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Olympus XA full range review (XA, XA2, XA3, XA4, XA1)
By:
DAVID CREMER
Feb 14, 2024
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Absolutely groundbreaking design – the XA-series were the work of a genius. With their tiny size and smooth rounded edges the XA cameras are truly the camera that you can take everywhere. |
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During the 1950s – 1980s most cameras were of the same overall design – shiny silver metal bodies with a leatherette cover. The genius at the helm of Olympus (Yoshihisa Maitani) threw these designs out of the window when he designed the XA-range of cameras. There were actually 5 cameras in the XA range, and all share the same overall size and shape. These cameras were revolutionary for a number of reasons: Body Firstly the body was made of plastic, but no ordinary plastic. We aren’t sure exactly what it is made of, save to say that it survives extremely well over the years. It is very rare to find any cracks or major scratches on an XA body, and normally the only signs of age are wear resulting in smoothing of some of the surfaces.
Sliding cover, the camera protects itself, and doesn’t need a lens cap (the losing of which and resulting scratches have been the demise of many a retro camera). Sliding open the cover also turns the camera on and reveals the camera’s viewfinder.
Size: these are some of the smallest 35mm cameras ever made. A number of clever techniques were used to pack all of the functionality inside.
Shutter speeds: in order to make these cameras smaller than their predecessors these cameras introduced an electronically controlled shutter (smaller to make than a mechanical one). This also gives the camera the ability to produce a very wide range of shutter speeds and so capable of handling a very broad range of lighting conditions, including great night-photo capability. Specifically, the XA (the first of the range) can actually produce a shutter speed of up to 10 seconds long. |
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Let’s look at the cameras that make up the range. They start with the original XA (1979) followed by the XA2 (1980), XA1 (1982) XA3 and XA4 (1985).
Olympus XA The original XA has the most functions of the cameras in the range and was designed to appeal to keen photographers who still wanted a good deal of control over their photos. Historically photographers were used to having full control, and the XA provided this while introducing some automation.
It has a true Rangefinder focusing system. Click here for a great description of rangefinders. In short, in the central area of the viewfinder you see a split image of what you are looking at. You simply turn the lens focusing ring until the split image merges into one image and then your camera is perfectly focused. It is a simple system, but very accurate. As far as we are aware, the XA is the smallest 35mm rangefinder camera ever made. Olympus XA shooting into the sun For exposure control it has Aperture priority automatic. To the left of the lens (when looking at the camera from the front) there is a little lever where you can select your lens aperture. The camera then automatically selects the right shutter speed given that aperture, your film speed, and the lighting of your subject. The shutter speed (that the camera is selecting) is visible to the left in the viewfinder. Aperture priority automatic was a very popular method of exposure control – if gives you direct control over the lens aperture (and therefore the depth of field), while also giving you control over shutter speed.
Olympus XA indoor night shot In use despite it's size, the XA is very easy to use. The focus lever is large enough and logically located to be easily found even when looking through the viewfinder. It moves in a relatively small arc so it is very quick to focus and with a very clear rangefinder area in the viewfinder accurate focusing is not hard to achieve. Similarly the aperture lever is easy to locate with your fingers and being on the front / right of the camera falls naturally under your fingertips. Olympus XA1 The XA1 was sold as the budget version of the range. While it shares the same body style as the others, it has a much simpler set of specs. Still a nice camera to have but eclipsed by the others in the range. Metering – the XA1 is the only member of the range that doesn’t need a battery. It has a selenium cell around the lens (similar to the Olympus Trip 35) which gives a fairly narrow range of automatic apertures and shutter speeds. Don’t expect it to cope so well in poor light. The lens is also less capable, with a smaller maximum aperture and less lens elements. Think of it as a simple point and shoot sibling. The Olympus XA - note the aperture lever to the left of the lens, and the rangefinder window next to the viewfinder. The lever below the lens is for focusing. Olympus XA2 The XA2 was the biggest selling member of the family. Reacting to consumer demand to make cameras even simpler to use, it ditched the rangefinder focusing system of the XA and replaced it with simple zone focusing. This gives you just 3 focus settings for the following subject distances:
Note that the middle distance will still give sharp images for distant objects, so most of the time you can just leave the focus lever on that setting. The camera makes that even easier by resetting the focus to the middle setting whenever you close the front slider, making it ready for action. Olympus XA2 The focus lever is on the front of the camera in the same position as the aperture lever on the XA. The XA2 doesn’t have an aperture lever as it has program exposure control (i.e. fully controlled by the camera). In effect, the XA2 is really a point-and-shoot. The XA2 has a very wide range of automatic shutter speeds (not quite as wide as the XA) so again is good for night photography. In use the XA2 layout works well. Since both aperture and shutter speed are controlled by the camera, only the focus lever needs to be operated. With only 3 positions it isn't hard to get used to.
Olympus XA2
Olympus XA3 The XA3 was the same as the XA2 but with a couple of features added. Firstly, it used the newly introduced film speed DX coding system, whereby 35mm film cannisters had a simple bar code printed on them which told compatible cameras what film speed to set. Until this point all cameras required the film speed to be set manually. The other XA3 new feature was backlight compensation – the lever on the bottom of the camera has an extra position to add 1.5 stops of exposure. Very useful if you are taking a photo of someone against strong lighting. The Olympus XA3. Like the XA2 is has a simple zone focusing lever to the left of the lens. Olympus XA4 The final model in the series is not one that we come across often. It could do everything that the XA3 did but had a different lens: 28mm instead of 35mm, giving a slightly wide angle. The lens also had a macro capability, so you can shoot sharp photos at subjects only 30cm away from the camera (the other models could get no closer than 85cm). To help with this the camera replaced the 3-position zone focusing of the XA2 / 3 with a more detailed distance scale.
Common features All models except for the XA1 have a lever on the bottom. This is a switch for an audible battery check and also for the self-timer. In another stroke of genius, when it is switched to self-timer mode the lever sticks out to the front of the camera at 90-degrees, providing a little leg for extra stability. Just what you need when your camera is perched precariously on a tree trunk as you gather for that selfie. For batteries all except the XA1 simply take 2 x widely available LR44 (or SR44) cells. The batteries last a very long time. For flash photography the XA range was sold with a dedicated flash unit that attached onto the side of the camera. This is the only way to take flash photos with the range as they don’t have a hot shoe or flash cable socket. Many of the flash units haven’t done well over the years (unlike the cameras themselves) and it is common to find one that is effectively dead, so make sure you buy one that has been tested if flash photography is your thing. In summary all of the XA range are a great camera to take anywhere, on the basis of their superb body design, high quality optics and excellent exposure systems. There really is no reason not to have one in your pocket at all times !
Summary of specifications
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New
The Canon Canonet - the ultimate travel companion
In the history of film cameras every so often a manufacturer comes up with a winning design. They then refine that design over many generations of the same camera upgrading every few years with the latest technology. The result is a highly refined model packed with features, and with most limitations ironed out. The Canonet is a great example of this.
The Canonet was designed as a relatively small camera with a high-quality lens and a good set of specifications that would appeal to both professional photographers (needing a companion camera to their big heavy kit), and to serious enthusiasts who wanted a top-quality camera with a strong set of features.
| The Canonet G-III( left) and 'New Canonet'. Effectively the same camera. | 
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What is a Canonet ?
Firstly it is a rangefinder camera. If you aren’t familiar with what they are then I suggest doing a quick web search for a description / video. In short, a rangefinder is a camera that has a viewfinder (separate from the main camera lens) into which is built a way to correctly focus the main lens. It does this by showing a split image in the centre of the viewfinder. When you turn the focusing ring on the main lens to the correct (in focus) position the split image in the viewfinder merges into one.
Rangefinder focusing is fast and accurate and was the leading way to focus a camera lens before introduction of SLR cameras (where you look through the main camera lens instead of a separate viewfinder).
The original Canonet was first released in 1961 and was a slightly large and dare we say clunky camera with a fairly heavy winding / shutter action but it showed lot of promise that was refined in later versions. Over the next few generations Canon gradually made the Canonet more compact and increased the capabilities with more modern camera technology as it emerged which resulted in the models that we describe here.
This review focuses on the final generation of Canonet which actually consists of two minor variations with the cameras being virtually identical. They are known as the:
- New Canonet (released in 1969)
- Canonet G-III (released in 1972)
The only difference between these two cameras is that the G-III has a battery check lamp whereas the New Canonet moves the viewfinder needle (when pressing the battery test button) to indicate the battery level. The G-III has a ‘G-III’ badge on the front to identify it.
Let’s now delve into the excellent specifications of these cameras.
Canonet specifications
Lens
These Canonets all have a 40mm lens. This gives a slightly wider view than the human eye and is a great focal length for travel, street photography etc. The lens is fixed so you can’t zoom or switch to a telephoto lens. This was the case with the vast majority of rangefinders (with the exception of very top-end models like Leica and the Minolta CL/CLE).
Three variants with a different maximum lens aperture were produced:
| Model | Aperture |
| New Canonet QL17 / QL17 G-III | f/1.7 |
| New Canonet QL19 / QL19 G-III | f/1.9 |
| New Canonet 28 | f/2.8 |
The f/1.7 models are slightly more sought after – with a wider aperture they can operate slightly better in low light than the 1.9, and also give more blurred backgrounds due to the smaller depth of field. In practice however an aperture of 1.9 vs 1.7 isn’t a huge difference, so both are great cameras.
The New Canonet 28 is a little different. It was produced as the budget version of the range. While is still has a 40mm lens, the lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 which is a fair bit smaller than the 17 and 19. It also uses a lot more plastic in construction (while the 17 / 19 are virtually all metal), and has a smaller range of shutter speeds.
We will focus on the 17 / 19 models here.
Exposure modes and exposure control
The Canonet has an excellent exposure system with electronic metering. You can select between full manual exposure mode or shutter priority automatic. All controls are on the lens barrel including:
- Shutter speed
- Aperture
- Focusing
- Flash setting
In manual exposure mode the photographer selects both the shutter speed and lens aperture giving full control over the results.
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Manual mode - both aperture and shutter speed selected. |
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In automatic mode the photographer selects the shutter speed and then the camera automatically adjusts the aperture for each shot to make sure that exposure is correct.
| Automatic mode - turn the aperture ring to 'A'. | 
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These manual / automatic exposure modes are the same as the legendary Canon AE-1 SLR camera.
The Canonet has some markings on the lens to make automatic exposure use even easier. A lot of people see these markings but don't actually know what they're for but they are a neat aid for less experienced photographers.
Here’s how to use Automatic mode:
1. Turn the lens aperture ring to ‘A’.
2. Set the shutter speed.
In general, using ISO 100 film we would suggest a shutter speed of 1/125 as a good starting point (or 1/250 for ISO 200, 1/500 for ISO 400).
The Canonet simplifies this choice with three icons on the lens barrel
The icons are:
- A window > for shooting indoors (i.e. very poor light)
- A cloud > for gloomy conditions
- A sun > for bright conditions.
Simply move the black lens ring until the icon representing the lighting conditions from the three above is aligned with or closest to the lever that sets the film speed. In the example below the setting is for bright conditions.
The idea is that when you set out on your photography trip for the day you can simply move this ring to the right icon and the Canonet will have a suitable shutter speed which will cover the majority of lighting conditions in automatic mode for the day.
As you build your experience you will likely select the shutter speed yourself rather than rely on this suggestion but it's a great way to simply things.
Note that if the lighting is too poor for a photo then in automatic mode the Canonet will not let you take a photo.
AE lock
AE lock is the function in some cameras where you can point the camera at a scene and lock in the exposure values for that scene brightness. You can then change where you are pointing the camera and take a photo that were locked in. It is useful if for example taking a portrait of someone against a bright background. You first move in close and lock the exposure reading on your subject’s face, before moving back and taking the shot.
With the Canonet although the official specs don’t list AE lock as a feature pressing the shutter button down half-way will lock the exposure reading – effectively an AE lock function.
Film loading
This is an area where the Canonet truly excels. On the front of the camera (and several other Canon cameras of the same era) you will see a ‘QL’ badge. This stands for ‘Quick Loading’ and means that the camera is equipped with Canon’s proprietary quick film loading mechanism.
To load film, open the back of the camera and simply insert the film cannister into the left side and pull the tip of the film to the right, level with the orange mark and then close the back.
The camera takes care of grabbing the end of the film.
You then wind the film lever until it stops. The camera automatically knows that you have just loaded a film and advances the film onto the first frame of the film and then cocks the shutter.
To confirm that the film has loaded properly there is a little window on the back of the camera with some orange / black lines. As you wind the film these lines will move from side to side to confirm that the film has loaded properly.
The other little window on the rear of the camera turns orange to tell you if the shutter has been cocked.
Viewfinder information and focusing
Focusing is achieved using a lever at the base of the lens. This lever is easy to find while looking through the viewfinder and it has a relatively short travel to speed focusing.
The rangefinder focusing system relies on a system of little mirrors inside the viewfinder that are synchronized with the lens focusing mechanism. Sometimes these can get slightly out of sync, and the Canonet has a couple of hidden adjusters. Using a small screwdriver you can bring the rangefinder back to accuracy. The vertical adjuster is hidden behind a small metal plug on the back of the camera (it unscrews for access). The horizontal adjuster is accessed by removing the camera hot-shoe (flash socket) on the top of the camera.
The viewfinder display is fairly typical of a lot of rangefinder cameras of the era. There are lines to tell you where the edges of your photo are. Cleverly these actually move as you focus the lens (to compensate for the viewfinder being offset from the lens that actually takes the photo).
In the centre of the viewfinder is the rangefinder rectangle, while to the right is an exposure meter needle that indicates the correct aperture given the lighting conditions.
The exposure meter is turned on by turning the lens aperture ring to the ‘A’ position. This is useful since you can use the camera in Automatic mode to tell you what the recommended exposure settings are, but can then switch to manual mode to override the exposure if you wish.
Battery
Common with many cameras of the era, the Canonets were originally designed to take a 625-size 1.35-volt Mercury battery. Since these are no longer available, you will need a modern LR44 or SR44 battery and a little adaptor (since the modern batteries are smaller than the original Mercury batteries).
Modern batteries also have a slightly higher voltage (1.5 volts) than the 625 Mercury batteries.This higher voltage means that the camera’s meter will think that each scene is slightly brighter than it really is.
In reality this difference is slight, and you are highly unlikely to notice it in regular photo taking for a couple of reasons:
- Modern film is very tolerant of over / under exposure, and compensates for small exposure inaccuracies
- Camera exposure meters of the era are never 100% accurate, and these inaccuracies exceed any errors from battery voltage.
From our experience, using a 1.5v battery instead of a 1.35v battery results in underexposure by around ½ stop in dull conditions, and less than ½ stop in bright conditions.
If you are using slide film (which is less tolerant of incorrect exposure) and you want the metering to be exactly as per the original camera specs then you have a few options:
- Set the camera ISO to be lower than the film ISO (e.g. set the camera to ISO 70 when using ISO 100 film).
- Use a 675 hearing aid (‘Zinc Air’ battery). These have a voltage closer to that of a Mercury battery, although they need replacing more regularly.
- Buy a special voltage-reducing battery adaptor that automatically modifies the voltage to that of a Mercury battery (not cheap at around $70 each).happen to be using are using slide film
The Canonets we review here generally have a battery check button on the back of the camera.
In the G-III version the button illuminates a little light next to the button. With non-G-III models the check button moves the viewfinder meter needle to indicate if the battery is OK. Some of the non-G-III models don’t have a battery check button.
Flash features
Yet again the Canonet has some clever hidden features here.
To help understand these, it helps to know that in the early 70s camera flashguns generally gave out a fixed amount of light for each flash (known as a ‘manual’ flash setting). It was only later that the camera flash became more advanced (automatically measuring and varying the right amount of light for each photo).
To get the correct exposure / lighting with a manual flash depends on three factors:
- How powerful your flash is
- How far away your subject is
- The lens aperture setting
The Canonet has special features to take care of this for you.
Firstly to tell the camera how powerful your flash is there are some green numbers on the lens aperture ring (just to the right of the ‘A’ mark). Each flash has a number called a ‘Guide Number’ which indicates how powerful it is. You will generally need to look at the instruction manual for the flash to find this out. Set the camera to the number closest to the guide number of your flash.
| The aperture ring set to flash Guide Number 20 | 
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The second and third factors are handled automatically by the Canonet. When you set the aperture ring to one of the green values above, it automatically changes to flash mode whereby the camera automatically changes the lens aperture based on the focus setting of the lens. The idea is that if you are taking a flash photo of something relatively far away (e.g 5 metres), the lens needs a wide aperture to capture as much of the light from the flash as possible. Conversely, if taking a flash photo of something very close then a small aperture is needed since a large amount of the flash light will be reflected.
So, in the flash mode if you look at the viewfinder aperture needle you will see it change as you move the focusing ring. This is the camera automatically setting the right aperture based on the flash power and the subject distance. Pretty clever for the 1970s.
This is the procedure for using a manual flash with the Canonet.
If using a more modern automatic flash (where the flash automatically cuts off the flash light at the right point) then use the following procedure:
- Set the camera shutter speed to e.g. 1/125s. This isn’t actually critical, since the Canonet can handle shutter speeds up to 1/500s and it doesn’t affect the flash exposure.
- Set the lens aperture to the value indicated by the flash (normally a little table or window on the back of the flash will tell you.)
- Take the photo – the flash will automatically turn off when enough light has reached the camera.
Canon also released a special flash to accompany the Canonet, called the ‘Canolite D’. This is clever in that when attached to the camera, it tells the camera of its presence. All you need to do is leave the camera in automatic (‘A’) mode and shoot away. The camera automatically switches to manual flash mode and the camera / flash combination takes care of exposure.
Conclusion
For such a small camera, the Canonet packs in a lot of features. With its compact size, high quality lens, coupled with automatic and manual exposure control it has everything you could need for a travel / street photography companion. It is our go-to film camera for family trips and never fails to delight.
We generally have Canonets in stock. Click HERE for our selection.
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New
The Pentax KM - read this before you buy a K1000 !
We all know the Pentax K1000 - a wildly popular camera that has been the favourite of film photography beginners and student for a few decades. It is popular because it is basic, and provides a great platform for learning about the fundamentals of film photography.
Released in 1976, the K1000 was actually a cut-down version of the Pentax KM, released 1 year earlier.
While there are a lot of K1000 models around, they tend to have been well used with scuffs and scratches to match.
If you are considering a K1000 then we strongly recommend that you pause for a moment, and look at the KM.
At a glance, the cameras are virtually identical. They both:
- Have the same sized body
- Take the same lenses
- Have the same shutter speed range
- Take the same film
- Have the same exposure system (a viewfinder needle)
However, the KM has a number of benefits which we think are really useful.
1. The KM has a self-timer.
OK, so some people don't use them, but personally we love perching our camera on a flat surface and waiting for the clockwork self-timer to countdown while we all pose.
2. The KM has depth-of-field preview
If you are not familiar with this function, in a nutshell this allows you to see what parts of your image (e.g. background, foreground) are in focus or blurred before you take your shot. We all love a blurred background for portraits, and this lever lets you check before taking the photo.
3. The KM has a film memo dial
Ever forgotten what film is in your camera ? We certainly have. The KM has a simple dial (on the top left of the camera) that you turn to remind yourself what film is in your camera. You can set it to colour or black-and-white, and also set the number of shots on your film. It doesn't actually change any camera settings - it simply tells you what film you inserted.
4. All metal construction
In later years Pentax moved production of the K1000 away from Japan. In doing this they also replaced some metal parts with plastic. While this produced a slightly lighter camera, we do prefer the all-metal, Japanese made construction of the KM.
Finally, don't just take our word for it - do a web search on 'Pentax K1000 vs KM' - the opinions are unanimous.
Let's be clear - none of these extra features add complexity to the camera, or make taking photos any harder. There simply isn't any reason why NOT having them is any benefit whatsoever. So, take a good hard look at the Pentax KM !
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New
The Elmo 104 / 106 / 108 / 110 Super-8 camera series
A wide range of Super-8 cameras to suit all tastes from the tiny 104 to the powerful 110.
Overview
Elmo may not be a household name for cameras outside Japan, but they were a huge Japanese manufacturer of Super-8 cine cameras during the 1970s, the heyday of Super-8.
They made a broad range of cameras with the most popular being a series of cameras comprising of the
Elmo 104, 106, 108, 110 and 110R.
With the exception of the 110R these models are very similar in terms of capability with the main difference being the size of the zoom lens.
For each of these models, the model number indicates the power of the zoom lens, so the 104 has a 4x zoom, the 106 a 6x zoom and so on.
Design
In general these cameras are fairly light by virtue of their aluminium body. Naturally the weight goes up with the larger models purely due to the weight of the lenses. The 104 weighs in at 1100g, going up to 1500g for the 110R.
The camera’s power switch is a flip up lid on the right side of the camera which reveals a button that starts the camera shooting. All of the range also come with a handle that screws into the bottom of the camera and which has a trigger button for shooting. When using the trigger you need to remember to flip up this side lid to turn the camera on first. The power lid has a little sliding switch next to the shooting button which will keep the button down for continuous shooting.
A cable release socket is just below the power switch for single shot mode.
All cameras have a removable trigger handle on the bottom of the camera, and a lovely carrying strap on the top. This makes them great for low angle action shooting (think skateboarding !).
Shooting speeds
All of the range offer two shooting speeds: 18 fps (frames per second) and 24 fps, while the larger models (the 108 and 110) also have a slow-motion mode that takes around 50 fps. The 110R adds a switch for single-frame capability. The other models can also take single-frames if you attach a cable release in the side of the camera.
Batteries
The batteries fit into a plastic battery box that slides into a compartment at the top of the camera. Having a separate battery box is a useful feature as if in the unlikely event you leave old batteries in the camera and they leak, most of the damage is kept confined to the box and is unlikely to damage the camera itself.
All cameras run on 4xAA batteries, and a few of the earlier models also need a separate battery for the meter. The battery compartment for this is just inside the left wall of the camera visible when the film chamber door is open. We generally use an SR44 battery (with adaptor) for this when needed which works great.
The cameras have a battery check button on the left of the camera that moves the meter needle. If the needle moves to the centre then the batteries are good.
Viewfinder
One thing that sets this entire range apart is the lovely large bright viewfinders which make the cameras a joy to use – nice and clear so that you can see exactly what you are shooting, even in low light. All show the aperture value at the bottom of the viewfinder.
The smaller cameras have a microprism circle in the centre of the viewfinder as a focusing aid, while the 110R adds a split prism focusing screen for very precise focusing.
The viewfinder tube has a diopter adjuster so you can set it for your individual eyesight.
Zoom
All cameras have a single-speed power zoom operated by a switch to the left of the lens: up for telephoto, and down for wide. The zoom (along with the film drive) is generally very quiet which is a benefit if you are also recording sound while shooting.
Exposure control
All have through the lens automatic exposure control and you will see the viewfinder aperture needle move as you point the camera at bright or dark scenes. A switch on the left of the camera enables you to change to manual exposure mode and when you turn it you can move the aperture needle to any desired value.
85A filter control
As with most Super-8’s film colour balance (daylight or tungsten) is automatically detected when you insert your film cartridge, so no manual intervention is required unless you are using a daylight film under traditional (tungsten) lighting. In that case there is a little filter key in a slot on the top / back of the camera. Simply remove this and slot it into the same position at the top / front of the camera and the camera will adjust for the colour of the indoor lighting.
Which film to use with these cameras ?
The meter on the entire range is calibrated for the following film speeds / types:
- 25-160 (daylight)
- 40-250 (tungsten)
Of currently available Super-8 film you can therefore use any of the following:
- Kodak Vision 3 50D (regular colour film for use in Daylight)
- Kodak Vision 3 200T (regular colourfilm for use in Daylight or Indoor lighting)
- Kodak Ektachrome 100D (Daylight colour film for use in a projector)
- Kodak Tri-X 200 (Black-and-white film for use in a projector)
Note that although Kodak 500T (the most sensitive film) is technically out of the meter range for these cameras it actually makes a very good choice for shooting indoors in low light.
Modern film has the capability to handle too much / too little light rather well. In addition when your film is processed and scanned, the scanner will compensate for incorrect lighting so the results for 500T indoors are very good.
Summary
This range of cine cameras has all of the features that most home cine film makers will need, without having a lot of complex functions and buttons that are rarely used. They are easy to use and create great results and are easy to carry around. Simply choose the size (and zoom lens) that is right for you !
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