Olympus XA Series

The Olympus XA camera series is a line of 35mm compact cameras manufactured by Olympus from 1979 to 1985. The XA series was characterized by its small size, high-quality lenses, and a unique rangefinder-style viewfinder.

The original XA was released in 1979 and was the first 35mm camera designed as a true pocket camera. It featured a 35mm f/2.8 lens, a shutter speed of 1/1000 second, and a built-in flash. The XA quickly became a popular choice for street and travel photography.

In 1982, Olympus introduced the XA2, which added a hot shoe and a slightly faster 35mm f/2.7 lens. The XA2 was followed in 1984 by the XA3 with a wide-angle lens (28mm f/2.8). The last camera in the series, the XA4, was released in 1985 and featured a 35mm f/3.5 lens.

The Olympus XA series cameras are very popular among photographers for their small size, high-quality lenses, and unique rangefinder viewfinder. If you are looking for a pocketable 35mm camera, the XA series is definitely worth considering.

Technical Specifications

Feature Olympus XA4 Olympus XA3 Olympus XA2 Olympus XA1 Olympus XA
Camera Type Viewfinder camera Viewfinder camera Viewfinder camera Viewfinder camera rangefinder camera
Film format 35mm 35mm 35mm 35mm 35mm
Film Transport Manual Manual Manual Manual Manual
Film Transport Mechanism Thumbwheel
Picture Format 36 mm x 24 mm 36 mm x 24 mm 36 mm x 24 mm 36 mm x 24 mm 36 mm x 24 mm
Lens type Fixed lens Fixed lens Fixed lens Fixed lens Fixed lens
Focal Length 28 mm 35 mm 35 mm 35 mm 35 mm
Maximum Aperture f/3.5 f/3.5 f/3.5 f/4 f/2.8
Shutter Speeds 1/750 to 2 seconds 1/750 to 2 seconds 1/500 to 10 seconds
Light Meter Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Exposure Compensation ± 1.5 LW ± 1.5 LW + 1.5 LW
Flash XA flash connector XA flash connector XA flash connector XA flash connector XA flash connector
Focus manual manual manual manual manual
Weight 230 220 200 190
Size 10.4 x 6.4 x 3.8 cm 10.4 x 6.5 x 4 cm 10.2 x 6.5 x 4 cm 10.4 x 6.5 x 4 cm 10.2 x 6.45 x 4 cm
Release Date 1980 1978
Production start 1980 1978
Production End 1985
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus Olympus Olympus Olympus
Country of Origin Japan Japan
Age Up to 46 years Up to 48 years
Production duration 7 years
Power Supply 2x SR44 batteries 2x SR44 batteries 2x SR44 batteries 2x LR44 batteries