more features than any LEICA ... the olympus XA rangefinder 35mm film camera

The Olympus XA is a powerhouse! This tiny but feature full camera is very handy and tiny. Is it too small though?

0:00 Intro
0:42 the XA line up
2:42 aperture priority!
3:25 one HUGE problem
4:10 how awkward do i look?
5:23 best way to buy a new XA
6:05 the shutter button
7:35 minimum focusing distance
8:47 the famous olympus engineer

[jasonrandolph]

Pro tip: put a tiny piece of electrical tape, maybe 1x2mm, in the center of the VF on the front. It will make aligning the center patch much easier. There are YT videos on it if you want to see how to do it.

[richardt]

The XA is a fantastic rangefinder. It followed their Trip line of travel cameras. These came out at a time when people did not have cell phone cameras to grab a quick shot. The XA came out at the time when amateur photographers were looking at a whole range for SLR's. We wanted a body, several lenses, a flash, filters. Most traveled with a stuffed gadget bag. The XA was for the travel minimalist. 35mm focal length, very fast 2.8 35mm lens. A full stop faster than the Yashica T4. Cheaper than the Rollei 35. A great pocket camera.

[NPJensen]

Love the XA. The feather touch shutter reduces the risk of camera shake a lot - you just have to remember to advance your film only when you're about to take a photo rather than immediately after shooting like many people tend to do with mechanical cameras. It's a camera, that takes a bit of getting used to, but with aperture priority, shutter speeds up to 1/500, manual ISO control and a very nice Zuiko lens, it's worth the effort in my book.

[stephanpaier]

Hi! Whenever you can manually set the ISO, you automatically have (at least limited) exposure compensation😉

[AdventurousInsight]

One thing that may help you with the grip issue is to add the A11 flash unit to the side, makes it a little bulkier but more surface area to hold

[Daniel.Walker]

It’s been my EDC for about 6 months. Changed my photography game forever. A true EDC 35mm, with the ability to nail focus. Love it.

[philipdahl]

I would give it between 8 and 9. I was gifted one about a year ago and initially didn't like it very much. I ended up having some health issues and was restricted to lifting no more than 10 pounds for several months so I started shooting the XA almost exclusively for a while and now it goes with me every where. My biggest problem has been tripping the shutter prematurely but I am getting better about that.

[AkaTamimi]

10 out of 10 thinking of getting another one as a backup cause it is been with me everywhere. Recently i was traveling and brought it with me along with Leica M6 and ended up using it more than the M6 cause with that size it is always in my pocket. Reasonably priced, discreet and takes awesome photos.

[IvarsDayLab]

Awesome video, awesome shots! I had Olympus XA in I believe fall 2021. I got it, I almost dropped it several times, I really dropped it once, I understood that my fingers are not meant to use such a tiny tool and I sold it for 20EUR less than what I paid for it. Young lady who bought it was really happy and still shooting with it. Thanks Ribs, now I have feeling that I should kept it and keep fighting ;)

[MsLoribee]

I absolutely love my XA. When I travel, its the only camera I take with me. I put a small square of black semi-transparent tape on the viewfinder and that really helps with the contrast of the rangefinder patch - its actually a well-known XA hack. Also I find if I'm shooting in daylight, I can just set the aperture to f11/f16 and infinity focus and not even worry about focus at all. I don't really have an issue with the camera's size, but I have smaller hands though.

[bigrecord]

My parents saved and saved to be able to give the XA to me my freshman year in high school. It is a treasure of mine, and I still use it to this day. Had to replace the light seals, but IT keeps on shooting.

[soulgrease]

This camera has quietly become my most used camera because I take it everywhere but I definitely understand the focus issue. I can attest to the small piece of gaffer tape in he middle of the viewfinder to make the focus patch pop a bit more; def makes it easier for me to focus. Also you may like the XA2 which is zone focus. But man I love this thing; thanks for the vid

[peterangusphotography]

It’s an awesome camera. My hands are about the same size and I don’t have a problem with the size. The electronic shutter button and leaf shutter are so gently that slow shutter speeds are more realistic since there is such little vibration.

Set the aperture and focus to the numbers in red for focus free street photography, they select the appropriate zone focus. Exposure compensation can be done with the ISO slider on the front, just don’t forget what speed you have loaded. There’s also a hack where you can take a long bulb photo by selecting battery test first, only issue is the constant bleep during this.

[joseerazevedo]

I find the XA very interesting. But what made me opt for a Rollei 35 instead is that the Rolleis are mechanical, while the XA is electronic. But it's a rangefinder, while the Rollei is guess focus. After some use you get good at it but you'll only be sure if you nailed it when you see the results. You can zone focus also, which is how I use it. But a rangefinder is always better.
I too have somewhat fat fingers, maybe I'd feel the same about focusing. Controls on the Rollei are more "explicit". The fact the XA is aperture priority makes it faster, I guess. If you use it with zone focusing on streets you'll do it faster and with better metering precision, I believe, which is nice.
The Rollei is still the smallest mechanical full frame camera ever made. The XA is not smaller only than the Minox, if I'm not wrong.
Life's made of choices. Should one XA ever appear at a nice price here in Brazil, I'll get it - specially after you pointing some characteristics that require a learning curve. Meanwhile I'm happy with my Rollei 35. Maybe you should try some someday. I'd like to know your opinion on it.
My best!

[Murgoh]

I have a Rollei XF 35, which has very similar features (rangefinder, electronic shutter) as this one, as my "pocket point-and-shoot" film camera. I got it because my grandfather had one when I was a kid in the late 70:s and early 80:s and it was the first "real" 35mm camera I ever used, though I had used some cheap 110-pocket cameras earlier. I still remember when he taught me how to load it and how to use the focusing when I was 10 or so so when I happened to see a picture of a camera just like his and found out the model I had to get one on Ebay even though automatic point-and-shoots are not really my "thing" as I prefer fully manual and mechanical cameras.

The XF35 is fairly compact though the protruding lens makes it slightly less "pocketable" than the later point-and-shoots but it still fits most larger pockets. And it has that quality and weight of an older metal frame camera and the shutter release has the proper "mechanical" feel. Also, the focusing is achieved the traditional way, by rotating a focus ring around the lens, so the ergonomics are what I'm used to and the controls are large enough to be convenient and easy to use. And obviously it carries a lot of nostalgic value to me for the aforementioned reason.

[VivaEZLN]

Gotta love the XA!
I have two of them, one has the distance in feet and the other in meters, though that was pretty cool!
Also have an XA2, another dope camera.

[eddiea]

I have the XA and XA2 – love them both. 8/10 for me. Fortunately I don’t have large hands or fingers and, generally, don’t have an issue with the camera’s size.

I agree about the shutter button but it doesn’t really impact how I shoot with it as I’ve learned to position my finger in such a way that it doesn’t trigger a shot unless I want to.

Sticking a bit of tape in front of the rangefinder window was a game changer that made the camera usable.

You are 100% right that the camera is too good not to persevere with. 👍

[robertspeicher]

I bought an XA 3 back around 1986. Zone focus. I really like this camera. Thank you for the video

[Daniel.Walker]

Straight up, it’s a 10! That leaf shutter can do crazy low speeds without shutter shake. That lets you go a little higher with the aperture in lower light to get the focus easier.

Honestly, I don’t think that technique is going to work too well with XA. The patch just isn’t bright enough. I’ve found that throwing focus on this camera can be quick, but I do believe it leans towards slower practice than it’s size implies. It goes hand in hand with pocket folding 120mm cameras for me.

[paulh]

My first 35mm was an XA2. I loved it. Attaching the A11 flash helps in holding the camera.
Be aware though that the XA range doesn't like rolls of 36; stick to 24, that way you won't snap the winder: it happened to me twice, luckily each time the camera was still in warranty.
Enjoy!