If an XA is a Nait, then this must be a Nait 3
My second XA3, (my son now has the 1st), chosen for its ability to use 1600 ASA film.
Mike
My second XA3, (my son now has the 1st), chosen for its ability to use 1600 ASA film.
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For many years used a F3 but in a fit of spring cleaning a decade or so ago I moved it on. Hadn’t used in in ages. Struggled to find something (digital) to replace it and eventually ended up with this.
Gives me sufficient manual control without delving into endless menus. Also works surprisingly well with my shovel-sized hands.
Willy.
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Thanks, Jamie.
I have no doubt that Fuji are wonderful cameras but I am married to Nikon and the Nikkor siblings so I don’t see any reason to abandon them. Anyway, I still shoot in full manual and the new technologies are not appealing to me. Most of the time I have my 50mm mounted on the 810 which is quite manageable weight and size wise.
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The XA3 was my first Olympus, I bought one new in the late eighties. The XA came later, I very much like its ability to focus on objects closer to the camera. The prices for used XAs were beginning to climb noticeably, I think this was somewhere around 2005.
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Lots of nice cameras. I have not posted on the forum before but felt I had to contribute this.
Hasselblad 503cx on original leitz Tiltall tripod.
I am a red dot fan at heart but I thought there needed to be a hasselblad in here.
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And even better…hifi in shot!
Radikal and a couple of “olives”?
Yep. Radikal, 52PS, Supercap and out of frame below that a brace of olive 250s and on bass a CB 250.
Willy.
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Is that on the Dibbles?
Yep. There’s Fraim, out of frame, to the right with the 52, Snaxo and Superline.
Willy.
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I had one of those - very pleasant to use, but the vignetting was just unacceptable. I sold it at the end of my holiday and bought a Nikon FE (then an FE2, then an FA - still working, both of them).
Time for reflection:
In the days of film, I used to spend a lof of time in the darkroom - I got quite sophisticated, with dofium light enabling light on even with colour, negative and slide prints up to 20”x24”, rapid throughput slot processor for up to 10”x8”, dodging/ burning in a matter of routine, using enlarger as a copier, etc. I really enjoyed it, but if took a lot of time - and money. Digital revolutionised things, primarily of course zero cost until/unless you print. And as a consequence one can take faf more pictures (and I do), with the advantage of greater chance of that ‘perfect’ shot - and disadvantage of loads more photos to look through and evaluate. And tweaking if needed in Lightroom or Photoshop is no quicker than in the darkroom (more flexible, perhaps - but sometimes a lot more time consuming).
Digital doesn’t have the ‘magic’ of watching the image appear as you can with B&W processing, but now at long last with current sensors performance matches silver technology, and the cist advantage fir amateur use is very significant, so I have embraced it fully.
To my mind, my trusty Rollei B35 is a bit of a Nait 1. A simple, light weight metal box, not much to go wrong, and no battery on this version, which made it the camera of choice for mountaineering use.
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I used to spend hours in the darkroom, both at school, and at home (Ok, jerry-rigged bathroom) trying for that perfect image. At school I used to take my trusty Panasonic boom box with me and play recordings of the latest LPs. Talking Heads was my usual fare, but I remember that REM had just appeared on the scene and released Murmur. Every time I play that album now, it takes me back to the darkroom…
It never occurred to me to have music in the darkroom!
The XAs have their limitations and quite a few of them. They were much better than most of the other compact cameras available back then and in the price range I could afford. I actually thought about upgrading to a Nikon, but knowing myself kept the one I could put in every pocket.
Now that makes me a little jealous 
I have now moved on Fujifilm, an XE1 first, then an XT2. They feel like “real” cameras - although I’m aware that it’s just an impression…
Ah…The school darkroom. What a place of opportunity that was!
G
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My dinky little Leica C-Lux 2 (basically a Panasonic with added firmware). I bought this 12 years ago. It’s so cute and I love the leather case. As a camera it’s hopelessly outdated of course, but it’s capable of taking really nice shots, especially in natural light.
Here’s a pic I took yonks ago at Scotney Castle with it:
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