http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukOlympus XA range at a glance
Testbench IN THE FIELDWhile the XA2 and XA3
are very similar, one of the
XA3’s ‘upgrades’ over the XA2
was the inclusion of DX coding.
This can be a blessing or a curse,
depending on how you like to rate
your film. For those that shoot at
box speed (like I do more often
than not) it saves having to
remember to set your ISO when
you swap between film stocks.
For those who want to pull or
push films you will need to mask
the DX code on the cassette. But
when you do, you are able to set
the ISO between 25 and 1600,
an improvement over both the XA
and XA2’s ISO 800 limit.
Another change versus the XA2
is the inclusion of the backlight
compensation option on the
bottom lever. Previously seen on
the XA, this feature adds 1.5
stops of exposure for shooting
subjects that are backlit. While it
is a nice addition, it is one I rarely
take advantage of.
All three cameras have a 12-
second self-timer function found
on this same lever while the base
includes a standard thread for
tripods as well as the battery
compartment. The cameras all
take 2x LR44 / SR44 batteries
which are easy to find and can
last for years. The battery can be
checked using the same switch
on the base. A healthy battery
should make a continuous noise,
but if the sound is intermittent or
the red LED light is flashing then
the battery needs changing.
Simple yet effective!
The cameras’ small size is
partly achieved through the
omission of a flash or hot shoe.
For many, including myself, this
was a worthy sacrifice that
favoured form over features.
Those wanting a flash were still
catered for with the A16 or more
common A11 flash attachments.
These are compatible with every
XA model and are curved to fit
the shape of the camera.
One unique feature that these
cameras share is the ‘feather-
touch shutter’ which unlike a
traditional shutter button is a very
sensitive red pressure pad. While
this ensures the camera remains
streamlined and is designed to
avoid shake, it does take some
getting accustomed to. The
shutter produces a subtle ‘tinny’
clink that is inoffensive and
quiet enough to appeal to
street photographers.
Despite being electronically
operated these cameras don’t
have an on/off switch and are
ready to shoot as soon as the
cover is opened. The cover also
serves as protection for the
viewfinder and lens, which means
you don’t need to carry the
cameras in a case. The XA
cameras are all manual film load,XA (below left). The first and most advanced model
in the series packs aperture-priority autoexposure
and a rangefinder focused 6-element 35mm f/2.8
lens into a wonderfully compact body.
XA 1 The battery-less runt of the litter was released
in 1982 and is the most basic model in the range
with a selenium meter, f/4 lens, no focusing and a
more traditional button shutter. These cameras are
best avoided.
XA 2 (below right). This best-selling ‘point and
shoot’ model was released in 1980 and introduced
3-zone focusing and an excellent 4-element 35mm
f/3.5 lens into the same compact body as the XA.
XA 3 (below centre). A minor upgrade to the XA2
introduced DX coding, increased the upper film
speed limit to ISO 1600 and added the option of
1.5 stops of backlight exposure compensation.
XA 4 The rarest of them all. Released at the same
time as the XA3, this is all-but-identical in spec with
the exception of a wider angle 28mm ‘macro’ lens
that can focus as close as 1 foot (0.3m), aided by a
1-foot wrist strap.Lastly it is worth highlighting
the 3-zone focus settings on the
XA2 and XA3. Focus starts at 1m
(3.3ft) up to 1.5m (5ft) for the
close-up ‘twin heads’ icon, 1.2m
(4ft) to infinity on the ‘double
body’ setting and 2.5m (8.3ft) to
infinity for the landscape
‘mountain’ icon. A common
criticism of the XA’s rangefinder
patch is that it is too small and
dull, especially in low light. As a
result, the zone-focused models
are usually quicker to use.Limitations
No camera is perfect and the XA3
is not without some significant
compromises in terms of
functionality, particularly the lack
of manual focus or aperture
control found in the XA. While
image quality is mostly excellent,
the short lens design of all these
cameras mean they are prone to
vignetting and distortion, which in
certain scenes, subjects or
lighting can be quite pronounced.
Along with the very sensitive
shutter pad, the small and
simplistic viewfinder also takes
some getting used to, lacking the
quality demonstrated in other
areas of the camera’s build.
Anything but looking perfectly
straight through it can cause theframe advance and rewind.
Loading film is remarkably easy
and trouble-free. It only requires a
short length of film for the leader
to reach a red line where the
sprockets can take over and do
their thing. This allows me to
consistently shoot 39 frames on
a 36-exposure film.Porto, Portugal.
This pocket
camera has
accompanied me
all over the world
Olympus XA 3 & Agfa Vista 2 00