Olympus xa focusing. 1981 Olympus XA

81 Olympus XA

Year c.1981 Make Olympus Model XA Type rangefinder Film 135 (ISO 25 – 800) Lens F-Zuiko 35mm ƒ/2.8 Apertures ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 Speeds Automatic (1/500 – 10s) Meter CdS Filter none Battery 2 x LR44/A76/AG13 (alkaline) or 2 x 357/303/EPX76 (silver oxide) MSRP 200 (equal to 578 in 2021) Owned March 3, 2021 – present / March 22, 2021 – March 25, 2022.- Condition 6J (received) / 5E (current)

The Olympus XA that I am currently using is actually the second one that I have owned. The first one turned out to really be for parts only, it was completely beyond repair. After working on that broken one, I decided that I liked the form factor and feature set of the XA. The camera fits in my back jeans. so even on a spring day when I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt I have a place to stash the camera when I don’t want to hold it. The backlight exposure compensation and self timer options are nice features, which I actually use, that are not normally seen on compact cameras. This is on top of what originally drew me to this compact, aperture priority mode and the rangefinder.

Even though I couldn’t fix the first XA I got which was listed for parts or repair, I bought another one listed the same way. The second one noted that the battery check and self-timer worked, so I was reasonably confident that it would at least be free of corroded circuits. I had some ideas why the shutter would not release, but when I checked all of those components they were working properly. In this case it seemed that perhaps someone started winding the film while the shutter was still open, causing the mechanism to jam up. I was worried that I would need to remove the shutter assembly to fix the problem, and that wold require a near complete disassembly, which would in turn risk introducing more problems. Fortunately, after a fair bit of trail and error, I got lucky and was able to free the jam using a metal probe.

The broken XA has a serial number of 4,760,728, while the working one is 5,410,521. I’m not sure how many XAs were made, but the difference between these two serial numbers is 649,793. I’m guessing that means the working camera was built closer to 1985 and the other one is from 1981 or earlier. I cannot find documentation on the range of serial numbers for these cameras though, so I have no way to say for sure.

As everyone who uses an Olympus XA notes, the rangefinder is barely visible. On other cameras I have sometimes found that cleaning the rangefinder mirror brightens up focusing patch. Not on the XA. I have experimented with placing small pieces of tape in the center of the front viewfinder glass, but I’m not happy with that solution either. I assume that one of the lenses in the rangefinder assembly had a tint which has faded over time, so I’m currently experimenting with applying tint to the rangefinder window. The FOCUS throw is very short and the FOCUS scale is easily visible above the lens, so the weak rangefinder contrast is not a showstopper.

My First Olympus XA

This is the first camera that I purchased which I could not repair enough to even get one photo from it. I knew when I bought it that it was not working, but I thought it would at least be repairable. It was not. It was only 20, so maybe that should have been a clue. The clean outward appearance of the camera did not not suggest that it would beyond repair. It took some work to discover that the camera was unrepairable.

I followed all of the instructions in the repair manual. Page D-7 has a handy flow chart for troubleshooting a shutter which does not fire. The first step is to put in some batteries and use the battery check function. If the check fails, the manual says to check for broken or shorted battery lead wires.

There are five easy to get to screws on the bottom of the camera which hold the bottom plate on. Three long screws hold the side near the mode selector lever and two short screws hold the other side. The plate seemed to stick near the selector lever, but a gentle pry with a plastic spudger popped it loose. Removing the bottom plate allows the sliding cover to come off. There is a small roller bearing under the top of the sliding cover which will fall out when the cover is removed. The cover will not slide very well without that metal bearing, so be sure not to loose it when the sliding cover comes off.

With the bottom cover off it was easy to see the battery contacts. Sure enough, the negative lead was broken. It had corroded right where the wire enters the solder, which is not uncommon. The trouble with these tiny cameras is that when the wire breaks there is often not enough extra wire to strip the insulation and solder the wire back down. In this case there was just enough. Also, the metal battery contact goes up into the camera, so it would have been possible to reposition the solder point, but that would have required removing the shutter assembly. So, this was a lucky break.

While I had the bottom plate removed I also checked the electrical contacts on the mode selector lever. They were also corroded. The unusual thing about the bottom of this camera is that while the wires were corroded, the metal mechanical pieces were not. The gearing for the film wind mechanism and all the other mechanical parts were in perfect working order with minimal signs of wear. The contacts on the mode selector were plated with a gold colored metal. This plating was also coming off, but it had long since worn off on the parts that slide and make electrical contact.

After cleaning up the mode selector contacts and putting the bottom plate back on, it was time for another battery check. This time the battery check passed! The light on the front of the camera lit up and the buzzer in the top plate sounded. However, setting the mode to self timer and touching the shutter button did not start the self timer. The manual suggests checking switch number 2 and switch number 6. These are the winding complete switch and the front cover switch. To check these the bottom plate and sliding cover had to come off again. Then, the shutter assembly cover needed to be removed. Unfortunately, these switches were functioning properly and were not corroded.

The next troubleshooting step is to check switch number 1, the shutter release switch. This can be done without removing the top cover. Gently prying the switch cover off reveals the screw for dismantling the shutter switch. There is, however, a good chance that one of the small shutter button pieces will fall down inside the camera and the top cover will need to be removed to retrieve it. The switch on this camera was not faulty.

The final box of the troubleshooting flowchart says that the cause is “improper soldering or defective printed circuit of circuit board.” The chart also mentions 11 different ways in which they can be broken. And, every one of those requires removal of the shutter assembly for repair. Fortunately, the circuit board, which, by the way, is more of a ribbon than a board that was broken in this camera was easy to see. When the top cover is removed a portion of one circuit is visible. This circuit was clearly degraded. The green plastic was brittle and flaking off, revealing the actual copper circuits. The entire top of the camera showed signs of damage probably caused by moisture.

The damaged circuit wraps under the viewfinder, so the film wind dial and viewfinder needed to be removed. The hidden potions of the circuit were just as bad as the visible portions. I do not have the ability to print circuit ribbons, but this circuit is not too difficult to follow, especially since the coating was chipped off revealing the copper pathways. So, I decided to bypass the circuit pathways and create new ones from magnet wire.

At first creating patches was going surprisingly well. But, problems arose when I needed to move existing wires out of the way in order to solder in the patches. All of the wires were corroded, and many of them broke away from their solder points. One broke loose from the inside of the shutter assembly, so I had to disassemble the entire camera to get it fixed back in its place. I soldered every wire back and patched the broken circuit board pathways, but when I put the camera back together it still did not work.

The wiring on the camera was very fragile. It seems that the only way to get the camera working again would be by replacing every piece of wiring. But even that wouldn’t guarantee the camera would work, there could be more faulty electrical components. Based upon the friable circuit ribbon and wiring, it was highly likely that the camera was hiding further damage. So, I threw in the towel. I reassembled the camera, but have given up on it. I’m holding on to the it for now because the lens and mechanical components are in great shape, and I am sure I will come across another Olympus XA some day.

I’m not sure what this camera went through before it reached me, but the pattern of corrosion was odd to me. I visualized this camera being taken for a fun day at the beach when it fell off of the cooler and landed top-down in the sand, in a small puddle of ocean water. The day drew on and no one noticed the camera, boiling in a hot puddle of salt water, until they were packing up to go home. By then it was too late. They were able to save the partially used roll of film, but the camera was done for. This Olympus XA had one last glorious day at the beach. At least that’s the story I’ll tell about.

According to a contemporary advertisement

Come-alive style. 35mm simplicity.

Slide back the unique Dust Barrier and this revolutionary 35mm camera comes to life. OLYMPUS XA – ready for action. It’s capless and caseless, so it goes anywhere. Small enough to fit in a Simple enough for anyone to use. and professional enough to accept virtually every photographic challenge.

The XA doesn’t look like a camera. It doesn’t feel like a camera. Yet it takes beautiful full-frame 35mm photos and slides – the kind of shots that get the raves.

It’s aperture-priority simple. A double-image focusing system delivers crisply defined results every time. The electronic shutter is soft-touch smooth, so blurring from camera shake is a thing of the past. And the capable A-11 electronic flash makes night photography almost foolproof. You can even stand back and let the camera do the work. The audio-visual self-timer signals with blinks and beeps. Puts you in the picture, stylishly.

OLYMPUS originality is beautifully obvious in the remarkable XA Capsule Camera. And OLYMPUS precision make this compact 35 just as dependable as the fine line of OLYMPUS OM cameras.

Now there’s a lively new way to take great pictures. It’s THE XA WAY.

The Viewfinder

The viewfinder is absolutely fine. The rangefinder patch is usually but not always rubish, but there is a meter which indicates the expected shutter speed. Having a meter instead of just over/under lights is very nice for a camera of this age.

Olympus XA XA2: Great things come in small packages

The Olympus XA and XA2 — essentially two variations of the same camera — both pack a ton of easy quality into a tiny little package.

Physically the two look almost identical, and the functional differences are minor, though important. The two biggest assets each possesses are the superb lens and the extremely compact frame.

Both feature auto-exposure, but the XA is a true rangefinder with aperture-priority, while the XA2 moved to a zone-FOCUS system and full program auto mode. In many ways, they could be considered the spiritual successors to the Olympus Trip 35.

I’m considering the two together here because there will be so much overlap, both in the description and specs, and in the actual review.

The Olympus XA

The XA debuted in mid-1979 and was in production until 1985. It features a sharp 35mm f/2.8 F.Zuiko lens (six elements — remember the letter designation before “Zuiko” indicates, by its position in the alphabet, the number of elements in an Olympus lens), aperture-priority and a rangefinder.

The lens design is very complex, which it had to be. It uses internal focusing so the front element never moves in or out of the body, and in order to keep the camera compact, the physical length of the lens is actually less than its 35mm focal length. Minimum focusing distance is just under three feet.

The rangefinder is coupled to the lens and the FOCUS lever protrudes from the bottom of the lens area. The film speed selector is just above it on the bottom side of the lens, and offers speeds from ASA 25 to 800. The film speed selector actually selects from a range of masks with varying sized holes in front of the CdS meter cell.

In the middle of the lens assembly, behind the aperture, is the two-blade leaf shutter, and the aperture-priority auto-exposure system is capable of speeds from 10 seconds down to 1/500 second. There is a FOCUS distance scale visible on the top edge of the lens through a clear window, which is marked in meters only outside the U.S., and feet only on cameras for the U.S. market.

The viewfinder features a shutter speed display on the left edge, with markings from 1 second to 1/500 second, and over- or underexposure areas at each end; the needle moves to the speed selected by the auto-exposure system. In the center is the rangefinder patch, which is small but offers good contrast.

The XA’s two-bladed aperture is controlled by a slider on the right side of the front of the body and stops positively at each full stop from f/2.8 down to a minimum of f/22. Push the slider all the way to the top, past f/2.8, to switch on the flash, if attached, and also set the aperture to f/4 and shutter speed to 1/30 second. Apparently you can then move the slider back to f/2.8 for more ambient light in flash photos.

The shutter release is a red button on the top of the camera, which locks when the clamshell cover is closed. Closing the cover actually turns off the camera completely, and as a result, the XA’s two SR44 batteries can last many years. The shutter button is electronic, triggered by a microswitch under the plastic button, and takes only a feather touch. Focus resets to infinity when you close the cover, as well, and a tiny blind extends to guard the rangefinder window.

On the bottom of the camera is a switch that enables the self-timer or the battery test, as well as a 1.5-stop exposure compensation mode for backlit situations. The self-timer runs about about 12 seconds, during which a red LED on the front of the camera blinks and the camera beeps to indicate the countdown.

The film advance is a plastic thumbwheel not unlike that of the Ilford HP5 single-use camera or many very cheap cameras.

The XA has a passable point-and-shoot mode, too. Just set the aperture and FOCUS to f/5.6 and 3 meters (both marked in orange) to get reasonably sharp pictures with no further input, near or far.

Film loading and rewinding is quite typical of a 35mm camera: a spool release button on the underside, a flip-up rewind crank which you pull to release the door, etc. The frame counter resets automatically when you change the film, and it counts up to at least 40 frames.

While most XAs are black, they were also available in a range of other colors including red, blue, and a putty color reminiscent of early IBM PC cases.

The Olympus XA2

The XA2 looks for all the world like an XA clone, which it just about is. It was introduced in 1981 as a lower-budget option, and remained in production until 1986. Three primary differences separate it from the XA:

The first, and probably biggest, difference from the XA is the less complex four-element D.Zuiko 35mm lens, with its maximum aperture a half-stop slower at f/3.5. The shutter and aperture designs remained about the same, though the shutter speed range in the XA2 is from 2 seconds down to 1/750 second.

Next, the XA’s aperture priority auto-exposure was replaced by full program mode on the XA2. Set the film speed and FOCUS, and the camera does the rest.

Third is the FOCUS method: the XA2 dropped the optical rangefinder in favor of zone focusing, and repurposed the unnecessary aperture slider as a FOCUS selector. Focus resets to medium distance each time the clamshell cover is closed. The orange marking, again, allows point-and-shoot functionality with a FOCUS range that’s likely to achieve reasonable FOCUS from a few feet all the way to infinity in most circumstances.

Both cameras share virtually every other feature and otherwise function identically. They are both compatible with the popular A11 flash attachment (micro review: it’s weak, but small and portable, and good enough for pictures of your friend’s birthday party — but only just), which screws into the left side of the camera and uses a proprietary electrical connector. They even share most of the same strengths and weaknesses.

Carrying the XA and XA2

Not going to beat around the bush here, they’re getting five stars in spite of some noteworthy issues. But let me tell you why…

I heard about the XA and XA2 from Andrew MacGregor, who recommended it highly for hiking and walking, and any other activity where something ultralight would be an asset. He could hardly have been more right about it.

Either one fits great right into the hip-belt on my old Osprey Switch 255 pack (which I use for hiking, not skiing, but like for its 2.5-liter hydration bladder, and because I already have it), and weighs a pittance (the XA weighs more by about three quarters of an ounce, but both are under half a pound). Thanks to the brilliant lens and clamshell design, it’s well-protected however I toss my pack around, and when it comes out, it’s ready to shoot as fast as I can open the cover.

The killer app here is the lens, though. The XA wins in terms of sharpness and speed, but the XA2 seems to suffer slightly less pincushion distortion. Both are almost completely free of chromatic aberration, and each suffers from a little bit of vignetting — slightly less on the XA2, but not enough to be a deciding factor between the two.

The difference is really in the amount of control you have as the user — do you like focusing precisely and using aperture-priority, or is zone-FOCUS and full program more to your liking? There is really nothing else different enough to recommend one over the other.

That said, I prefer the XA — probably because I like having more control. If all the XAs in the world disappeared and I was stuck with an XA2, though, I wouldn’t shed a tear. That’s really just fine.

I picked up my first XA2 at a swap meet for something like 25; since then I’ve found several more at thrift stores for lower (the Olympus XA series is of that ilk which, like the Stylus Epic mju-II and Yashica T2/T3/T4, wind up in the bin with the Kodak Advantix cameras). The XA was a gift from a friend who thought I’d prefer the real rangefinder — I do.

The XA2’s zone FOCUS shares the same fatal flaw as every other zone FOCUS camera I’ve used (except the Olympus Trip 35): I just plain forget to check my FOCUS half the time, or I misestimate and it’s off by a mile. That it resets to the middle distance every time I close it is rather annoying, too. I understand why it’s set up that way, but I don’t like it.

The aperture setting on the XA is almost as hard for me to remember, sometimes. It doesn’t bother me nearly as much, though, because in-FOCUS photographs made at f/5.6 are just fine most of the time.

The viewfinders on both are relatively small, but adequate. They aren’t terribly bright, though. The XA’s shutter speed display is very difficult to see, in fact — you have to get your eye in there are just the right angle, which also applies to the brightline framing guides in both cameras. My XA’s shutter speed needle just bounces around randomly, but doesn’t seem to actually indicate what it’s meant to correctly. I didn’t find that to be an issue, however, as the shutter still obviously selects different speeds in different conditions.

The film rewind knob and its shaft are made of plastic. It hasn’t happened to me yet, but I worry it will one day break while rewinding a stubborn cassette. The crank, too, is small and short, and I found my fingers slipped off the knob frequently while rewinding — an annoyance.

In spite of the rewind assembly, the cover, and the advance knob being plastic, though, the majority of the camera’s body is in fact made of thin and robust steel, and it’s quite solidly built.

The XA and XA2 both fit equally comfortably in my hands, and the few controls are placed conveniently. The worst side effect of the compact size is that once or twice I accidentally got a fingertip into the relatively wide field of view. Though it may not be great ergonomically, it’s so light I doubt that matters.

Though it’s convenient, the shutter release is a conundrum. It’s so easy to trigger, most of the time, that I let shots off by accident too often. On the other hand, it offers virtually no tactile feedback; it hardly moves at all and if it doesn’t trigger accidentally sometimes I find I have to press harder than I think is reasonable to get it to activate. I think that was really a foible of this one particular XA2, but the inconsistency is frustrating. The XA has been more consistent, so it may really be a question of finding an XA or XA2 that works just right for you.

That said, once triggered, the shutter is amazingly quiet. Just a barely audible click and you’re away.

Oh yeah — a nifty feature I like: the shutter (and the whole camera) is turned off with the clamshell cover closed — except when you open the back to change the film. You can operate the shutter and advance the film as needed with the back open; then close it and open the front cover to finish advancing from the start position to frame 1.

When all is said and done, the Olympus XA and XA2 both offer a ton of bang for your buck, especially as inexpensively as they can be had. Even at eBay prices, they’re a good value. If you’re not absolutely sure you need the flash, a camera without one can save you as much as half the average cost.

If you want a camera to slip in a purse or briefcase, or even slip into a jacket or back (yeah, it even fits in your jeans — probably), I’d be hard-pressed to think of anything better.

Olympus XA

WELL FOLKS they just don’t get much more compact than this. Smaller than many a point-and-shoot, this is actually a full-featured compact rangefinder with lever-action split-image focusing. ‘Twas designed by Olympus’ famous Yoshihisa Maitani (Olympus Pen, OM) to be a camera among cameras, a professional-quality compact rangefinder in a sea of amateur compact rangefinders (C35?). The 6 element, 5 group f2.8 35mm Zuiko (BTW the F in F.Zuiko means 6 elements, you count it out from A) lens is a pro quality performer, particularly above f8, and supposedly even better in its 4 element 3 group 28mm f3.5 incarnation found on the later and rarer XA4 (which also boasted DX coding and closer focusing). The thing is so small and light it slips right into a ! It’s about 4″ x 2 1/2″ x 1 1/2″.

The XA is a quirky combination of well-designed and inconvenient features. The shutter release is a nice electromagnetic feather-touch button to reduce camera shake, the viewfinder shows the auto-selected shutter speed. Not to mention a 1.5EV setting for backlit situations, very nice. However, the ASA is manually set with a tricky tiny lever and the only compatible flashes are the Olympus A11 and A16 in a proprietary non-standard mount, no hotshoe or PC sync. No filters either. And that feathertouch shutter release is a double-edged sword: I have some nice abstracts from when I hit it by accident just holding the camera or changing hands… but you can live with the shortcomings. It’s like a mini pro rangefinder masquerading as a compact point and shoot. sized and ultra-quiet, it’s like the perfect street photography rangefinder. (Mine was listed on ebay as ‘ Spy Camera’.) The only way it could be easier is if it were actually an autofocus point-and-shoot. Oh right, that would be the Olympus Stylus…

The XA has a bit of a cult following and it’s easy to see why, easier say than that unlikely and absolute triumph of modern marketing, the LOMO Compact Automat (LC-A). That’s another story for another time. Or now. See here for details.

Repairs

So far just some really gummy and crumbly light seals, apparently a different kind of foam than in a lot of cameras but needing replacement 20 years later nevertheless. Did the same as I did on the XA2 and replaced the seal by the hinge with film canister felt cut to width and laid end to end, glued with Pliobond. The other seals seem ok for now…

I’ve read that a common issue is inconsistent shutter tripping when pressing the red plastic button; apparently if it’s pressed too hard it can deform and if it’s not perfectly flat on the bottom it doesn’t trip the shutter. But it can be removed and lightly sanded, apparently that helps quite a bit.

Tips Tricks

Tip appropriated from the quirky LOMO LC-A: in low light, don’t move until you hear the second shutter click, the first is the shutter opening and the second is it closing. I have some nice available light abstracts I got by not figuring this out quickly enough. It may take a couple of seconds depending on the ASA and the light. In fact the sample above was chosen for its “LOMOesque” quality. Just think, these are cheaper, too! OK I’ll stop.

Super-nice feature: the FOCUS lever only moves about 12mm to FOCUS from 2.8′ to infinity for ultra-fast focusing… better yet, the distance scale shows on top of the camera on a little wheel so you don’t have to look too far for the appropriate distance. The 8′ and f5.6 marks are in red, keep set to these marks for optimum point-and-shoot-ivity.

The sliding cover (‘dust barrier’) must be open to fire the shutter, and must be closed to open the back for film loading/unloading. The two button batteries (note – only silver oxide batteries are recommended, don’t use alkaline) are supposed to last a year before needing replacement.

One last mention about the flash – with 400 speed film and a shutter that goes from 10 seconds to 1/500 there’s hardly any need for a flash at all… (see first tip again)

Related Links

• Here’s a page dedicated to the Olympus XAs
• Archive of the XA FAQ
• You know it’s a classic if it has a page at Classic Camera
• Oh, I almost forgot, I have the official manual on my Manuals page

Olympus XA3 – Red cameras go faster

Everyone knows that red cars go faster. Ok, they feel faster. Does this translate to cameras? It sort of does with this one, as the Olympus XA3 does meter for faster film than the camera it replaced, the XA2. The argument does break apart though, as they did come in black, blue and white as well as red, but as this review is of a red one, we’ll go with that.

There has been a lot of interest in compact cameras lately, driving up the considerably for sought after models. Luckily Olympus made so many compacts, and types of compacts which allows them to be considerably more affordable. Even the mju, while a little expensive, are still lower priced than a lot of the “in fashion” compacts. During the process of alternating flavours of the month, there has consistently been an affordable alternative, the Olympus XA series. The main differential being the lack of autofocus, which considering the age of the cameras, can be benefit. One less thing to break.

The original XA is favoured by photographers who prefer manual rangefinder cameras, while the XA2 is operated with basic zone focusing. This was also carried into the XA3 and XA4. The XA1, considered the runt of the litter, was fixed focused.

The XA3 is not as common as the XA2, which does make it a little harder to locate one for sale. The good news is that due to the design, where the camera literally protects itself by being a clamshell, they do tend to be still working. Olympus has a great history in innovating in the small camera market, you can see a other examples in the Olympus Pen S, The Trip or the EE-2.

Small and compact is a perfect description of this camera, it can fit into a coat very easily, albeit without the A11 flash attached. The lens will be protected by the clamshell cover and with the cover closed, the camera is completely off, allowing the batteries to last an extraordinary amount of time. The ingenious design of the lens makes it possible for this to be so compact without needing extra mechanics to “pop” it out.

All this convenience is not worthwhile if the camera does not produce quality results, and this where Olympus really scored the goal. There are limitations but they can be weighed up against the convenience. First a little more about the XA3, the camera in red.

History

Maitani Yoshihisa is largely responsible for Olympus being such a successful camera company from the late 1950’s through to the present day. While he has passed away, his philosophy of compact, efficient, functional and quality cameras have continued even in the current Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Olympus released the original XA in 1979, which was a rangefinder camera, but one that does not look like any other. Exposure is only via aperture priority with a manually controlled aperture. Metering is through a battery powered CdS meter. It utilises a six element 35mm f/2.8 lens.

About a year later the XA2 was released. It has a simplified FOCUS control, by using a very basic zone system and the lens is slower at f/3.5. It does not have aperture selection and the camera selects the aperture based on the FOCUS zone selected and exposure metering. The camera colours were also introduced with the XA2.

In 1982, the XA1 was introduced, with a fixed FOCUS f/4 lens, limited shutter speeds and ISO options. It also has a selenium meter which limits its lifespan but being mechanical does avoid the need for batteries. This is still considered the red headed step child of the series.

The XA3 and XA4 were introduced in 1985. The main differences to the XA2 is that ISO selection is upgraded up to 1600 from 800 and DX coding function was introduced. Also re-introduced is the backlight switch, which the XA2 did not have. The XA4 also has a 28mm lens rather than the 35mm. These were available new until the early nineties when the Stylus and mju models were released.

All models have attachment flash units, which are interchangeable and attach to the side rather than usual hot shoe method.

While it is very unlikely that Olympus will ever release a film camera again, it would be interesting if they would release a modern micro four thirds version of the XA series, there should be a place in the photography world for this design.

Camera Specifics

The Olympus XA3 is a compact 35mm camera in a clamshell design. The clamshell cover both protects the lens and turns the camera on and off. This allows the camera to not only save the batteries when closed, but also makes the camera ready for shooting the moment it is slid open. A handy little feature to allow it to be ready quickly is that it resets the FOCUS distance to the most used one when closed, so it is not focusing on close-up or landscape when the camera is needed quickly.

There are three focusing options, the two-people headshot, the two-people full body and the mountain. They relate in terms of distance ranges of 1m (3.3ft) to 1.5m (5ft), 1.2m (4ft) to infinity and 2.5m (8.3ft) to infinity respectively. The FOCUS is controlled by a lever on the right side of the lens while holding the camera. The FOCUS controls the aperture chosen by the camera in conjunction with the meter.

The camera is powered by two LR44 or SR44 1.5v button batteries. The batteries power the meter and the electronic shutter.

The CdS exposure meter is situated just above the lens, but its positioning and the fact the lens does not have filter threads, due to the clamshell design, does not allow this camera to utilise filters yet alone meter for them. Under the lens is the ISO selector switch with options from ISO 25 through to 1600. The selection is only active if the film does not have DX coding. If the DX coding is present, it will always use the film’s box speed. Under the ISO selector is the flash switch, which only activates if the flash is connected.

The lens is an Olympus Zuiko 35mm f/3.5 with four elements in four groups. It has a unique design, used by Olympus historically to allow them to maintain small compact camera sizes. It is an ingenious design, in that it allows the lens to sit a lot closer to the film plane than nearly all other camera lenses. As such, it minimises protrusion of the lens allowing for the small form factor. Step-less aperture range is from f/3.5 to f/22.

Shutter speed, automatically selected by the camera based on the exposure metering, has a range of 2 seconds through to 1/750 second. The shutter button is an electronic red button. A backlight override is available within a multi-switch at the bottom of the camera. This gives an extra 1.5 stops of exposure. The switch also has a battery check function and the self-timer.

The viewfinder is a simple affair with clear frame markings. On the bottom right it has an indicator light to notify the photographer if the shutter speed is slower than 1/30 second. On the left there is an indicator that the flash is attached and on. Neither warnings stop the camera from firing.

Film is loaded by opening the back with pulling out the film rewind crank. Loading is simple, by placing of the film from left to right, no threading is required. The forward wind is the usual wind on thumb wheel from Olympus. To rewind the film, the button on the bottom is depressed and the film rewind crank is rotated until the film is back in the canister. The film counter is located on the top plate next to the shutter release button.

Finally, there is a tripod socket on the bottom for the slower speed photographs.

Normally a flash unit would be covered separately, but the screw on flash accessories for the XA series are such as integral part of the overall camera. There are four different models, this one is the usual packaged one, the A11. The A11 attaches to the camera from the side, by screwing in a black wheel on the left side. The unit is contoured to fit the camera perfectly. Initially when connected it is off, but with the flick of the switch on the camera, it turns on and the little orange light at the top pops up indicating its status to everyone. Pressing down the orange light turns the unit off.

There are two settings for the flash, ISO 100 and 400. A guide at the back of the flash unit describes the flash distances for the two settings, being 2.5m (8ft) and 5m(16ft) respectively. The idea being that for films up to ISO 125, ISO 100 is used and for ISO 400 film, ISO 400 is used. There is no indication on what to use for ISO 200 or above 400 in the manual, so this would take some trial and error. The flash is powered by one AA battery.

Allowing the flash to be a separate accessory makes the camera much easier to and have around, especially with the matching red wrist strap.

The Experience

I was looking for a “take everywhere” camera, especially something I can take to work and use during my break. I had been keen on the idea of the XA2 originally as I wanted something not overly expensive like the Contax T2, Olympus mju or Yashica T4 etc. I also wanted something that had less electronics than those to give it a little more life expectancy. I then read about the XA3 with the option of ISO 1600 and the backlight switch and I was sold.

I found this one on eBay from a seller in Spain. I was not intending on a red one, but when I saw it, and also realised the XA3 was really limited in numbers for the coloured ones, I snapped it up. I have not regretted it since, but it does have a few quirks.

The DX code function was sold as a feature when it was originally released 1985, as most of the targeted consumers were using this camera as a family snaps camera. For film shooters these days this can be a little limiting, and the fact that you cannot override it if the film is coded is a little annoying. I get around it by taping over the coded area of the film with some electrical tape, red of-course. The camera then assumes the film is not coded and works off the selector.

I quickly loaded some film, first some Ilford HP5, my preferred film stock, and set the ISO at 800. It gave me such a sense of freedom while out shooting. I did not have to worry about exact focusing, or exposure settings and this little red wonder did it all for me. It was very easy to pull out, slide open the cover and shoot. The one thing that I felt could have been done better is the shutter release button. Being electronic it is a very shallow and more out of habit than required, I would half-press to check the exposure was ok. It is very sensitive and I did fire off a few shots without expecting to.

In terms of operation there is not that much more to it. The XA3 effectively blends into the background, even when it is red, and just lets you frame your shot whether on the street or in family events. The exposure is accurate, not too many wrongly exposed shots to worry about, but if I was nit-picking I did find it did underexpose by half a stop in the darker situations.

The build quality is also quite impressive. It may be small, but it has a metal body, and while I would not call it heavy, it has some heft so feels good in your hand. This is a camera that feels like it will take a knock or two. The flash unit on the other hand is very plastic and feels like it can break very easily.

The quality from the lens really surprised me. I had read that it produced above its weight and the results showed this was correct. Both on HP5 and when I went colour with Kodak Porta 400, the results were sharp, clear and well exposed. Porta 800 were not as good, but I suspect this is the film, as I have not had results that I like with that film on other cameras. This is more on the colour rendition of which I am comfortable with from the results I had with Porta 400 on this camera.

There is some light fall-off starting from the centre, which is expected on a lot of compact cameras. It is there but not so significant where it detracts from the image. When I scanned the film on return from the lab, I have not tried to correct it as I do not find it distracting enough to worry about it.

importantly I looked at the quality of the lens sharpness and this is where I was really impressed. For such a small lens, it is impressive. With the portrait setting, where I assume the aperture is open wide at f/3.5 there is some sharpness loss towards the corners, but generally everything is sharp. Stopped down and this is no longer a problem. Also since most pictures taken which the XA3 are in the middle FOCUS setting, depth of field tends to be from front to back.

While being a red camera is not the most stealthy camera to use, the XA3 is a fantastic camera not just for general use but for also on the street. It is a camera you can have with you all the time, produces great images and is a lot of fun to use, in that it does not get in your way. All positives in my book.

Vintage Camera Review: Olympus XA2

The Olympus XA2 probably isn’t as famous at its predecessor, but it is quite a beautiful and simple camera to use. In some ways I think about it as Olympus’ version of the Lomography LCA camera. It’s characterized by its simple operation, its very interesting flash design, its small size, and its pretty darned good image quality. These days, I’d strongly recommend it as a compact film shooter for anyone who loves street photography or even just wants something incredibly able. Where the Olympus XA had aperture priority control, the Olympus XA2 doesn’t. Instead, you’ve got ISO control and zone focusing. That’s it. Otherwise, you’re at the mercy of a very good light meter. Of course, you can always trick the camera using ISO changes, but you may not want to do that all the time.

The Olympus XA2 was tested with the flash it comes with along with Fujifilm Superia 200.

Tech Specs

Specs for the Olympus XA2 were borrowed from Matt’s Classic Cameras

• Produced 1980-86 Olympus Optical Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
• Film type 135 (35mm)
• Picture size 24mm x 36mm
• Weight 200g
• Lens D.Zuiko 35mm 1:3.5-22 (4 elements in 3 groups)
• Focal range 1.3m to infinity in 3 zones
• Filter size n/a
• Shutter Olympus between-lens
• Shutter speeds 2s-1/750 aperture-priority automatic
• Viewfinder Albada-type bright-line finder
• Exposure meter CdS
• Battery two SR44 / S76 silver oxide button
• ASA 25-800
• Self-timer
• Thumbwheel winder

Ergonomics

The Olympus XA2 is a compact film camera in every sense. The lens cover simply slides on or off while still staying on the camera itself. The flash for it, the Olympus A11, can screw into the side when it needs to be used.

When the lens is unsheathed, it looks like this. By default, the focusing on the left side in this image defaults to the middle position. This is the zone focusing area. No, this camera won’t be doing macros. Instead, it’s great for street work. There is ISO control as well as a 35mm f3.5 lens.

When you’re done using the Olympus XA2 you can close the camera back up and protect the lens. Indeed, it’s pretty small overall.

At the top here, you’ll find this red button. It’s very subtle and small, but that’s how you activate the shutter. On the bottom of the Olympus XA2 is a film release button and then you can use the winder up top to rewind the film. Pull that lever up and the back will pop open for you to take your film out and reload some new stuff.

Build Quality

The Olympus XA2 has an all-plastic body. It isn’t cheaply built though but I’m very careful not to drop it. It’s also not very friendly to be used with a camera strap unless you use something that goes into the tripod socket. What’s really nice is the design that reveals the lens and closes it back up for storage. Olympus could use a heck of alot more compact cameras with this design.

Ease of Use

The Olympus XA2 is pretty simple to use as long as you remember you’re not in control of the exposure for the most part. It has a meter built in and you’ll need to remember the maximum aperture of f3.5. With that said, it makes a whole lot of sense to keep the flash on and to also remember how far out you’re focusing with the camera.

Focusing

Focusing the Olympus XA2 is done with this switch on the side where your right hand will hold the camera. It works via zone focusing. One setting shows full body, one half body, and one for infinity. As you look through the lens, you learn to figure out how far away the camera will FOCUS based on these settings. In some ways this is easier than other methods.

Image Quality

My version has a bit of light leaks, but that’s never harmed anyone.

The Olympus XA2 is a pretty fantastic camera that belongs in the hands of anyone who’d love to get into analog film photography, but let’s go deeper.

Who is the Olympus XA2 for? I’d say it’s for anyone looking to get into film photography with a point and shoot and street photographers. If you’re looking for something a step up from a disposable camera, this would be it.

What makes the Olympus XA2 so special? That would be the small size, the lens covering, the flash, and the simple use.

When would you want to use the Olympus XA2? The ISOs don’t go up too high, but as long as you’ve got the flash you’ll be fine in lower light situations. Take it with you everywhere. But also keep in mind that you should be careful with it. It isn’t weather sealed.

How does one make the most use of the Olympus XA2? You can make the most of the XA2 by loading black and white film and shooting some street photography. The fairly soft aesthetic of the lens combined with the light leaks this camera gave me is pretty appealing to me.

Why would you get the Olympus XA2? It’s pretty affordable. You can use it before you step up to something like a film SLR, film rangefinder, or a more complicated point and shoot like the Hexar AF.

Chris Gampat

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris’s editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He’s the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He’s fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he’s legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men’s lifestyle and tech. He’s a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He’s also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like Secret Order of the Slice. PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at BH Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he’s evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he’s done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, WordPress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he’s learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn’t get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don’t do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.

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