OLYMPUS XA Instructions EN

1 Instructions . DESCRIPTION OF CONTROLS. Self-Timer/Battery Check Beeper Non-Slip Finger Grip Rangefinder Window Rewind Crank Exposure Counter Shutter Release (Side View). Rewind Knob/. Camera Back Release Flash Film Winder Guide Pin Hole Dust Barrier Self-Timer/ Flash Retaining Battery Check Lamp Socket Strap Eyelet Viewfinder Aperture Lever Distance CdS Light Sensor Scale Window 1 ASA Film Speed Lever X-Synchro Contacts Lens Focusing Lever Film Rewind Shaft Film Chamber Charge Lamp Sprocket ASA Film Speed Window Film Take-Up Spool Film Speed Adjustment Lever Auto Flash Sensor Flashtube Flash Diffuser Window Flash Clamping Screw Battery Control Film Pressure Plate Chamber Lever Camera Back Tripod Socket Rewind Release Button 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. DESCRIPTION OF CONTROLS .. Page 1 2. The OLYMPUS XA is an aper- PREPARATION. ture priority auto-exposure Installing the Batteries .. 4. rangefinder camera setting new Loading the Film .. 5 6. standards for function and feel, SIMPLE STEPS FOR TAKING PICTURES.

2 Appearance and performance. Setting the Aperture .. 7. Please read the following pages Focusing .. 8. carefully and your new camera Releasing the Shutter .. 9. will provide maximum per- Unloading the Film .. 10. formance and satisfaction. Self-Timer .. 10. Automatic Flash Photography .. 11 12. PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES. Aperture and Depth of Field .. 13 14. Shutter-Speed Priority Photography .. 15-16. Backlighting Compensation .. 17. Daylight Synchronization .. 18. HELPFUL HINTS .. 19. CARE AND STORAGE .. 20. 3 MAIN SPECIFICATIONS .. 21 22. PREPARATION. Installing the Batteries If 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 silver oxide batteries (SR 44, EPX-76 or equivalent). 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 position. 1. Insert the batteries correctly.

3 2. Check the batteries. SR 44. (EPX-76, Set the control lever to "CHECK". MS-76 or The beeper emits a tone and the equivalent) check lamp glows brightly. 4. Loading the Film 1. Open the camera back and in- 2. Attach the film end to the 3. Start winding the film and close sert the film cartridge. (Dust Bar- take-up spool. the camera back. rier is in closed position.) The film end must not stick out Never load the film in direct sun- Film perforations must engage of the slot excessively. light. with sprocket teeth and the film 5 must be drawn flat. 4. Open the Dust Barrier. 5. Wind and expose two blank 6. Set the ASA film speed. shots until the exposure counter If the Dust Barrier is not fully shows "1". opened, the shutter cannot be released. The lens should be aimed toward 6. a bright light when shooting. SIMPLE STEPS FOR TAKING PICTURES. Setting the Aperture Aperture guideline (ASA 100). (To make full use of aperture con- trol, see pages 13 & 14.). If the shutter speed nee- dle enters the striped, over- exposure warning zone, push the aperture lever 1.

4 Open the Dust Barrier and set 2. Confirm the shutter speed in downward so that the nee- the aperture lever ( mark) to the the viewfinder, aiming at the sub- dle points to "500" (1/. F-number required. ject. 500 sec) or under. If the needle points to (The arrows indicate parallax cor- "30" (1/30 sec) or under, 7 rection marks.) be careful not to shake the camera. Focusing Turn the focusing lever until the double image in the central rec- tangle fuses into one. Focusing can also be done with the knurled 3. Looking through the view- Out of focus In focus mount ( when a tripod is in finder, compose and focus. use). If the subject distance is ~. 1 meter ( ~ feet), frame the subject in the area under the 2 parallax correction marks. 8. Releasing the Shutter 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. The release requires a minimum of finger pressure, reducing chance of 9 image blur due to camera shake.

5 Unloading the Film Self-Timer Set the control lever to "SELF. TIMER" and release the shutter. The beeper emits a tone and the check lamp glows intermittently. The shutter will release after a delay 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 film ends, rewind and remove it. Close the Dust Barrier, depress the rewind release button and rewind the film. When the crank turns freely, open the camera back and remove the film in the shade. 10. Automatic Flash Photography (Only the Electronic Flash A11 can be used.). 1. Set the ASA film speed. 2. Connect the flash unit to the camera. If the ASA speed of the film to be Insert the guide pin into the guide used is close to "100" or "400", pin hole and turn the clamping use the nearest setting. (ASA 80 AA battery screw clockwise. 11 or 125 "100"). (Alkaline preferred) After connecting, do not twist the A11. Maximum working distance ( ft.) at ASA 100, 5m ( ft.)

6 At ASA. 400. 3. Set the aperture lever to"Flash". 4. When the charge lamp glows, 5. At the end of flash The charge lamp pops up and the you are ready to fire. photography, fully A11 turns on automatically. Do not move the lever once it depress the charge The flash setting has been design- has been set for auto flash, or in- lamp to turn the ed to require a stronger pressure correct flash exposure may result. 12. than the aperture setting. flash unit off. PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES. Aperture and Depth of Field Depth of field is the area of accept- able sharpness in front of and be- hind the subject in focus. The larg- er the F-number used (from to F22), the deeper the depth of field. On the contrary, the smaller the F-number (from F22 to ), 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 Making use of "out of Deep-focus effects to focus" background or foreground effects 13.

7 Depth of field table (in meters) Depth of field table (in feet). Circle of least confusion 1/30 mm. Circle of least confusion 1/760 in. (Camera-to-subject distances with are indicated on the 14. camera's distance scale.). Shutter-Speed Priority Photography When photographing fast moving subjects, the impression of move- ment can be emphasized by inten- tionally allowing the image to be blurred using a stow shutter speed. On the contrary, the movement can be "frozen" using a fast shut- ter speed. To emphasize motion To stop movement 15. An aperture-priority auto-expo- sure camera, the XA lets you select the aperture freely, then automati- cally sets the right shutter speed 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 If the shutter speed needle en- If the needle points to "30" or needle points to the shutter speed ters the striped zone, push the under, hold the camera steady or required.

8 Aperture lever downward so that support with a tripod; or use a the needle points to "500" or un- faster shutter speed by pushing der. the lever upward; or use autoflash. 16. Back Lighting Compensation Before compensation Compensated + Turn the lever to "BACK LIGHT. When shooting against the light + " and release the shutter. (bright sky, beach, snow, or facing You can get the same effect by a window), the face tends to ap- reducing the ASA film speed set- 17 pear dark on the image. In this ting. case, use the control lever to pro- perly expose the most important area. Daylight Synchronization In situations like these, compen- Manual flash method is recom- sate for the back lighting by using mended for daylight fill-in. Set the A11 film speed lever to the control lever. "FULL" and the aperture lever to the F-number (after having set to 18. the flash symbol) obtained from the guide number formula. HELPFUL HINTS. Dust Barrier Electronic feather-touch shutter release Opening the Dust Barrier fully switches the The release (pressure conductive polymer).

9 Power ON, and all camera functions are ready responds to very light pressure. Pressing with to shoot. Closing the Dust Barrier switches a stroke as you normally do with other cam- the power OFF, and all camera functions are eras is not needed. locked. Treat the camera with care! Foolproof electronic circuit Do not exert stronger pressure on moving With the Dust Barrier closed and camera func- parts than needed (Dust Barrier, levers, tions locked, the foolproof electronic circuit knobs). When attaching a tripod, care should nonetheless allows the camera back to be be taken not to tighten the screw excessively opened for film loading, unlocking all relat- and not to rotate the camera on the screw. 19 ed functions. Filters cannot be used with the XA. CARE AND STORAGE. At the completion of photography, com- Store the camera in a dry, well-ventilated pletely close the Dust Barrier to prevent bat- place. tery drain and dust. Never store the camera where temperatures Do not drop or hit the camera.

10 Cameras exceed 50 C (122 F) or below -20 C (-4 . that have been submerged in water are gen- F). When you use the camera in temperatures erally irreparable. under -10 C (14 F), it may sometimes fail Do not touch the lens, viewfinder and range- to operate properly. To avoid this, warm the finder window. If touched, wipe the surface camera before use. lightly with a clean, soft cotton cloth. Fin- Have all repairs performed by an authorized gerprints, if not wiped off immediately, will OLYMPUS Service Center. You may send it eventually be unremovable. directly or through the store where your Never leave the camera near radios, TV sets, camera was purchased. 20. or magnets. MAIN SPECIFICATIONS ( OLYMPUS XA). Camera type: 35mm rangefinder electronic lens-shut- Shutter release: Electromagnetic feather touch ter camera. shutter release. Film format: 35mm standard cassette (24 x 36mm). Self-timer: Electronic self-timer with 12 second delay. Lens: F. Zuiko 35mm , 6 elements in 5 groups. Blinking LED and electronic beeper (Piezoelectric Shutter: Electronic between-lens shutter.)