I’ve collected quite a few cameras over the past eight or nine months. Sometimes I buy cameras in lots. Two months ago I came across a listing on Facebook Marketplace for a lot of eight cameras and some miscellaneous rolls of unexposed film. I talked the seller down from his asking price and grabbed the whole set for $100. Included in the lot was an Olympus XA2 point & shoot, complete with the user manual. I already have some Olympus cameras in my collection and they have produced some great photos. Among them are an Olympus 35 SP and an Olympus Trip 35.

I wasn’t familiar with the XA2, but I love a good point & shoot. (See my recent post about my Canon Sure Shot AF 35 M.) Just today I checked eBay for recently completed sales of the XA2. On average, it’s selling for $91 (plus shipping). Considering mine came in a lot of eight cameras for $100 (an average of $12 each), I’d say I did pretty good price-wise.

I’ve learned that this camera was introduced in 1979. Its lens is a sharp 35mm f/3.5 Olympus D-Zuiko. Oh, and it’s tiny! It literally fits in the palm of my hand. And when carrying it around this weekend, it fit comfortably in my pants pocket when not in use. And it’s very quiet. The only sound that comes from this camera is an almost imperceptible click when the shutter is activated. You know the sound(s) you hear when clipping your fingernails? Think that. In fact, it’s so quiet that at first I didn’t think the camera was even working.

Its size and quietness make it pefect for street photography. While not necessarily covert, it’s definitely inconspicuous. When using it on its first outing, I took a few photos of nearby fellow diners and shoppers (and one guy wandering around in traffic) who were none-the-wiser that I was even using a camera (see photos below).

You know the sound(s) you hear when you clip your fingernails? Think that.

My sister and brother-in-law visited from out of town this weekend, and this was the camera I chose to take along on our activities shenanigans. I bulk loaded a 36 exposure roll of Arista EDU Ultra 100. I didn’t have any 400 speed film handy. I would have preferred a faster film since I knew we’d be in some lower-light situations, but the Arista 100 performed pretty well. The onboard light meter did an excellent job of negotiating a range of lighting situations.

I developed the film in Kodak D-76. I’m really pleased with the results and will be keeping this little gem of a camera loaded with film from now on.