Olympus XA

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XA and XA2

1 Description
- 1.1 XA
- 1.2 XA2
- 1.3 XA1
- 1.4 XA3
- 1.5 XA4
- 1.6 Accessories
- 1.7 Links
- 1.8 Photos

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Description

The Olympus XA series of cameras were a range of very compact cameras in a clam-shell case. They were designed for Olympus by Yoshihisa Maitani. The series was largely replaced by the Stylus/mju series in 1991.

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XA

The XA, introduced in 1979 was the benchmark of the series containing a true rangefinder focusing mechanism and an aperture priority exposure system within its tiny case. It had a six element Zuiko 35mm f:2.8 lens, a CdS exposure meter and a shutter to 1/500.

XA2 with optional flash unit A11

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XA2

The XA2, introduced in 1980, was a simplified version of the XA with zone focusing and a programmed exposure system. It had a four element Zuiko 35mm f:3.5 lens, a CdS exposure meter and a shutter to 1/750.

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XA1

The XA1, introduced in 1982, was the cheapest and simplest of the series. It had a fixed focus four element 35mm f:4 lens, a shutter to 1/250 and a programmed exposure driven by a selenium meter. The only film speed settings were 100 and 400 ISO.

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XA3

The XA3, from 1985, was basically an XA2 with DX film coding and manual ASA settings up to 1600 ASA. Also had the "backlight compensation" feature from the original XA, a feature lacking in the XA2.

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XA4

The XA4, from 1985, was an XA2 with a five element Zuiko 28mm f:3.5 lens focusing to 0.3m, with the help of measuring rods for close focusing.

Olympus XA4 Macro, photo by skagman

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Accessories

flash unit A11

Four different types of flash units were offered to use with the various XA models. All must be screwed to the left hand side of the body, and are very compact units. All auto flash models have settings for 100 or 400 ISO films.

A9M, a purely manual flash. Uses one AA battery.
A11, an auto flash with settings for ASA 100 and ASA 400. Uses one AA battery. A11 User's Manual Courtesy: acolla
A16, a more powerful auto flash than the A11. Has settings for ASA 100 and ASA 400. Uses two AA batteries.
A1L, lithium batteries not replaceable by the user without dismantling the flash.

A macro attachment was available for the A-11 and A-1L to use with the XA-4 at close focusing range.

Cases were sold for the body only, and for the body with a flash attached.