had to move a thumbwheel with your right 
thumb.

The flash did attach to the left side of the camera, ( shooter's left ) but 
you could un attach it and use the camera without it.

Maybe you had something else, as I never heard of Olympus having any major 
problems where they kept the camera and gave something else in return. The XA 
was, and is, (I own two) an extremely rugged and reliable camera. Perhaps 
your father, knowing how much the camera meant to you, couldn't give you the 
news that it was un-repairable and replaced it with something else? Or the 
camera repair shop WAS full of you-know-what!

George S.
                                        >>>>>   Their reply     <<<<<

No, this was definitely a motor-driven film advance -- I'd had to have it 
repaired several times when it jammed. Once it even took a (fortuitously) 
wonderful double-exposure of my cousin and a flowering branch!  But it also 
was an Olympus -- which is why I was surprised at the camera replacement. You 
see why I'm having trouble finding out what it was!

 Thanks a lot for your help, tho .... I do appreciate it!

roibinn

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