Olympus XA User Manual

INSTRUCTIONS

DESCRIPTION OF CONTROLS

Rangefinder Window

Exposure Counter

Film Winder

Self-Timer/

Battery Check Lamp

Strap Eyelet

Aperture Lever

Distance
Scale Window

1

Lens

Shutter Release

Self-Timer/Battery Check Beeper

Non-Slip Finger Grip

Rewind Crank

Rewind Knob/
Camera Back Release

Dust
Barrier

Viewfinder

CdS Light Sensor

AS A Film Speed Lever

Focusing Lever

(Side View)

Flash
Guide Pin Hol e

Flash Retaining
Socket

X-Synchro Contacts

Battery
Chamber

Film Rewind Shaft

Film Chamber

Tripod Socket

Sprocket

Film Take-Up Spool

Control

Lever

Rewind Release Button

ASA Film Speed Window

Film Speed

Adjustment Lever

Auto

Flash Sensor

Flashtube

Flash

Diffuser Window

Flash

Clamping Screw

Film Pressure Plate

Camera Back

Charge Lamp

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Olympus XA is an aper-

ture priority auto-exposure
rangefinder camera setting new
standards for function and feel,

appearance and performance.

Please read the following pages
carefully and your new camera
will provide maximum per-

formance and satisfaction.

3

DESCRIPTION
PREPARATION

Installing
Loading

SIMPLE STEPS FOR TA K IN G PICTURES

Setting

Focusing

Releasing
Unloading

Self-Timer

Automatic

PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES

Aperture
Shutter-Speed
Backlighting
Daylight

HELPFUL

CARE

AND

MAIN

SPECIFICATIONS

OF

CONTROLS

the

Batteries

the

Film

.......................

the

Aperture

............................

the

Shutter

the

Film

............................

Flash

Photography

and

Depth

Priority

Compensation

Synchronization

HINTS

..........................

STORAGE

.......................

..............

.....................

......................

.....................

......................

..............

of

Field

...............

Photography

..................

..................

..........................

...........

Page

11•12

15-16

21•22

1•2

4

5•6

7

8

9

10

10

13•14

17
18

19

20

PREPARATION

Installing the Batteries

1. Insert the batteries correctly.
SR 44

(EPX-76,

MS-76 or

equivalent)

2. Check the batteries.

Set the control lever to "CHECK".
The beeper emits a tone and the
check lamp glows brightly.

If the beeper doesn't signal, the
batteries are inserted incorrectly
or are exhausted.

The batteries will last about one
year and must be replaced with
two 1.5V silver oxide batteries

(SR 44, EPX-76 or equivalent).

Do not press the shutter release
during battery check operation,
or the battery will run down
quickly, leaving the shutter open-

ed. Return the lever to the normal
position.

4

Loading the Film

1. Open the camera back and in­sert the film cartridge. (Dust Bar-

rier is in closed position.)

Never load the film in direct sun-

light.

5

2. Attach the film end to the
take-up spool.

The film end must not stick out

of the slot excessively.

3. Start winding the film and close

the camera back.

Film perforations must engage

with sprocket teeth and the film

must be drawn flat.

4. Open the Dust Barrier.

If the Dust Barrier is not fully

opened, the shutter cannot be

released.

5. Wind and expose two blank
shots until the exposure counter
shows "1".

The lens should be aimed toward

a bright light when shooting.

6. Set the ASA f i l m speed.

6

SIMPLE STEPS FOR TAKING PICTURES

Setting the Aperture

1. Open the Dust Barrier and set
the aperture lever ( mark) to the

F-number required.

7

2. Confirm the shutter speed in

the viewfinder, aiming at the sub-

ject.

(The arrows indicate parallax cor-

rection marks.)

Aperture guideline (ASA 100)

(To make full use of aperture con­trol, see pages 13 & 14.)

If the shutter speed nee-

dle enters the striped, over­exposure warning zone,
push the aperture lever

downward so that the nee-

dle points to "500" (1/
500 sec) or under.

If the needle points to

"30" (1/ 30 sec ) or under,

be careful not to shake the

camera.

Focusing

3. Looking through the view­finder, compose and focus.

Out of focus

If the subject distance is 0.85 ~

1 meter (2.8 ~ 3.3 feet), frame

the subject in the area under the

2 parallax correction marks.

In focus

Turn

the

be

focusing

done

double image in the central rec­tangle fuses into one. Focusing can

also
mount (e.g. when a tripod is in
use).

with

lever

the

until

knurled

the

8

Releasing the Shutter

4. Hold the camera steady and

lightly press the shutter release.

The release requires a minimum of

finger pressure, reducing chance o f
image blur due to camera shake.

9

Take care not to block the lens, flash dif-

fuser window or auto flash sensor.

Unloading the Film

Self-Timer

5. When the film ends, rewind and remove it.

Close the Dust Barrier, depress the rewind release button and

rewind the film. When the crank turns freely, open the camera

back and remove the film in the shade.

Set the control lever to "SELF
TIMER" and release the shutter.

The beeper emits a tone and the

check lamp glows intermittently.
The

shutter

will

release

after
delay of about 12 sec. The lever
also serves as a camera support.
To stop th e timer midway, return
the lever to its normal position.

a

10

Automatic Flash Photography (Only the Electronic Flash A 11 can be used.)

1. Set the ASA film speed.

If the ASA

used

use the nearest setting. (ASA 80

11

or 125

is

speed

close
"100").

of the

"100"

film

or

to

to be

"400",

1.5V AA battery

(Alkaline preferred)

2. Connect the flash unit to the
camera.

Insert the guide pin into the guide

pin hole and turn the clamping

screw clockwise.

After connecting, do not twist

the A11.

3. Set the aperture lever to"Flash".

The charge lamp pops up and the

A11 turns on automatically.

The flash setting ha s be en design-

ed to require a stronger pressure

than the aperture setting.

4. When the charge lamp glows,

you are ready to fire.

Do not move the lever once it

has been set fo r auto flash, or in-

correct flash exposure may result.

Maximum working

distance 2.5m (8.2

ft.)
(16.4

400.

5. At the end of flash

photography, fully
depress the charge

lamp to turn the
flash unit off.

at ASA

ft.)

100,

5m

at ASA

12

PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES

Aperture and Depth of Field

Making use of "out of

focus" background or
foreground effects

13

Deep-focus effects

Depth of field is the area of accept-

able sharpness in front of and be-

hind the subject in focus. The larg-

er the F-number used (from F2.8

to F22), the deeper the depth of

field. On the contrary, the smaller
the F-number (from F22 to F2.8),
the shallower this z one of accept-

able sharpness.

The table on the opposite page

shows that when the camera-to­subject distance is 1m, the depth

of field at F4 ranges from 0.91m

to 1.12m.

Depth of field table

Circl e of least c onfusion 1/30 mm.

(in meters)

Depth of field table

Circle of least confusion 1/760 in.

(in feet)

(Camera-to-subject distances with are indicated on the
camera's distance scale.)

14

Shutter-Speed Priority Photography

When photographing fast moving

subjects, the impression of move-

ment can be emphasized by inten-

tionally allowing the image to be
blur red using a stow shutter speed.

On the contrary, the movement

can be "frozen" using a fast shut­ter speed.

To emphasize motion

15

To stop movement

An aperture-priority auto-expo­sure camera, the XA lets you select
the aperture freely, then automati­cally sets the right shutter speed
for correct exposure. The shutter
scale is visible in the viewfinder, so
you can pick exactly the speed and
aperture you like.

Move the aperture lever until the
needle points to the shutter speed
required.

If the shutter speed needle en­ters the striped zone, push the
aperture lever downward so that

the needle points to "500" or un-

der.

If the needle points to "30" or

under, hold the camera steady or

support with a tripod; or use a

faster shutter speed by pushing
the lever upward; or use autoflash.

16

Back Lighting Compensation

Before compensation

17

Compensated +1.5EV

When shooting against the light

(bright sky, beach, snow, or facing
a window), the face tends to ap­pear dark on the image. In this
case, use the control lever to pro-

perly expose the most important area.

Turn the lever to "BACK LIGHT

+1.5" and release the shutter.

You can get the same effect by

reducing
ting.

the ASA

film

speed

set-

Daylight Synchronization

In situations like these, compen-

sate for the back lighting by using

the control lever.

Manual flash method is recom-

mended for daylight fill-in. Set

the A11 film speed lever to

"FULL"

and the

the F-number (after having set to
the flash symbol) obtained from
the guide number formula.

aperture

lever

to

18

HELPFUL HINTS

Dust Barrier

Opening the Dust Barrier fully switches the
power ON, and all camera functions are ready

to shoot. Closing the Dust Barrier switches

the power OFF, and all camera functions are
locked.

Foolproof electronic circuit

Wit h the Dust Barrier closed and camera func-

tions locked, the foo lproof electronic circuit

nonetheless allows the camera back to be
opened for film loading, unlocking all relat-

ed functions.

19

Electronic feather-touch shutter release
The release (pressure conductive polymer)
responds to very light pressure. Pressing with

a stroke as you normally do with other cam-

era s is not needed.

Treat the camera with care!

Do not exert stronger pressure on moving

parts than needed (Dust Barrier, levers,

knobs). When attaching a tripod, care should
be taken not to tighten the screw exce ssively
and not to rotate the camera on the screw.

Filters cannot be used wi th th e X A .

CARE AND STORAGE

At the completion of photography, com-

pletely close the Dust Barrier to prevent ba t­tery drain and dust.

Do not drop or hit the camera. Cameras

that have been submerged in water are gen-

erally irreparable.

Do not touch the lens, viewfinder and range-

finder window. If touched, wipe the surface

lightly with a clean, soft cotton cloth. Fin­gerprints, if not wiped off immediately, will

eventually be unremovable.

Never leave the camera near radios, TV sets,

or magnets.

Store the camera in a dry, well-ventilated

place.

Never store the camera where temperatures

exceed

50°C

(122°F)

or

below

-20°C

(-4°

F). When you use the camera in temperatures

under -10°C (14°F), it may sometimes fail
to operate properly. To avoid this, warm the

camera before use.

Have all repairs performed by an authorized
OLYMPUS Service Center. You may send it
directly or through the store where your

camera was purchased.

20

MAIN SPECIFICATIONS (OLYMPUS XA)

Camera type: 35mm rangefinder electronic lens-shut-

ter camera.

Film format: 35mm standard cassette (24 x 36mm).
Lens: F. Zuiko 35mm F2.8, 6 e lements in 5 groups.

Shutter: Electron ic between-lens shutter.

Viewfinder: Bright f rame finder, 0.55x.

Shutter speed readout and over-exposure warning

zone visible in finder.

Focusing: Double-image coupled rangefinder, 0.85m

(2.8 ft.) ~ infinity.

Exposure control: Aperture-priority automatic ex-

posure. Automatic shutter speed range 10 sec. to

1/500 sec. Backlighting compensation + 1.5EV.

Film speed range: ASA 25 ~ 800.

Aperture range: F2.8 ~ F22.

Film advance: Rear winding thumbwheel.

Exposure counter: Progressive type with automatic

reset.

21

Film rewind: Crank type with rewind release button.

Shutter release: Electromagnetic feather touch

shutter release.

Self-timer: Electronic self-timer with 12 second delay.

Blinking LED and electronic beeper (Piezoelectric
Ceramic Vibrator) during self-timer operation.

Flash mounting: Exclusive automatic Electronic

Flash A11 attaches to (or detaches from) the cam-

era in seconds.
Setting camera's aperture lever to flash symbol

switches the A 11 on, and sets the X A for autoflash.

Lens/finder cover: Sliding Dust Barrier. When opened,

power is switched on and shutter rele ase unlocks.
When closed, power is switched off and shutter

release locks.

Power source: Two 1.5V silver oxide batteries

SR 44 (Eveready EPX-76 or equivalent).

Dimensions: 102 ( W) x 64.5 ( H) x 40 ( D) mm (4 " x

2.54" x 1.6").

Weight: 225 grams or 7.9 oz. (less batteries).

MAIN SPECIFICATIONS (ELECTRONIC FLASH A11)

Unit type: Automatic electronic flash unit exclusively

for use with Olympus XA and XA2.

Guide number: 10 (ASA 100, meters) or 33 (ASA

100, f ee t) .

Applicable ASA fi lm speeds: A SA 100 and 400.

Flash modes: Normal auto (XA, XA2) and manual

mode (X A only) with switch lever.

F stop f or au to flash: F4

Angle of coverage: Picture area of 35mm focal-length

lens. (X A and XA 2 utilize 35mm Zuiko lens.)

Number of flashes: Approx. 150 with AA 'penlight'

alkaline battery.

Recycling time: Approx. 7 sec with AA alkaline bat-

tery.

Max. working distance: 2.5m (8.2 ft.) at ASA 100,

5m

(16.4

ft.)

at ASA

400.

Connection to camera: Fitted onto left-hand edge of

XA (XA2).

Power switch: The flash unit is activated by setting

camera's lever to flash symbol, popping up the
charge lamp and initiating electrical charge. The
flash unit turns off when the charge lamp is

pressed down.

Power source: One 1.5V AA 'penlight' battery (in-

cluding Ni-Cd battery).

Dimensions: 60 (H ) x 36 (W )* x 33 (D) mm (2.4" x

1.4" x 1 . 3 ") .
* Measured from interface.

Weight: 65 grams or 2.3 oz. (less battery).

22

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