I recently got my hands on an Olympus XA and a Rollei 35 with a Tessar 3.5 40mm lens. The following is the first part of my review of these camera gems as it relates to street photography. This first part will discuss the aesthetics of the camera. The second part (coming soon) will discuss the actual photographs (this is probably what you’re after most).
For those street photographers who started taking photos in the digital age, you were left with the usual quandary. On one hand, you loved the DSLRs for their creative control, no obvious shutter lag, and the ability to use interchangeable lenses to fit your needs as a shooter. On the other hand, the DSLR’s were bulky, sometimes intimidating to your subjects, and, as they were bulky, you didn’t always have the camera in your hand to take the shots.
So, you thought, let me try some of these apparently fast automatic digital point and shoots, like the G powershot series and the Sigma DP series etc. On one hand, you liked the compact nature of these cameras, in that you could reasonably keep these cameras in your pocket or jacket to take a shot when and where you wanted to, such as, for example, in the subway. On the other hand, the small sensors had terrible noise when bumping up the ISO in low light conditions and, most importantly, there was shutter lag. And, when you are trying to do surreptitious shooting, the damn lcd screen is on unless you turn it off before hand. Either way, you got by, but you wondered whether there was a way not to compromise.
That was essentially the dilemma. Most street shooters got around this by having both. One DSLR in their bag and the small automatic p&s in their pockets. Then, assuming you got the shots you wanted, you work hard post-processing to convert it to black and white so that it can look close to what you may remember back in the day of what your black and white shots looked like.
Of course, some street shooters are excited by the new 4/3rds system with the compact cameras but again you worry about shutter lag and all that jazz endemic with small compact digital cameras.
Enter the Olympus XA and the Rollei 35. These cameras are small, i.e., you can fit them in your hand. They are also “full frame” cameras. Oh, and yeah, they use film, so obviously developing is always an issue.
Let’s start with the Olympus XA. The damn thing looks like a toy camera. It has a 28mm lens and essentially has an aperture priority mode. It comes with a rangefinder, although it does not have the brightness of a Leica. Then again, you’re not paying $1000 plus for an Olympus XA. You can get one off ebay for under $100. For street shooters, this camera is a gem of outrageous proportions for the following reasons.
First, the sound of the leaf shutter clicking is so quiet you cannot hear it. It’s about as quiet as a digital point and shoot camera. The shutter “button,” and I use quotes because it’s not really a button but almost a hair trigger switch, is so easy to use. You barely have to press it for it to fire. And, to advance the film, it uses the same “technology” as disposable cameras to advance the film . . . that plastic rotating disc. However, the XA doesn’t have a loud noise when you are advancing film, unlike a disposable camera. This camera is a gem for taking shots in the subway, because the shutter sound is nearly inaudible.
Second is obviously the size. No one knows you have a camera. It fits good in your hand and makes it easy for thumb shooting (specifically, if you are shooting from the hip, which is what I primarily do). The problem with the size is that if you have big hands, like myself, the camera almost seems too small. In that regard, you can’t put the entire wrist strap around your wrist because it will constrict your hand too much. I solved this easy problem by just putting the wrist strap around my fingers.
Third is the look of the camera. It looks like a cheap toy camera. And, because it’s wide angle, even if you are bringing it to your face, you don’t have to necessarily point it directly at the subject to get the subject. It’s not a sexy camera and thus attracts almost no attention, particularly if you put electrical tape over the annoying olympus name over the clam shell.
Finally, the camera is easy to use. Easy to load film. Easy to start taking shots. The issue you will find with most of these cameras is finding a light meter that is accurate and a rangefinder that is bright enough. The camera generally overexposes so I adjust the iso up to, for example, 200 or 400 if my film iso is 100, thereby adjusting it by 1 or 2 stops. Since I rarely ever bring the camera to my eye, the rangefinder is essentially useless for me unless I’m prefocussing. Further, I’m a walking street photographer as opposed to a stationary one, so I use more the scale focussing technique with this camera than the actual rangefinder.
All in all, aesthetically, this camera shines for a street photographer. It’s the quietest thing I have had my hands on which I can fit in my pocket (try doing that with a Leica M3).
The Rollei 35 is a sexy camera. Unlike the XA, which looks like plain jane, this camera will attract some attention because of its classic box looks. That said, it’s small enough that most people won’t be able to see what you’re holding. Further, unlike the XA, it’s fully manual.
The Rollei 35 takes some getting used to. For example, the shutter button is on the right side and the shutter advance is on the left side. This is not so great if you’re doing one handed shooting. Further, loading the film is a little tricky at first (not so tricky like the older Leicas) but not as easy as the XA. The shutter sound is louder than the XA but still quiet.
Some street photographers may have issues with its lack of a rangefinder, but if you’re comfortable with scale focussing, it shouldn’t really matter. The 40mm is wide enough so that getting acceptable focus is not going to be extraordinarily difficult. There is a light meter on the Rollei 35, but I haven’t tested mine for accuracy. I generally use the Sunny 16 rule which has served me just fine. I’m not taking shots of indoor models here for a magazine so I’m not terrible concerned about the light meter. I keep it at f/8 and 125 for most situations and that covers it.
With my hands, I find the Rollei 35 a bit easier to thumb shoot with from the hip than the XA. However, Rollei 35 also put the lens collapse button right next to the leaf shutter button so at first you may find yourself pressing the lens collapse button instead of the leaf shutter button.
Further, unlike the XA, where all you have to do to start shooting is to open the clam shell, with the Rollei, you have to i) remove the lens cover and ii) extend the lens. All of this takes 3 seconds, but it’s 3 seconds more than what you have to do with the XA. Since the lens doesn’t stick out terribly much, I usually leave the lens already extended so it’s ready to fire.
Aesthetically, you can’t go wrong with either camera, as they make great street shooters for their size and back to basics feel. The Rollei 35 is a sexier camera and may make you want to take more shots with, but the XA is a workhorse and comes in significantly cheaper than the Rollei. I think this is based not on results so much as it is the Rollei looks cool and feels cool.
If want to add something new to your street photography arsenal, I strongly suggest you look at these two cameras. In a few weeks, I’ll add a review of what kind of photographs these cameras are capable of taking in the street photography realm. For now, though, this review is limited to what these cameras feel like on the street.
Filed under: Street Photography | Tagged: "street photography" "street shooters" "Olympus XA" "Rollei 35" "film cameras" "compact cameras" "manual cameras"
