The XA, like any camera should be checked up every 2 years if used
regularly. At close range it is possible your A16 is overexposing but
there's also a possibility that the prints are just too light. Often, close
flash shots are surrounded by clear background. When these negs go through
the printer, the automation sees the clear background and underexposes the
entire print.
I am assuming the flash was set to the proper asa.
John
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----- Original Message -----
From: <EricSwansn@xxxxxxx>
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 1999 7:32 PM
Subject: [OM] XA question - long post
> I had trouble posting to ask if this list is appropriate for XA questions
but
> in figuring out what I did wrong Shawn told me I'm in the right place so
I'll
> push right along.
>
> I recently bought a used XA. It is my third. The first rusted out due to
high
> humidity, little use, and my ignorance. The second was stolen by someone
with
> very talented hands on a crowded bus in Jakarta 2 1/2 years ago. I am not
an
> avid photographer so I have simply lived without a camera. I realize this
is
> heresy and would be like living without food for some of you on this list.
>
> I am leaving next week for a 2 month trip to Wales so I went to get a
camera
> for the trip, knowing that I wouldn't be able to find anything equivalent
but
> hoping to find something I could use. I travel constantly for work so I
> visited a local camera store in the town I happened to be in 6 weeks ago.
> Imagine my surprise when I saw an XA on the used camera shelf. I bought
it,
> had the store person install fresh batteries, and bought a roll of Fuji
400
> print film.
>
> I shot the roll, trying to cover a variety of shots including outdoor
sunny,
> indoor flash, using the timer, and anything else I could think of. I had
the
> prints developed that afternoon at the same shop. The camera worked well
> mechanically but the outdoor pictures (it was a bright sunny day) looked a
> little light to me, overexposed. The flash pictures were taken at a local
> Mall which was pretty well lit to begin with. I didn't notice anything
> special about them. I asked the guys in the store what they thought. They
> sort of agreed that the outdoor shots might be a little light but we
didn't
> reach any conclusions.
>
> My second roll, also Fuji 400, included many flash shots in a dark area.
This
> is where the real problem occurred. The shot are definitely overexposed.
Wide
> shots are kind of washed out. You can see everything but they are kind of
> grainy and blah. On a close shot of a Caucasian woman her face is
completely
> washed out showing only lips and eyes (with red dots) while the
> African-American woman next to her looks better but still kind of washed
out.
>
> To be more specific about the symptoms. On sunny day shots with plenty of
> blue sky, the sky at the center of the frame will be white fading to a
nice
> blue to the right and left edges. This is more extreme in shots towards
the
> sun but is still very noticeable in shots away from the sun. This isn't a
> terminal problem but it bothers me. The subjects of these pictures look
> alright but I still think the whole thing is a little overexposed.
>
> The flash pictures on the second roll were taken backstage at a theater.
It
> was before the show so some worklights were still on but it wasn't well
lit.
> I took one shot without flash, holding the camera still for the slow
shutter
> speed, and it looks too bright to me, given the dark environment. Taking
low
> light, no flash pictures is one of the things I really like about the XA.
If
> I can hold it still, or prop it up on something, it will make the picture.
I
> mention this to show that I've seen what my other XAs did in low light
with
> no flash and the shot I'm referring to looks too light to me.
>
> So, does anyone have any comments or suggestions?
>
> If it helps, the camera serial # is 2552444 and the flash is an A16. The
> batteries are V76PX which the chart at Wal-Mart says are equivalent to
SR44s.
>
> Are XAs internally adjustable? Can (or should) they be calibrated
regularly?
> Who would I see to have this work done?
>
> In the short term, since I'm leaving a week from today, can I compensate
for
> an internal mechanism that tends to overexpose but setting the ASA a click
or
> two high? (I'd want to go high wouldn't I?) I just bought some film this
> afternoon so I will probably try an experimental roll tomorrow taking sets
of
> the same shot but varying the ASA setting.
>
> And as long as I've got your attention here's an amateur's question. What
> film do you recommend for vacation pictures where you only have one camera
> that will need to take pictures outdoors, indoors, rain, shine, and
anywhere
> else you happen to want a shot? The film I bought this afternoon is 200
ASA.
> Does that make sense?
>
> Thanks for any thoughts and information and your patience wading through
this
> long post.
>
> Eric
>
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