OF CONTROLS

DESCRIPTION
Self-Timer/Battery Check Beeper

Non-Slip F inger Grip

Rangef inder Window Rewind Crank
Shutter Release (Side V iew)
Exposure Counter
Rewind Knob/
Camera Back Release
Flash
Film W Guide Pin Hole
Dust
Barrier

Self -T imer/ Flash Retaining

Batterv Check LamP Socket

Strap EYele V iewf inder

Aperture Lever

D istance CdS Light Sensor

Scale Window

ASA Film Speed Lever X-Svnchro Contacts

Focusing Lever

Film Bewind Shafr

F ilm Chamber TCharge LamP

Sprocket ASA Film Speed Window

F ilm Take Up Spool Film SPeed

Adiustment Lever

Auto
F l a s hS e n s o r

F lashtube

Flash
D iff user Window

F lash
ClamPing $619ry

B atte ry Con tro I Pressu re Plate

Chamber Lever

-
Tripod Socket Rewind Release Button
 TABLEOF CONTENTS
D E S C R I P T I O NO F C O N T R O L S . . . Page1'2
The Olympus XA is an aper- PREPARATION
ture priority auto-exposure o I n s t a l l i n gt h e B a t t e r i e s . 4
rangef inder camera setting new O L o a d i n gt h e F i l m . . . 5 . 6
standards for f unction and feel, S I M P L E S T E P SF O R T A K I N G P I C T U R E S
appearance and performance. a Settingthe Aperture . 7
Please read the following pages O Focusing 8
carefully and your new camera o Releasing the Shutter I
will provide maximum Per- o U n l o a d i n gt h e F i l m . . . . 1 0
f ormance and satisfaction. o S e l f - T i m e r. . . . . 1 0
o A u t o m a t i c F l a s hP h o t o g r a p h y( A 1 1 ) . . . . .11.12
o A u t o m a t i c F l a s hP h o t o g r a p h y( A 1 6 ) . .13.14
P H O T O GR A P H I C T E C H N I O U E S
O Aperture and Depth of Field . .15.16
O S h u t t e r - S p e e dP r i o r i t y P h o t o g r a p h y . . .'t7.'t8
o B a c k li g h t i n gC o m p e n s a t i o n . . . . 1 9
O Daylight Synchronization . . . . 2 0
HELPFUL HINTS/CAREAND STORAGE . . . . . . 2 1
MAIN SPECIFICATIONS 22

PREPARATION
o Installing the Batteries
o lf 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 equivatent).
a 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
1 . I n s e r tt h e b a t t e r i e sc o r r e c t l y . position.
2 . C h e c kt h e b a t t e r i e s .
Yes No No No SR 44
( E P X - 7 6S,e t t h e
@egg control leverto .,CH ECK,,.
6e66
(Alkaline-manganese and lithium
[?.,'"3,:;,, The beeper emits a tone and the
check lamp glows brightly.
batteries may not be used.)
 o L o a d i n gt h e F i l m

1 . O p e n t h e c a m e r ab a c k a n d i n -
sert the f ilm cartridge.(Dust Bar-
r i e r i s i n c l o s e dp o s i t i o n . )
o Never load the f ilm in direct sun-
iight.
2. Attach the film end to the 3. Start winding the f ilm and close
t a k e - u ps p o o l . the camera back.
. The f ilm end must not stick out a Film perforations must engage
of the slot excessively. with sprocket teeth and the film
must be drawn flat.

4. Ooen the Dust Barrier. 5. Wind and expose two blank 6. Set the ASA film speed.
s h o t s u n t i l t h e e x p o s u r ec o u n t e r
O lf the Dust Barrier is not fully s h o w s" 1 " .
opened, the shutter cannot be
released. a The lens should be aimed toward
a bright light when shooting.
 S I M P L ES T E P SF O R T A K I N G P I C T U R E S
o Setting the Aperture
Ar)efrure 0u rlelrne (ASA lO0)
.g-
N.l
500
250
.- g/, * a/^
l6 I 4
( T o r ! r a \ e' u l l u j e o l a t ) e r l u r e
con
t r o l , s e ep a g e s1 5 & 1 6 . )

.- lf the shutter speed nee-

it iuj '^f \, ^\ J d l e e n t e r st h e s t r i P e d , o v e r -
exposure warning zone,
push the aPerture lever
1 . O p e n t h e D u s t B a r r i e ra n d s e t 2. Confirm the shutter speedin u' downward so that the nee-
"50o" (1/
the aperture lever (r mark) to the t h e v i e w fi n d e r , a i m i n g a t t h e s u b . + dle points to
ject. is - -n_ 5 O Os e c ) o r u n d e r .
F - n u m b e rr e q u i r e d .
lf the needle points to
( T h e a r r o w s i n d i c a t e p a r a l l a xc o r - " 3 O " ( 1/ 3 O s e c ) o r u n d e r ,
rection marks.) be careful not to shakethe
camera.

o Focusing

Turn the focusing lever until the

3. Looking through the view-
f i n d e r , c o m p o s ea n d f o c u s .
double image in the central rec-
tangle fuses into one. Focusing can
also be done with the knurled
Out of focus In focus mount (e.9. when a tripod is in
use).
o lf the subject distance is O.85 -
1 meter Q.g - 3.3 feet), frame
the subject in the area under the
2 parallax correction marks.
 o R e l e a s i n gt h e S h u t t e r o Take care not to block the lens,flash dif-
fuser window or auto flash sensor.

4. Hold the camera steady and

lightly press the shutter release.
T h e r e l e a s er e q u i r e s a m i n i m u m o f
f i n g e r p r e s s u r e ,r e d u c i n g c h a n c e o f
image blur due to camera shake.

o U n l o a d i n gt h e F i l m o Self-Timer
"SELF
Set the control lever to
T I M E R " a n d r e l a s et h e s h u t t e r .
The beeper emits a tone and the
check lamp glows intermittentlY.
The shutter will release after a
delav of about 12 sec. The lever
also serves as a camera suPPort.
To stop the timer midway, return
the lever to its normal position.

5. When the f ilm ends, rewind and remove it.

C l o s e t h e D u s t B a r r i e r , d e p r e s s t h e r e w i n d r e l e a s eb u t t o n a n d
r e w i n d t h e f i l m . W h e n t h e c r a n k t u r n s f r e e l y ,o p e n t h e c a m e r a
back and remove the film in the shade.
 o Automatic Flash Photography ( E l e c t r o n i cF l a s hA 1 1 )

ito;'l#

1. Setthe ASA f ilm speed. 2. Connect the f lash unit to the

camera.
lf the ASA speed of the f ilm to be Insert the guide pin into the guide
"4OO",
used is cfose to "1OO" or oin hole and turn the clamPing
use the nearest setting. (ASA 80 1.5 V AA batterY screw clockwise.
" 1 0 O " ) . (Alkaline preferred)
or 125- a After connecting, do not twist
the A1 1.

Maximum working
distance 2.5m (A.2
ft.) at AsA 100, 5m
(6.4 ft.) at ASA
400.

3. Set the aperture lever to,,Flash,.,

The charge lamp pops up and the
A1 1 turns on automatically.
o The f lash setting hasbeen design-
ed to require a stronger pressure
than the aperture setting.
4. When the charge lamp glows,
you are readyto fire.
o Do not move the leveronce it
h a s b e e n s e t f o r a u t o f l a s h ,o r i n -
5. At the end of f lash
photography, f u lly
depress the charge
tr<-R
"8, -t
lamp to turn the
c o r r e c t f l a s h e x p o s u r em a y r e s u l t .
flash unit off.
 o Automatic Flash Photography (Electronic Flash 416)

o'tl6i, t# YES
n e
lll.i
l * l l
f---H @ [,
NO
e 9
l.ll'l
t l t 2 .t C o n n e c t thc f lash unit to the
1. Set the ASA f ilm sPeed. |tJ IJ c a m e r a .
lf the ASA speed of the film to be Insert the guide Pin into the guide
"1OO" or "4OO", pin hole and turn the clamPing
used is close to
1.5V AA batterY screw clockwise.
use the nearest setting. (ASA 80 (Alkaline preferred)
or 125+
"1O0"). a After connecting, do not tw;st
r3 the A16.

l^l
I rt/
Maximum working
distance 4m (13.2
ft.) at AsA 100, 8m
e6.4 ft.) at ASA
400.

tr<-R
3. Set the aperture lever to,,Flash,., 4. When the charge lamp glows, 5. At the endof f lash
The charge lamp pops up and the
A'l 6 tu rns on automatically.
. The f lash setting has been design-
ed to require a stronger pressure
you are readyto fire.
a Do not move the leveronce it
h a s b e e n s e t f o r a u t o f l a s h ,o r i n -
c o r r e c t f l a s h e x p o s u r em a y r e s u l t .
photography, f ully
depress the charge
lamp to turn the
flash unit off.
s, -s
than the aperture setting.
l4
 RAPHIC TECHNIOUES
PHOTOG
o Aperture and Depth of Field
Depth of f ield is the area of accept-
able sharpness in f ront of and be-
hind the subject in focus. The larg-
er the F-number used (from F2.8
to F221, the deeper the depth of
field. On the contrary, the smaller
t h e F - n u m b e r ( f r o m F 2 2 t o F 2 . A l,
the shallower this zone of accept-
able sharpness.
The table on the opposite page
shows that when the camera-to-
subject distance is 1m, the depth
of field at F4 ranges from O.91m

i[::'Jp;::-;l-,?:' z',F2.8
Deep-rocus
errects
F22 to 1.12m.

foreground effects

l5

Depth of field table (in meters) Depth of field table (in reet)
Circle of least confusion 1/3O mm. C i r c fe o f l e a s t c o n f u s i o n 1 / 7 6 0 i n .
r\an""
1( x ,&
t.5
x J( x x * x
stOP -t\ 0.85 I 2 3 5 t0
5,;e{' 2.8 3 4 6 I l2 30
2.8 0 .80 0 .ls3 .55 | .73 ?.43 3.59 5.57 t?.4 2.64 2.81 3.67 5.?6 6.72 9 .3 4 t 1. 4 4 0 .6
0.91 | 108 .69 2.37 3.93 8.27 5 0 .I 2.8 2.99 3.22 4.40 b.5d 9.89 t6.8 |2
4 ,d3l .30 | .65 z.zd 3.23 4.74 8.89 ?.58 2.74 3 .55 5.02 6.32 8.59 r 4. 9 ?9.
0.93 .78 2.55 4 .49 It.2 4
\.4 3.07 3.31 4 .58 7 .47 r0.9 2 0 .I
0.75 0.87 ZJ | .54 ?.06 2.83 3.9? 6 .36 2.50 2 .65 3 .40 4.71 5.84 7 . 71 t2.4 20.9
5.6 5.6
0.97 t.t1 93 ?.87 5.6? 22.4 3.r9 3.45 4.87 8.29 t?.8 ? 1. 5
0.73 0.83 | .t4 | .40 t.8l ?.39 3.t? 4.41 2.39 2.53 3.20 4.3? 5.24 6.70 9.94 t4.7
I I
r.03 | .27 ?.21 3 .55 9.02 @ @
3.39 3.70 5.37 9.94 r 7. 3 o z - l

0.69 0.78 | .05 | .26 | .58 ?.oo 2.48 3.26 2.27 ? .98 3.9? 4.65 5.76 1. 9 1
tl t.t? t.4l tl z . 5 5 t0.7
?.69 5.02 3 8 .I @
3.69 4.06 6 .t 7 t3.2 3r.0 @

0.54 0 . 7 1 0.93 | .08 t .3l | .58 | .86 ?.26 2.09 2.t9 ?.68 ? ? a 3.91 4.61
t6 r.3l | .74 4.?4 r6 6.00 7.40
r6.7 4 .33 4.86 8.25 3 0. 0 6 @

22 0 .58 0 .64 0.81 0.93 | .08 | .27 | .43 | .65 t.9l 2.00 2 .39 2.93 3 .30 3.82 4.65 5.42
r .66 ?.4? r4.3 22 5.49
@
O. JY |3 . 9
(Camera-to-subject distances with x are indicated on the
c a m e r a ' s d i s t a n c e s c a l e .) l6
 Priority Photography
o Shutter-Speed
When photographing fast moving
subjects, the impression of move-
ment can be emphasized by inten-
tionally allowing the image to be
blurred using a slow shutter speed.
On the contrary, the movement
can be "frozen" using a fast shut-
ter speed.

T o e m p h a s i z em o t i o n To stop movement

17
llg'"" l/500*"

An aperture-priority auto-expo-
sure camera, the XA lets you select
the aperture freely, then automati-
500 cally sets the right shutter speed
250
K 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 o lf the shutter speed needle en-
needlepoints to the shutter speed ters the striped zone, Push the
r e q ui r e d . aperture lever downward so that
"50O" or un-
the needle points to
der.
"3O" or
lf the needle points to
under, hold the camera steadY or
support with a tripod; or use a
faster shutter speed bY Pushing
the lever upward; or use autoflash.
 o Back Lighting Compensation

lr' Compensated
t
+1.sEV
,
Turn the lever to
"BACK
LIGHT
Before compensation
When shooting against the light + 1 . 5 " a n d r e l e a s et h e s h u t t e r .
(Oright sky, beach, snow, or facing you can get the same eff ect by
a window), the face tends.to ap- reducing the ASA film speed set-
pear dark on the image. In this ting.
r9 case, use the control lever to Pro-
perly expose the most importantarea.

o Dayl ight Synchronization

$W
I
,, I

I n s i t u a t i o n sl i k e t h e s e , c o m p e n - Manual f lash method is recom -

mended for daylight fill-in. Set
s a t e f o r t h e b a c k l i g h t i n gb y u s i n g the 41 1 (416) f ilm sPeed leverto
the control lever. "FULL" and the aperture leverto
the F-number (after having set to
the flash symbol) obtained from 20
the guide number formula.
 H E L P F U LH I N T S CARE AND STORAGE

o Dust Barrier o At the completion of photography, completely close the Dust

Opening the Dust Barrier fully switches the power ON, and all Barrier to prevent battery drain and dust.
camera functions are ready to shoot, Closing the Dust Barrier o Do not drop or hit the camera. Cameras that have been submerg-
switches the power OFF, and all camera functions are locked' ed in water are generally irreparable.
o Foolproof electronic circuit o Do not touch the lens, viewfinder and rangefinder window. lf
With the Dust Barrier closed and camera functions locked, the touched, wipe the surface lightly with a clean, soft cotton cloth'
foolproof electronic circuit nonetheless allows the camera back Fingerprints, if not wiped off immediately, will eventually be un-
to be opened for film loading, unlocking all related functions. removable.
o Electronic feather-touch shutter release a Never leave the camera near radios, TV sets, or magnets.
The release (pressure conductive polymer) responds to very light a Store the camera in a dry, well-ventilated place.
p r e s s u r e , P r e s s i n gw i t h a s t r o k e a s y o u n o r m a l l y d o w i t h o t h e r c a m - aNever store the camera where temperatures exceed 50'C
eras is not needed. n22"Fl or below -20"C (-4'Fl. When you use the camera in
a Treat the camera with care! temperatures under -10oC (14"F), it may sometimes fail to
Do not exert stronger pressure on moving parts than needed (Dust operate properly. To avoid this, warm the camera before use.
Barrier, levers, Knobs). When.attaching a tripod, care should be oHave all repairs performed by an authorized OLYMPUS Serv-
taken not to tighten the screw excessively and not to rotate the ice Center. You may send it directly or through the store where
camera on the screw, your camera was purchased.
a Filters cannot be used with the XA.

21

(OLYMPUS
MAIN SPECIFICATIONS XA}

Camera type: 35mm rangefinder electronic lens-shut-
ter camera.
Film format: 35mm standard cassette (24 x 36mm).
Lens: F. Zuiko 35mm F2.A,6 elementsin 5 groups.
Shutter: Electronic between-lens shutter.
Viewfinder: Bright f rame f inder, O.55x.
Shutter speed readout and over-exposure warning
zone visible in finder.
Focusing: Double-image coupled rangefinder, O.85m
(2.8 ft.) - infinity.
Exposure control:. Aperture-priority
posure. Automatic shutter speed range 1O sec. to
1 / 5 O Os e c . B a c k l i g h t i n g c o m p e n s a t i o n + 1 . 5 E V .
Film speed range: ASA 25 - 8OO.
Aperture range: F2.8 - F22.
Film advance: Rear winding thumbwheel.
Exposure counter: Progressive type with automatic
reset.
F i l m r e w i n d : C r a n k t y p e w i t h r e w i n d r e l e a s eb u t t o n .
Shutter release: Electromagnetic feather touch
shutter release'
S e l f - t i m e r : E l e c t r o n i c s e . l f- t i m e r w i t h 1 2 s e c o n d d e l a y .
Blinking LED and electronicbeeper(Piezoelectric
Ceramic Vibrator) during self-timer operation.
Flash mounting: Exclusive automatic Electronic
Flash A11 (A16) attaches to (or detaches from)
the camera in seconds.
Setting camera's aperture lever to flash symbol
s w i t c h e s t h e A 1 1 ( A 1 1 6 ) o n a, n d s e t s t h e X A f o r a u t o -
automatic ex- f Ia s h .
Lensffinder cover: Sliding Dust Barrier. When opened,
p o w e r i s s w i t c h e d o n a n d s h u t t e r r e l e a s eu n l o c k s .
When closed, power is switched off and shutter
release locks.
Power source: Two 1.5V silver oxide batteries
SR 44 (EvereadyEPX-76 or equivalent).
Dimensions: 102 (w) x 64.5 (H) x 40 (D) mm (4" x
2.54" x 1.6").
W e i g h t : 2 2 5 g r a m s o r 7 . 9 o z . ( l e s s b a t t e r i e s ). 22