Unlike almost every other camera I know, the meter movement of the XA is
oriented horizontally -- the needle rotates on pivots that point toward the
front and back of the camera instead of vertically. As a result, it's very easy
for vertical or lateral shock to knock the meter "off it's pivots". When this
happens, the needle will work somewhat, but not very well -- it will move a
little, but not freely, and then sometimes only when the camera is tapped
gently.
Another frequent problem with the XA's meter is that a turn of the coil spring
at the rear of the meter can easily loop over part of the arm it's attached to,
pulling the needle out of position, again with lateral shock. When this occurs,
the needle also doesn't move freely -- it isn't as "alive" as it should be, but
moves stiffly.
Either problem can usually be repaired, though the first situation may require
replacement of the meter.
Mickey Trageser wrote:
> I have an XA in very nice condition. It fires the flash, properly adjusts
> the aperture as selectec, and seems to vary the shutter speed depending on
> the light available. However, It seems to display shutter speeds that would
> be 2 to 3 stops over. Adjusting the filmspeed does move the sliding aperture
> over the meter cell, but I don't know whether it is positioned accurately.
> The adjustsment only seems to move the mechanism .25 inch or less. Is this
> right? Is there any known problem with this camera regarding the auto
> exposure? The shutter speed displayed seems to sound about as displayed.
> It's just that with 400 film, I'd expect higher speeds. Much.
>
> -Mickey
>
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