Olympus XA Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มี.ค. 2020
- In this video, we review the Olympus XA which is one of the smallest 35mm cameras with all the features a serious photographer could wish for. It comes with an excellent 35mm f/2.8 Zuiko lens, built-in lightmeter and aperture priority mode, and true rangefinder focusing. The camera is also the last masterpiece of the legendary Olympus camera designer Yoshihisa Maitani - and bears quite some resemblance to his first creation, the Olympus Pen. Take a closer look at our review to learn more.
Gear used:
Olympus XA
Films used:
Ilford FP4+
Kodak Ektar 100
If you'd like to get in touch or see some early behind the scenes footage, find me on Instagram: / analog_insights
The shell is not plastic, is very thin metal and the shutter release was built like that with very great effort so that the slightest touch fires the shutter to compensate camera shake since the camera is so little and light. You are supposed to hold the camera like a rangefinder, that way your fingers don't get in the frame. That way you have your right middle finger on the aperture control, you can move the focusing lever with your left index finger and fire the shutter with your right index finger. Maitani was a genius. He actually designed the olympus mju/stylus camera as well in the 90s... The engeneering of the lens of the XA is a masterpiece, it is built like a telephoto lens and is a 35mm lens. The rangefinder was built for precise focusing but the camera was meant to be used using hyperfocal metering, in fact you can read the meters on top of the lens. You can also notice that f/5.6, 3 meters marks on the camera have a different color. You were supposed to set the camera like that for point and shoot if you were not a photography expert. There is so much more about this camera other than what has been described in the video... I have an awful amount of cameras but the XA is absolutly one of the best.
With the understanding that the lens on the XA is one of the worst. Vignettes like crazy, low resolution in the image center and almost non-existent at the edges, com-pared to other simple, inexpensive, small pocket models of its day.. It's a snapshot camera and that's all it is or was ever meant to be. Get over it. There is no user control over the exposure; the rangefinder is almost unusable, and that's when it's new out of the box. It's pretty useful and decent for what it was intended, but it's imaging quality is one of the poorest out there, but then so is the Mju.
@@randallstewart175 Oh well... There is a world of people saying the lens of the XA is actually outstanding... It won't be me trying to convince anybody. And sure the rangefinder 40 years later is usually dim contrast. It is a small, light, metal, interesting f/2.8 35mm lens camera with a bunch of character and it even has a rangefinder... You can adjust the exposition, +1.5 stops with the lever at the bottom. The lever also work as a stand because this thing has also a selftimer. You can also trick the exposition by setting the film speed, as people have always done since they put an exposure meter in a camera. But anyway, this was not supposed to replace your nikon F2 and 500 kilos of glass and metal, or a canonet g-III, or a leica m3, this is a pocket camera. It is super very beautiful, it was absolutely all new and original in design, it had super advanced features for the time, and it actually works very well. It should be compared with the minox 35, rollei 35, the half frame cameras maybe. The contax t beats it, no question. But XA is waaaaaay cheaper, lighter and it came like 6 years before. They sold a billion of them anyway, must have been good enough... Or they had great marketing...
@@matthell6719 I've got no no no no no complaints about my XA. My shots actually come out great. Oh and BTW I also have a QL17. Rangefinders are amazing!
The XA was my first real camera. Bought it in 84 I think. Used condition from a small camera store and used it extensively on shooting a gozillion slides. I had no idea about photography but managed to intuitively make it my perfect tool resulting in 99% great super sharp shots. My 19 year old daughter snatched it away from me last year. These young people seem to appreciate quality. Now I'm trying to get me an other one again.
"We have a saying in Japanese that fire and water are good servants, but bad masters. Although the camera should be an inseparable part of the photographer, it is still a tool. It can be a help or hindrance depending on how it’s used." Yoshihisa Maitani
My dad had one, kept behind the bar in the pub he owned, often covered in sticky beer residue and cigarette smoke tar and I used to play with it like a toy as a kid and fiddled with the rangefinder lever to destruction.... I feel very sorry for it now
What a trip down memory lane! I took thousands of shots with my XA. The first camera which I purchased with my own hard earned money was an Olympus OM-2n. Soon after, I also wanted a pocket camera, but didn't like the 110 film or 35mm half frame options which were typical of those times. When Olympus came out with the XA, I purchased one, and it was one of the best cameras I've ever used. It was exceptionally practical from a usability perspective, so easy to keep with me at all times, and had picture quality which was often indistinguishable from a SLR (that square aperture occasionally revealed itself in the bokeh or lens flare). I never had trouble using the rangefinder, and often in bright light I simply did zone focusing. The handling was so quick and easy, and the camera so discreet, that I caught many excellent candid shots. I haven't seen it in years, I'm sure it's hidden in a box somewhere in my house. I've lamented that I've never come across a camera in the digital era which put together in one package what the XA had in compactness, image quality, ease of use, and quick discreet handling. It only took about 3 seconds to pull it out of my pocket and snap the shot.
yeah it was great for all that.
I bought my XA back in 1980 when it first got to the base exchange (US Air Force) and it turned out to be the ideal travel camera. Because of the hardshell I could slip it into a pocket without worry and it was quick to start and to shoot with. My only problem was with the flash; I kept putting my finger over the light blocking the flash. I lost my first XA when a carton of oil and vinegar dressing opened up in the bottom of my pack and drowned it some 20 years after I bought it. Within a few months I had bought another and still have it. It is an absolutely brilliant design.
From the changing light in your apartment/studio, we can see that it takes hours to film your pieces to camera. I’m sure not everyone appreciates how much time and effort goes into making good quality reviews like yours.
Thanks for your comment. You are generally right. A lot of time and effort go into these video. The living room moderation scenes typically take 60-70 minutes to record, depending on the amount of content. In this particular case, I started rather early in the morning and suddenly had the low winter morning sun in my face. That's why it is a bit unusual or particularly noticeable here. :)
Of all my cameras, this is the one that I always take when I leave the house. Beautiful camera, beautiful glass.
There are reviews and there are analog insights, great work as always guys and very enjoyable. I’ve been looking at this one lately, might get one since the price is still right here in Sweden. Nice to take a break from all the madness going on in the world with one of your videos. Take care guys!
Your videos are my favourite things on TH-cam. Thank you for your insight and the oasis of calm in which they are contained.
I still have my XA that bought in 81 at a Saudi Arabia shop. It was always with me in my flight suit pocket, for several years while a AWACS crew member. After I retired from the air force, my daughter used it in high school. I stopped using film in 2000, so it has set since.
Great little camera, isn't?
I've been waiting for your video for so long. Thx 😍
My grandfather gave me one in 1980. I took it to England and France and used it for years. Fantastic, pocketable rangefinder. I still shoot one today.
Great video!!! you folks put together some fantastic content, thank you!! I've been back and forth on getting one of these! Cheers!
one of the best reviews i've ever seen
I appreciate you to make quality videos like this!
I had this camera in the late 80's and had it all through out my clueless college years. I took thousands of pictures because it was easy to carry and I had it with me all the time. I never thought anything of it, thought it was a cheap plastic camera. But all the photos I took of friends, girlfriends, hours spent on Creve Coeur Lake, Missouri sculling (a lake which was a toxic dump site by the way with signs posted that said don't eat the fish). Photos remain, but the camera details are fuzzy. Was it a range finder? I can't imagine how I put up with the focusing. Did i actually set aperture? Load film with that tiny turn knob? How did I remember to take the flash attachment for nights? Really, I enjoyed your royal treatment of a camera that reminded of a time in my youth, 40 years ago!
As always, another GREAT little video. As an extremely serious amateur photographer and analog camera aficionado, I REALLY enjoy your presentations! Keep up the GREAT work and be careful out there.
Nice review as always. This is a brilliant design from the master. I have all of the Olympus cameras that you have reviewed (35 RD, OM1n, Pen F and XA), each very different with their own distinctive character.
Thank you for the review. I love my XA!
I worked in the camera department of a large department store chain in the Northeast US from1980 to 1981 while I was in high school. These were quite popular, although not as much as the Canon AE-1 which flew off the shelves.
it‘s by far my favorite compact shooter: such a thoughtful design!
Just got one off eBay last week. Timely. Great review.
Another gem of a review. I was conflicted between purchasing an Olympus XA and a Olympus M-ju ii. Thank you for your well researched and amazing video. I greatly appreciate your voice and delivery of the information in the video. Jules as usual is on another level. The images he made with this camera are among the best I've seen in this channel. The answer was obvious after watching and I hope to receive 2 of these beautiful cameras soon.
Thank you so much for your kind comment. We both really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy the Olympus XA. I am sure you'll take some wonderful images with it.
Wonderful episode and camera. I cherish my XA.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful review. It was my first real camera I bought second hand during my high school years. Performed exceptionally well as your have reviewed. It broke and I put it aside carefully. I was in an used equipment store the other day, and learned it could likely be fixed. I might do just that for the sake of travelling down the memory lane 40 years after.
My uncle gave me his XA that he found in his basement after many years. It works perfectly and I absolutely have fallen in love with this little camera. The fact that you can always carry it with you makes it the best camera for me.
Just got me one. Thank you so much for such a wonderful review.
Great review and video as always Max. Yet another camera that just made it's way to my "bucket list" lol
Great choice of music for this video. Really enjoyed it.
I love my XA! I recently took a trip back to the UK to visit my family, and this was the only camera I took with me. I did not regret my decision. For people that think the viewfinder patch is dim, there is a way to mask off the center of the viewfinder which will let you see the rangefinder patch a lot easier - I find I don't need to do this personally, but it's certainly an option for folks.
With time (and cleanings...?) some patches are a little less visible... A pink filter on the finder is better! 😉
I have a nice one recently given to me, so happy if they go up in value. I did have one 30 years ago too. The lens is strap but wide open its stretched optically. I always found the focus patch a bit difficult to see in certain light (and I have good eyes), but its not too bad. The size, ergonomics and aperture priority were way ahead in there day and it still is a lovely little gem to have in your pocket - my modern day version is the Ricoh GR II - just love these small cameras with great lenses...
Thanks for this great review!
A very nice feature that no review seems to mention is the film speed setting can be used for fine exposure compensation in +/- 1/3 stop clicks. All the XAs I've had tended to overexpose slightly and blue skies came out light blue or even white. Underexposing 2/3 of a stop fixed that. Holding a polarizing filter in front of the lens also worked well. I even do that with my phone's camera.
I bought one around 30 years ago and about 5 years ago sold it. I've wished since that I had kept it. As with all Olympus cameras with Zuiko lenses the picture quality was great. Good video
I should take my XA out again after many years not using it. It's a really nice and sharp camera that fits in any pocket. Thank's for the charming report - Yoshihisa Maitani forever!
I have the XA2, it was more affordable. It is a great street shooter / pocket camera. I have found the lens to be very sharp too. It’s my go to camera when I don’t need to carry my OM-4T. Especially in the winter when I don’t want to risk damaging the OM. I would say any XA series is a great addition to ones camera collection. Full disclosure - All I own are Olympus cameras, except for my IPhone.
Amazing effort and the shots are gorgeous!
victordesabata Thanks a lot. Really appreciate it.
Wow, such a beautiful camera! I used to own one many years ago. I wish I had it again. A digital version would be very interesting too.
The XA was my first camera over 20 years ago! I loved it and took it on hiking trips. The copy I had stopped working, but many years later I was able to buy another copy of it in mint condition. I don’t shoot it much these days, compared to other cameras I own I find the handling a bit quirky. I’ll never sell it though, it has a sentimental place in my collection.
Wow, had to click on this video - what a memory rush. As a young guy working in a camera store, I tried to sell these to anyone who would listen to my love story. Awesome little camera. Such a design leap in its day. Now l shoot professionally with a 5D Mk IV which makes me realise two things. 1. How much camera technology has advanced. 2. How old I am. 🤣
I just figured out why I don't realize I'm getting older. He never went digital! 😁
great review thank you!
Awesome pictures, It's my favorite rangefinder compact camera!
Another great episode as usual...
You should consider doing an episode about the legendary Ricoh GR1.
More than happy to send you mine for testing as long as you promise to return it after you're done :)
Nice video. I picked up one of these on eBay for a song about 14 years ago. When it was first released it was billed as the camera that professional photographers took on vacation.
Thank you for an interesting video. I have always wanted an XA but have never had one. I had instead, for quite a few years, an XA2 which is a cheaper but still very good brother to this camera and has zone focusing rather than the rangefinder. Some of the best photos I ever took were with the XA2, simply one of the best point-and-shoot cameras out there. XAs are getting pricey for good ones, XA2s are a bit more affordable. Finally, I also had an XA4 which is the wide-angle/macro variant of the XA2, another interesting camera but still the XA2 was better IMO.
I loved my XA. Took so many pictures with it. Still have it and this has inspired me to get it out again.
Very happy to read this. Enjoy!
So professionell i like your videos a lot. Very beautiful photos too.
I still have mine and with flash. Now, where did I put it? Took thousands of pictures with it.
Good review that really shows what this camera can do! I also like this camera a lot. I was lucky enough to find two of these little beauties for 4€ and 6€ at a garage sale! (About 10 years ago, when people were still getting rid of film cameras...😅) They still work perfectly today in 2022. The needle in the viewfinder is not accurate in one of them, but the camera has two cells and the one that really controls the shutter is good. So I just know that this one indicates 3 stops down and it's fine.
A few years ago I said I had to a put a pink filter on the viewfinders to see the rangefinder patch better, but today, thanks to a very useful tutorial on TH-cam, I opened the cameras and cleaned the viewfinder and rangerfinder very carefully. Now they are like new and the patch is visible again as in the first day! 🙂
The weak point of this camera could be that it works only on batteries, but unlike the Mju II it looks like a reliable camera. And with a lithium 1/3N battery in it, it will last for years...
So to conclude I would say that this camera is just great. And it is so little that you can always have it with you in a small pocket, even if you don't want to take your photo bag. I've taken pictures I wouldn't have taken without it, simply because I wouldn't have had another camera at hand! And the fact that you can choose the aperture is great. For me the more modern Mju II was a regression both in terms of functionality and durability...
Own one, amazing camera! Love to use it with b&w film
Thankx for sharing this informative video about the XA. I got mine today in good condition incl. the A11 flash, replaced the light seals, put an HP5 in and it's ready to go. Certainly will take some photos with it tomorrow. Love your channel, eventhough it is expensive to watch ! ;-) ......... (nice Background music b.t.w. ! )
♥Analog Insights
Great stuff:) love your quality videos and genuine passion for photography. Would you consider doing a review of the Nikon FM2?
Excellent video of a superb camera.
Mine has been in a case for about 20 years.
I will have to get it out & use it again.
I am using an Olympus om 4ti and a Fujifilm x100 at the moment.
I don’t know why I missed this review Max so long after you made this film, what an amazing camera, looking forward to saving some money and getting one. Thanks again guys, don’t stop making these videos . Plus some really lovely photos 😀
Thanks so much for your kind comment and feedback. I really appreciate it.
@@AnalogInsights just bitten the bullet and bought an XA with an a16 flash, I don't usually use a flash but I am going to try my best, thanks again Max, really looking forward to having a daily camera to carry around all the time
Great. I hope you’ll enjoy the camera and take some beautiful images with it.
Lovely camera. I remember how impressed I was the first time I tried mine. Ektachrome looks amazing shot through this camera!
I can agree! I shot some 40iso Kodak 5071 recently with mine and the results were spectacular!
Love the epic game of thrones/the witcher music from the beginning
The XA was my very first camera which I bought in 1980 to document my journey through Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldive Islands.. I still have hundreds of slides from that trip made by the original XA. I enjoyed that camera for quite a few years and remember it fondly. Very nice review which reminded me of some features I had totally forgotten. Thank You.
I have one of these showing up to my doorstep from Japan next month. I'm excited to have another Yoshihisa Maitani designed camera in my hands, the Pen FV is a work of art and such a pleasure to use. I would try to pocket carry that camera but the pancake lens isn't on my list of stuff to buy in the next year so I grabbed one of these guys in mint condition off of ebay yesterday for about $200 shipped to door. I felt a little bad for the five people watching the sale, then I felt joy that I will soon be threading rolls of film through this tiny beast of a camera!
Great video! I have one myself and an XA2. The only drawback I find is that the rangefinder patch has become very difficult to see. It's an amazing and compact design, but can be fiddly to use the tiny lever to focus. The XA2 version was the first proper camera I owned at the age of 14 years and is still working perfectly! It is not as sought after and you just estimate distance, which in my opinion probably makes it a better street camera. The results I have had with both have been excellent and I really can't tell the difference in the pictures from say a Leica M6 with a summicron lens - a testament to the Olympus Zuiko lens.
Fantastic content... just subscribed... keep up the good work...
Love my XA, got me into film photography. That shutter button is touchy though..
Excellent video very informative.
A great range finder camera
Love the tartan jacket! Beside the camera 😊
Very impressive shots. Made me rethink posting my vlog of it haha
Now maitani's heritages are complete. Thanks analog insight
Wow, all the features of a full sized range finder in a really small package! I have a Chinon Bellami with the bar doors, similar design and flash set up, took a leaf from this design I think. It’s zone ranging although it has never given a blurred shot and is much more metal construction. Would love to see a review on it as it’s a fairly unknown camera, I’ll never sell mine. Even though it’s worth 10x what I paid for it!
I still have my XA-2, very surprised to see the difference between the two cameras. I had years of fun with the XA-2, it was the camera that slipped into my pocket when I went hillwalking and survived numerous drops and soakings.
A true testament to a good design.
This is one of my favorite videos of yours it inspired me to the buy the XA a while back. Only put 1 or 2 rolls through it but it is so wonderfully compact!
Unrelated but what track did you use for the beginning, it has been stuck in my head forever and I'd love to maybe someday use it in a video or too myself.
As interesting as these cameras are, I have never been able to find a properly working example for a good price. Too many have fungus or haze in the lens, and disassembling an XA series camera to clean the lens is not a job for the faint-hearted. Maitani invented the earlier Pen series of cameras, and my favorite is the Pen W, or wide-angle version of the Pen S. The Pen W never fails to amaze me, the photographer Bunyo Ishikawa used a W for some of his most famous photographs of the Vietnam war. As for Maitani, I have an Olympus OM3Ti which he signed with the diamond-tipped pen he carried for autographing cameras. You'll sometimes find cameras he signed on the market here in Japan.
Thanks for being honest about the lens performance at f2.8. By f5.6 many of the design limitations of the lens are gone. Low light focusing can be a challenge even with a black dot in the middle of the viewfinder. Zone focusing may work best with bright scenes. I’ve owned this camera for almost 40 years. I won’t say that I love everything about it but I do enjoy the compact size and stealthy appearance.
I love your Videos. So pleasant to watch. I just purchased one of these cameras. $3 US. Need to get some batteries and test it.
Great video! I'd love to see you guys do a video on the Minox 35 GT
Late to this channel. The XA was one of my all time favorites. Sadly, on a trip back from Europe, the harmonic vibrations of the plane caused most of the tiny screws to back out of the camera, with numerous body parts coming undone. Several of the tiny screws went missing, rendering the camera unusable. It now sits in a closet with other long disused cameras I've owned. This was not the first camera I owned that had the issue. An earlier Nikon also disassembled itself this way, also on a long European flight. Luckily, I found the screws, and my micro screwdriver set once again came to the rescue.
Haha, gerade heute habe ich eine XA 2 über Ebay Kleinanzeigen gekauft und nun kommt das Video : )
I love your channel and appreciate each and every video you guys have produced. I turned the darkest green with envy when I saw Greg's dark room in your recent video and 2 weeks later I have not returned to my natural color, but aside from my envy I have a bit of a challenge for your team.
As a painter I work in many mediums from pencil and charcoal to oils and watercolour and I tend to believe, if one stays within the limits of the medium, wonderful artful results can be obtained.
Hence, my challenge is, rather than use beautifully constructed cameras and lens such as the Leica or Contax why not try to obtain beautiful results with cameras that are not as well engineered by staying within the limits of what they can achieve?
I think that not only would a series of such videos be interesting but such a series might act towards encouraging more people to step into film photography and that would be fabulous from my perspective.
Magnifique!Merci
Love mine.
I own 2 of these and it is by far one of my favourite out of my collection. A truly remarkable and sharp camera. Feels really good in the hands. Heard it's been called a poor man's leica a few times. However, only criticism is just the rangefinder patch is really dim. Sometimes you can barely see the numbers on the side of viewfinder. Apparently it's quite common. So, you're pretty lucky to get a nice bright one. Nevertheless, still beautiful.
I bought this while stationed in Korea mainly due to its size and the fact it had a glass lens. I haven't used it in years.
these were great little cameras, the auto exposure worked really well nearly all the time, and the clamshell meant you could just slip it in your pocket.
Great camera. I also have the original contax T which is very similar to the XA. The Contax has a much better lens but the XA is much easier to use with the aperture slider and focus tab. On the contax, the focus and aperture are rings on the lens and the fold down door on the camera makes them very awkward to use IMO.
Great photos, what film were you guys using for both the color and b/W shots?
Joe Johnson Ilford FP4 and Kodak Ektar 100. These are also listed in the video description and at the end of the video.
Imagine if you combined this with a roll of XP2 super. You could change the iso for every shot from 100-800 negating the need for a high shutter speeds for excellent results and a truly everyday and no excuses package.
Hi there, I’m still fairly new to film so please bear with me… I would have thought that making the shutter speed faster (and naturally opening up the aperture and/or changing the iso to a higher light sensitivity would be more ideal for hand-held shots and negate the necessity to carry a tripod everywhere?
Bought mine in 1982 and used it until 2006 when I went digital
Most find the rangefinder almost unusable (myself included) except in bright daylight conditions. The angle of view is also very narrow and if you eye isn't perfectly aligned, you won't see the patch. I think the rangefinder is the biggest weak point for the camera. Everything else about it is beautiful.
Thanks for your comment. Interestingly, I read about this as well but decided not to include it as neither Greg, Jules or I encountered this problem. On the contrary, I experienced it as a rather decent rangefinder.
I put a blue cto gel to fix the contrast on mine. Give it a try.
Who bothers to see patch just guess focus it’s 35mm and it has distance scale
@@MarsKvaratskhelia Excuse me, but bad advice! Put a pink filter on the viewfinder and the patch will become visible. At f/2.8 or 4, an approximate focus will result in a blurred picture for sure, and then people will say that this camera is not very good, while it is capable of amazing results, and from the aperture of 2.8!
Once you familiarize yourself with the focal length and distance scale's relation to aperture, you'll be alright.
Is it possible to further compensate exposure by adjusting the ISO?
I still have my XA and flash, in the case it came in, plus the original box. Near mint. Never use it any more, sadly.
Hi Max. An excellent video. Also exceptional was the music. Would you please share the names? Thanks!
Thanks for the detailed video. I may have missed it, but how do you focus? Is there a lever under the lens?
Thanks for your comment. Yes, there is a focusing lever under the lens which some consider a bit fiddly but we really liked in our test. Hope this helps.
Good to see that I’m not the only one that put the finger inside the lens. I feel much better now. 😂😂😂
I've been on the edge of getting this camera for some time now :D
You can't go wrong with most of the XA range - the 2 and the 4 are also great camera's (3 is just a DX-coded version of the 2)
What do the color highlights for f5.6 and 3m distance indicate? It doesn’t appear to be hyperfocal distance, as per the manuals table on circle of confusion.
Can you do a review on Street Candy 400? It’s one of my favorite black and white films.
does anyone know how to ad yellow to the front of the rangefinder glass or something to boost the rangefinder patch in the viewfinder? mine is kinda worn and faded so its not easy to see.
Olympus XA. Contax T. Perfect travel companions. Don't know which I like more. I will use both until they die.
I still have an XA in a drawer. I used to call it "lille-gull" (Swedish). That would translate to "little cutie". I always liked the form factor - slides perfectly down your pocket. But I never liked the range finder. Very hard to see that patch - thus hard to focus. So I then got a Contax T3. Now that was the perfect camera, absolutely loved it, but I unfortunately sold that (for a very nice profit, though).
i'm still waiting for the day when you guys review the nikon F2 (coming from you i'd expect the titan version) or at least the first canon F1...just for a change
I often hear this silly claim that the XA was the last camera designed by Maitani. Some people even say that he left the company after he designed the camera. In fact Maitani remained head of design at Olympus until 1996 when he retired. The XA camera was designed in 1979. Maitani's name as designer is associated with many Olympus cameras after the XA, including the rest of the XA series. There seems to be a tendency to attribute his design skills only to the cameras that are popular, and suggest he was not head of the team designing all of these cameras that are much less popular.
The Olympus Stylus camera of 1991 (known as the mju outside the US) is regarded as a Maitani design and a notable example of his industrial design genius and the iS bridge cameras of the 90's are also credited to his design excellence.