Olympus XA

I came across an Olympus XA on Ebay for a decent price, so I jumped for it.  It's a 35mm film camera with a 35mm f/2.8 lens that fits pretty comfortably in my pocket.  I'd say it's only slightly chunkier than my Sony RX100.

I think the XA is prettier, though.  It's great example of clean, compact product design.  It came out in 1979, and I'd call it ahead of its time.

The focus and aperture are controlled via very accessible levers on the front, and the shutter button is that red plate on top.  There is also a lever on the bottom plate that sets self timer, +1.5 stop compensation, and battery check that is unobtrusive but easy to access when you need it, which probably isn't all that often.

My favorite thing about it is that red shutter button.  It takes barely any pressure to activate, with what feels like a crude electrical contact underneath, so it's pretty much a hair trigger, which is pretty fun.

Just don't be discouraged by that ratcheting film advance wheel.  There's no way they'd have fit a proper lever on this, so you'll have to advance your film like on a disposable camera.

I took it out with some of my stock of Ilford HP5+.

The image quality is pretty good.  There's been better, but nothing at nearly this size.  But hey, it's a full frame pocket camera!

It actually feels quicker than using the Sony RX100, which is my favorite pocket digital camera.  There's no software to boot, you can compose in an instant with an optical viewfinder, and then you can focus and set your aperture at the same time simply by feel.  It doesn't take long to have all the controls figured out.

The thing about it is, the rangefinder is really dim compared to the other rangefinders I've used.  Maybe it's just my particular XA's condition, but it's faint to the point where it's useless in many cases.  The lever is really easy to feel out though, so most of the time it's just easy to guess.

Sorry, RX100.  I loved you dearly, but I'm going to have to go with the Olympus XA.  If there's something that really needs digital, I'll pull out my phone.  When it comes to having a great quick-draw camera in the right place and time, the XA is my new go-to.