OLYMPUS XA (PLEASE READ) À PARIS

Here we have everyone's favorite tiny rangefinder camera. This XA takes nice photos (I shot several rolls through it), but it does have two minor issues. The rangefinder's vertical alignment is off, so when the rangefinder patch is aligned for proper focus, the two images don't match exactly: one is a bit higher than the other. In practice, it's still fairly easy to tell when focus is achieved. The other problem is that the exposure shown in the viewfinder is off by a few stops. The XA actually has two separate metering circuits, one that controls exposure and another that just drives the meter -- ideally, these will give the same reading, but not in this case. The photos are properly exposed, so the "real" exposure sensor must be fairly accurate. Otherwise, everything is good. Lens is clean and clear, battery compartment is clean, mechanics are solid.