Olympus XA1 - Page 2

wblynch · 08-30-2012

So sorry to hear about your sister in law. May she have a blessed journey and be surrounded with loved ones when she departs.

wblynch · 08-30-2012

Try changing the ISO switch back and forth. Perhaps it's not making a good connection?

Harlee · 08-30-2012

I went online to Google Olympus XA1 repair and came upon a website that goes step by step how to reposition the red flag in the viewfinder thereby unlocking the shutter button and the film winder. What happens is that a lever blocks the red flag so that it won't retract where it's supposed to be and that locks up the camera. You have to reposition the lever and that will allow the red flag to fall into it's intended position and makes it possible for the shutter to be tripped. It's a bit complicated, and since I'm flying up to NY on Saturday it'll have to wait until I return to get working on it.

jesse1dog · 08-31-2012

Sounds a bit like the Trip mech with the red flag there. Pair of tweezers helps.

jesse

Harlee · 09-11-2012

Well, the other day I dismantling my mint XA1, but wasn't able to get it entirely apart so I wasn't able to check it out properly. Today, I dismantled the top section and the front section and did a thorough inspection. I noticed that by moving two levers, it brought down the red flag in the viewfinder but couldn't get it to stay down. I continued fooling with the two levers and then noticed that there's a rod which basically hold the levers in place, holding down the red flag and allowing the film advance to move freely. It appears as though it's working as it should, so I placed all of the pieces back together, the front, the top, the sliding front door, the rewind, and then the bottom. Tomorrow will be the big day as I take it out in the sunshine to see how it works. Here in Florida we have bright sunshine and I feel this will give me a good idea if I've found the problem. Stay tuned for my further testing. I hope that moving the film advance and tripping the shutter in bright sunshine will be the ultimate test.

Stay tuned for the further adventures of Harlee and his XA1 camera.....

Harlee · 09-12-2012

Today, I took the XA1 out into the bright sunshine and without any film in it I pointed the camera in different light conditions and it appears to be working properly. However, the film advance sometimes kept advancing a couple of times until it went approximately 3-4 frames and then stopped. I placed a exposed roll of film and then it advanced the film as it should. I now have a roll of Kodak 400 in it and took a couple of shots and hopefully will get more tomorrow. This evening I took the camea out where it was semi-dark and the red flag popped up as I pressed the shutter button halfway. So that appears to be working as well.

Of course, as they say, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating," so once I shoot several shots we'll see how the exposure is. I did notice that the aperature did stop down in the bright sunlight so I believe the meter is working........correctly, I don't know but will see when the film is developed.

Harlee · 09-13-2012

Took a number of shots with my refurbished XA1 today but ran into a problem midway through the roll. The film advance kept advancing and would have gone to the end of the roll, so I stopped around shot 15.

This weekend I'll remove the top and try to find out why the film advance thumb wheel won't stop. Perhaps a spring came off or something like that. It did that after I put it all back together but when I placed an exposed roll in it, it worked properly, and with a new roll in, it worked properly until frame #12 or so.

If any of you have a suggestion as to why the film advance won't stop I open to all suggestions. As soon as the film is developed I'll post some.

Noll · 09-14-2012

I have a working copy. if you need a photo of something inside for reference, let me know.

Harlee · 09-14-2012

Thank you Noll! I picked it up tonight planning on removing the bottom plate but upon looking it over and opening the back to remove some old film I noticed that the rewind button is pushed in and will not come out; so I removed the film and thought that perhaps if I put the film back in and start to rewind it the button would pop out. It didn't, so tomorrow I'll remove the bottom plate and perhaps it may need a drop of lube to free it up, or, it may be something else. Thank you for your help. I'll post what I find out tomorrow night.

Harlee · 09-15-2012

I removed the bottom of my XA1 and found the problem. Someone had tried to force the film advance thumbwheel when the camera was locked up and damaged two teeth on the plastic film advance gear. I'm going to attempt something which may or may not work. Attempt to repair the gear with a very small dab of epoxy and recut the teeth, or look for a damaged XA1. Stayed tuned!

wblynch · 09-17-2012

This is where those new 3-d printers will come in handy. Just print a new part!

Harlee · 09-17-2012

HEH, HEH, HEH!!! Hay, that's a great idea! I do have the repaired part back in the camera with a new roll of film, and so far.................it's advancing the film, but time will tell.

My pictures have come back and they look as good as what my XA2 or XA3 can do. I'll put some in the next post.

Harlee · 09-17-2012

Here are some first shots I took on my refurbished XA1!

Harlee · 09-17-2012

This is a Seaworld Rescue Team looking for a stranded manatee in this shallow body of water. If colder weather comes in, the manatee will die. I went back down there yesterday but the rescue team wasn't there. There is an inlet connecting to a Econlakhatchee River, which they blocked off to keep him from getting lost. Perhaps he already swam up the inlet into the river. I'm quite pleased with the results of the XA1. I didn't think I'd hear myself saying that.

Harlee · 09-19-2012

A few more shots with my XA1.

David Hughes · 09-20-2012

Hi,

Been away for a week or two and am glad to see the XA1 is working (and feeling less guilty too).

Regards, David

Harlee · 09-20-2012

Glad to see you back David. I head back in to Ukraine in two weeks and the XA1 will go with me; along with a few other picture takers.

Lawrence A. · 01-27-2013

I've been reading the saga of the broken XA1 with interest. Glad everything turned out OK. Despite the trashing it gets, I was pleasantly surprised by the one I got for $2 at a thrift store. A great camera for one handed shooting when I'm walking the dog. It's limitations are what they are, but it is capable of some very satisfying results -- and it's fun. If I had to keep only one of the series, I'd let it go to keep my XA, but I'm perfectly happy having both and using both.