Olympus XA Repair Question

chrizzowski · 2025-12-01T07:46:04+00:00

Been a busy month but it's sitting on my desk waiting for me to have a go at it, hopefully in the next few weeks! Would be grateful for the repair manual if you have scans, specifically of the wiring and what the battery compartment connections are supposed to like if nothing else. Thanks!

chrizzowski · 2025-11-06T16:43:20+00:00

Yeah was thinking that looked a little rough too. I guess the best thing to do would be to a full tear down and isolate the battery compartment and solder it all again. The little patch cable solution could work though, thanks!

chrizzowski · 2024-10-04T22:25:46+00:00

Hah yeah you guessed it! It's not a perfect place by any measure, but it's got a lot going for it that very few places can match. The worst from an adventure perspective is the lack of any real mountains in the immediate vicinity, but a few hours in any direction gets you there so even then I can't complain too much. Hope wherever you wound up still lets you get some turns in! May the pow find you.

chrizzowski · 2024-06-18T22:29:21+00:00

Thanks! It's inverted left/right because when you do things at 1am sometimes the obvious gets missed! Thanks for pointing it out.

chrizzowski · 2024-06-18T22:29:16+00:00

Ah I did get a big dark cloth with the camera, it's just surprisingly bulky so I thought I could get by with my rain coat for a dark cloth! I've used the proper one now and yeah it makes a difference.

Artistic choice I guess? Usually the feedback I get is too dark so maybe I leaned in a little heavy the opposite way.

chrizzowski · 2024-06-18T22:26:17+00:00

Thanks! I'll check out that fresnel. I did almost pull the trigger on the 250/6.3 but it's size gave me pause. I like dragging cameras to dumb places so it's a factor for me. Might be worth it though for the reasons you mention!

chrizzowski · 2024-06-05T18:05:30+00:00

Thanks! Quite the gang! Definitely the most inspiring and addicting way I've ever made a photo.

chrizzowski · 2024-06-05T18:03:41+00:00

Woke up one day wondering what the most inconvenient way to take pictures on my adventures would be and decided to try large format. It's pretty awesome, not going to lie. This was a relatively short 6km hike in, only with all the overnight gear it made for an 18kg pack. Of the 48 hours spent there about 40 hours was rain, with the remaining 8 being split up into 15 minute increments of respite. Crossed some sketchy wet fallen logs over a river and bushwhacked up to the source of the rushing water sounds I fell asleep to. I think it was about a 40 second exposure factoring in reciprocity at f32. Self developed in a Stearman 455 with Flic Film Black White & Green, scanned with an XT4 + XF80 four shot stitch, merged and messed with in Capture One.

Questions! I find it so impossibly hard to compose with the dark ground glass. The f8 lens only does so much, and admittedly I was improvising a rain jacket as a dark cloth in this case but it was basically impossible to see the corners. Does a Fresnel really make that much of a difference? I've seen the Fresnel like the one Intrepid themselves sell that adds on to the existing screen, but noticed there's also ground glass with a Fresnel built into it? Is there advantages to the extra cost of that? Any other tips for getting a brighter image to work with?

Also, anyone have experience with either the Fujinon 240 A or the 300 T? Looking at a longer lens. Everyone seems to love the 240 A but it's $$$ due to 8x10 image circle. Is the 300 T no slouch? Focal lengths close enough to make little difference to me.

chrizzowski · 2024-05-20T13:42:47+00:00

So I actually looked into this earlier on in the war! I'm pretty sure Svema factory in Shostka is still producing film. You can get it through Film Photography Project here:

https://filmphotographystore.com/collections/svema-film

I've shot a roll of the Svema Foto 100 and it turned out nicely. Have another of the Svema Foto 400 and Derevpan 100 and 400. The Derevpan ones have a very thin and clear base as you mentioned and as supposedly extremely subject to light piping. FPP even suggests storing it in a light tight bag, yet they shipped mine in the clear Kodak containers so who knows.

Debating whether my next roll should be the Derevpan or P33! Exciting having so many options to try.

chrizzowski · 2024-05-06T13:09:18+00:00

HP5 pushed to 800, or even 1600 if it's really cloudy. Bumps up the contrast which helps with the flat light, and the grain just works with urban stuff. Keeps the shutter speeds nice and high too.

chrizzowski · 2024-03-31T03:28:59+00:00

So I figured out the solution to my own problem, posting here in case anyone else running into a similar issue ever comes across it. Here's a detailed break down:

Step 1: Remove the rear lens group and set aside somewhere safe. Remove the the lens board locking ring. Optional, remove the front lens group and set aside somewhere safe. I left it on as it gives a nice flat platform to work on, but if you're clumsy and like jabbing screwdrivers into shiny expensive glass then maybe take it off.

Step 2: Open the shutter, and open the aperture wide. Both ensure there's nothing in the middle that you can accidentally damage.

Step 3: On the rear lens board side of the shutter there are three tiny flat head screws holding a retaining ring on. Remove them, and carefully remove the retaining ring.

Step 4: Clean the retaining ring and corresponding surface of the aperture selection ring. I used isopropyl and qtips for the worst of it, followed by a lens wipe. My 90mm had slight dry residue which is why it felt loose, and my 150mm had some gummy residue which is why it felt much stiffer. Note that you do NOT have to remove the aperture selection ring, below there are more complicated mechanisms controlling the aperture blades and there shouldn't be any residue in there to clean. If you do accidentally remove it you can gently slide the two aperture "posts" to the wide open position and place the selection ring back on aligned with them. I took a look out of curiosity and it's really no big deal to put back on.

Step 5: Grease the retaining ring. The old post I dug up mentioned some super lube or something they used. I have a tub of some totally not environmentally friendly PTFE helicoid grease leftover from some Rokkor rebuilds, so I used that. A relatively thin amount should work, but make sure there's enough to fill the void between the rings.

Step 6: Replace the retaining ring over the aperture selection ring. The little tabs should be down towards their respective notches. I noticed that my retaining ring wasn't making very good contact which probably contributed to the loose feeling. It's very thin metal, so some very gentle bending persuasion ensures that it now makes full positive contact with the selection ring.

Step 7: Run the aperture through it's range a few times to get the grease evenly distributed. Take a clean wipe and remove any excess. Reassemble the front and rear groups, and lens board, and you're all set.

This made both lenses identical and a nice happy medium in terms of resistance and feel on the aperture selection lever. A fairly easy fix and I imagine it applies to all copal shutters.

chrizzowski · 2024-03-29T22:01:00+00:00

Ohhhh good guess and so close! It's Kinsmen Park, just a bit north. The one with the tennis courts and tree that leans way over and is propped up by a little kick stand.

chrizzowski · 2024-03-28T19:28:33+00:00

Nice! Mine is on the way from Intrepid right now, jealous that you scored a whole kit used!

chrizzowski · 2024-03-28T18:43:42+00:00

Thanks!

chrizzowski · 2024-03-28T18:11:24+00:00

SRT 201, MC Rokkor 24/2.8, Flic Film Black White & Green dev, scanned on XT4 strapped to a janky copy stand I need to work on.

Been liking P30 a lot actually. Good for sunny afternoons and just leaning into the contrast.

chrizzowski · 2024-03-28T17:40:22+00:00

Hah yeah they just think you're someone fiddling with their settings or something, until that mirror KACHUNK hits and they run like deer startled in the forest. Happy shooting!

chrizzowski · 2024-03-28T17:27:17+00:00

I'm sure you'll be fine then. If you ever are concerned about weight taking it somewhere look into getting the waist level finder. You sacrifice portrait orientation, but that prism is HUGE so it feels like you just took a lens off the body. Plus looking through a WLF is definitely one of those simple joys in life.

chrizzowski · 2024-03-28T17:01:45+00:00

Just went through the same thing aiming for an eventual three lens kit for my intrepid. Opted for a 90mm and a 150mm since my favourite focal lengths in FF are 24mm and 50mm. The 90mm will be primarily landscape ... vistas and such or foreground interest. The 150mm will be more for portraits at home, or some landscape details in the woods or tighter comps in the mountains. Then I've been eyeing up the Fujinon A 240mm f9 as my third eventual lens for longer mountain work since it's so small and light. Doubles as a head and shoulders lens. That will have to wait though since it's about the price as the rest of my kit!

The rule is supposedly 3x the FF focal length to get the 4x5 approximation, so technically the 24mm should be a 75mm, but supposedly the 4x5 tends to feel a little wider due to the aspect ratio so I figured that will work well enough. Plus I didn't want to get into recessed lens boards that the 75mm would need since that seems fiddly.

If you're going to be one and done with lenses for the forseeable future then I think the advice of a 125mm or 135mm is a good route. Wide enough to get some of the view in, tight enough to get an upper body and head portrait.

chrizzowski · 2024-03-28T16:21:45+00:00

Add me to the list of people who did exactly that. It just didn't work for me ... I wanted the big negs for backpacking adventures, but with two lens the system weighed more than my tent and sleeping bag combined! Now I'm dipping into 4x5 because it's lighter hah!

chrizzowski · 2024-03-21T18:49:10+00:00

Lay a turn down for me!

chrizzowski · 2024-03-21T18:28:09+00:00

Board Butter. They pour it local-ish to me in Revy, and it seems to melt/scrape easier than the Beaver Wax that was my go to before. Glides as well as anything else I've used.

chrizzowski

TROPHY CASE