From lhawkins@annie.wellesley.edu Thu May 4 17:34:04 1995 Newsgroups: rec.photo.misc,rec.photo.help Path: news.ifm.liu.se!liuida!sunic!sunic.sunet.se!news.luth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news2.near.net!wellesley.edu!annie.wellesley.edu!lhawkins From: lhawkins@annie.wellesley.edu (R. Lee Hawkins) Subject: Olympus XA FAQ Message-ID: <1995May2.153315.24717@olaf.wellesley.edu> Sender: news@olaf.wellesley.edu (USENET News System) Nntp-Posting-Host: annie.wellesley.edu Organization: Department of Astronomy, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA Date: Tue, 2 May 1995 15:33:15 GMT Lines: 377 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.photo.misc:19155 rec.photo.help:12253 Olympus XA FAQ, Tue May 2 11:32:55 EDT 1995 version. This FAQ is (c) 1994, 1995 By R. Lee Hawkins. It may be freely distributed as long as it remains unaltered and this copyright notice remains intact. This FAQ may NOT be distributed in return for compensation of any kind. I-Introductory questions: I0) Who maintains this FAQ? I1) Model name conventions. I2) Cameras this FAQ covers. G-General questions: G1) How can I get replacement manuals for my Olympus camera? G2) How can I get repair manuals for my Olympus camera? G3) Other than the user's manuals, what documentation is available for the XA series? B-Questions about Olympus XA bodies: B0) What should I look for in buying a used XA, XA-{1, 2, 3, 4}? B1) What types and number of batteries do the various XA's take? Is one type better than another? B2) What are the specifications of the XA? B3) What are the specifications of the XA-1? B4) What are the specifications of the XA-2? B5) What are the specifications of the XA-3? B6) What are the specifications of the XA-4? F-Flash group questions: F0) What should I look for in buying a used A-series flash? F1) What are the specifications of the A-9M flash? F2) What are the specifications of the A-11 flash? F3) What are the specifications of the A-16 flash? F3) What are the specifications of the A-1L flash? F4) Which flashes are compatible with which model XA's? *NEW* F5) How can I modify my A-series flash to work at ISO 50 and 200, instead of 100 and 400? Introductory: I0) Who maintains this FAQ?: R. Lee Hawkins (addresses at the end). I also get lots of help and input from other Olympus users on the net. See the end of this document for a (mostly) complete listing. Note that RLH is solely responsible for the distribution of the FAQ. I1) Camera model name conventions: In this FAQ, I will use the following conventions when listing model names: Single models will be listed by the XA model number, as in XA-2. For info that applies to several different camera models, I will use a variation on the csh(1) listing convention. So data that would apply, for example, to the XA-2, XA-3, and XA-4 would be listed as: XA-{2, 3, 4}. I2) Cameras this FAQ covers: XA, XA-{1, 2, 3, 4}. General: G1) How can I get replacement manuals for my Olympus camera? Olympus will provide you with replacement manuals free of charge if you call 1-800-221-3000 and request them. Their FAX number is 516-677-1699. They also sent me a nifty key chain made from a micro cassette! G2) How can I get repair manuals for my Olympus camera? Call 1-800-622-6372, and select the appropriate option for the parts department. Note that for the XA series, only parts lists are generally available from Olympus. G3) Other than the user's manuals, what documentation is available for the XA series? I know of no books that cover the XA series. Please email me if you know of any. Body Group: B0) What should I look for in buying a used XA, XA-{1, 2, 3, 4}? There are many things you should look for. This is only a partial list, and if you follow these suggestions and still get a lemon, *DO NOT BLAME ME!*: 1) Overall, the camera should be free of major dents or cracks. 2) All buttons and dials should operate smoothly and freely, without any binding. 3) The shutter should be free of pinholes. Test this by opening the back and shining a bright light on the shutter while looking at the opposite side of it. You should see no light coming through the shutter. It is best to do this test in a darkened room, if possible. 4) The flash interface pins should be straight and without burrs. 5) The battery well should be free of corrosion. 6) The black plastic foam in the camera should not be crumbling or gooey. 7) With an XA, the indicated shutter speed for ISO 100 film at f/16 on a sunny day should be 1/125th of a second. 8) The lens should be free of scratches and/or spots on the coatings. 9) Activate the self timer, and make sure that it actually fires the shutter. On at least one XA that I have seen, the self timer beeps, but never fires the shutter. 10) Make sure the used body carries a long enough warranty for you to give it a good workout and return it for refund or credit if you find it lacking in some way. I consider 30 days a minimum, and some dealers warranty used equipment for up to 6 months (but not many...). If the camera you are looking at fails any of the above tests, you probably don't want to risk buying it. The cost of repair of any of the above will likely be more than the camera is worth. If the dealer you are purchasing from seems reluctant to let you run the tests, it might be a good idea to look elsewhere. B1) What types and number of batteries do the various XA's take? Is one type better than another? XA-1: Selenium photo cell. XA, XA-{2, 3, 4}: 2 SR44 silver oxide or LR44 alkaline manganese. Note that LR44 alkalines should only be used if SR44's are not available, since LR44's have a sloped (as opposed to flat for the SR44's) discharge curve which will cause meter readings to drift over time. Also, a lithium cell the size of two SR44's will *not* work properly in those cameras that take SR44's. It will power the camera OK for a while, but its voltage will quickly drop below the minimum necessary for proper operation. B2) What are the specifications of the XA? Lens: 35mm f/2.8 Zuiko, 6 elements in 5 groups. Focusing: Double-image coupled range finder, 2.8 feet ~ infinity. Shutter speeds: Electronic, 10 sec. to 1/500th. sec. Aperture range: f/2.8 - f/22. +1.5 EV back-light compensation. ISO Range: 25-800 Weight: 7.9 oz. B3) What are the specifications of the XA-1? Lens: 35mm f/4 Zuiko, 4 elements in 4 groups. Focusing: Fixed, 5 feet ~ infinity. Shutter/Aperture: Programmed, 1/30 at f/4 to 1/250 at f/22. ISO Range: 100 or 400 only. Weight: 6.7 oz. B4) What are the specifications of the XA-2? Lens: 35mm f/3.5 Zuiko, 4 elements in 4 groups. Focusing: 3 ranges: 3-5.9 ft, 4 ft-inf., 20.7 ft-inf. Shutter/Aperture: Programmed, 2 sec at f/3.5 to 1/750 sec at f/14. ISO Range: 25-800 Weight: 7.1 oz. B5) What are the specifications of the XA-3? Lens: 35mm f/3.5 Zuiko, 4 elements in 4 groups. Focusing: 3 ranges: 3.3-5 ft, 4 ft-inf., 8.3 ft-inf. Shutter/Aperture: Programmed, 2 sec at f/3.5 to 1/750 sec at f/14. +1.5 EV back-light compensation. ISO Range: 25-1600, DX. For manual ISO setting, intermediate values (e.g. 40, 64, 80) not available. Weight: 7.8 oz. B6) What are the specifications of the XA-4? Lens: 28mm f/3.5 Zuiko, 5 elements in 5 groups. Focusing: 1 ft - inf., user guess. Measuring strap provided for 1 ft and 1.7 ft distances. Shutter/Aperture: Programmed, 2 sec at f/3.5 to 1/750 sec at f/14. +1.5 EV back-light compensation. ISO Range: 25-1600, DX. For manual ISO setting, intermediate values (e.g. 40, 64, 80) not available. Weight: 8.1 oz. Flash group: F0) What should I look for in buying a used A-series flash? There are many things you should look for. This is only a partial list, and if you follow these suggestions and still get a lemon, *DO NOT BLAME ME!*: 1) The on-off switch should operate freely and the neon bulb in the switch should glow when the flash is charged. 2) The battery well should be free of corrosion. 3) The case should not be cracked. 4) Mount the flash on an XA body and make sure the flash works. 5) Make sure the used flash carries a long enough warranty for you to give it a good workout and return it for refund or credit if you find it lacking in some way. I consider 30 days a minimum, and some dealers warranty used equipment for up to 6 months (but not many...). As with bodies, buying a flash that fails any of the above tests is probably not worth it. Also, if the dealer is reluctant to let you perform the tests, you might want to try elsewhere. F1) What are the specifications of the A-9M flash? Guide number: 9 (ISO 100, meters) or 30 (ISO 100, feet). Film speeds: ISO 100 and 400. Power source: 1 AA battery. Number of flashes: 180 w/ alkaline battery. Recycling time: 7 sec. with fresh battery. Weight: 1.8 oz. F2) What are the specifications of the A-11 flash? Guide number: 10 (ISO 100, meters) or 33 (ISO 100, feet). Film speeds: ISO 100 and 400. Modes: Normal auto (XA, XA-{2, 3, 4}) and manual (XA only). f/ for auto flash: f/4. Max working distance: 8.2 ft. at ISO 100, 16.4 ft. at ISO 400. Power source: 1 AA battery. Number of flashes: 150 w/ alkaline battery. Recycling time: 7 sec. with fresh battery. Weight: 2.3 oz. There is also a macro attachment for the A-11 for use on the XA-4, when photographing close-ups. Note that there were at least two versions of the A-11. They are (I assume) functionally identical, but have quite different internal mechanical parts. It appears that the newer version was re-engineered to reduce the parts count. You can identify which version you have by looking at the bottom of the flash. The older version has two small Phillips screws in the bottom, while the newer version lacks these. F3) What are the specifications of the A-16 flash? Guide number: 16 (ISO 100, meters) or 53 (ISO 100, feet). Film speeds: ISO 100 and 400. Modes: Normal auto (XA, XA-{2, 3 4}) and manual (XA only). f/ for auto flash: f/4. Max working distance: 13.2 ft. at ISO 100, 26.4 ft. at ISO 400. Power source: 2 AA batteries. Number of flashes: 150 w/ alkaline batteries. Recycling time: 5 sec. with fresh batteries. Weight: 3.1 oz. F1) What are the specifications of the A-1L flash? Guide number: 2.2 (ISO 100, meters) or 7 (ISO 100, feet). Film speeds: ISO 100 and 400. Power source: 2 3V lithium batteries. Number of flashes: 750. Recycling time: 1.5 sec. with fresh battery. Weight: 2.4 oz. There is also a macro attachment for the A-1L for use on the XA-4, when photographing close-ups. *NOTE* The batteries in this flash are *not* user replaceable. If buying a used one, you should first decide if you have the requisite skills and tools to disassemble the flash and replace the batteries. F4) Which flashes are compatible with which model XA's? The A-{1L, 11, and 16} flashes can be used on the XA and XA-{2, 3, 4}. The A-9M is specifically designed for the XA-1. Although none of the XA-series manuals specifically mention other combinations, I assume that the A-9M can be used on the XA and XA-{2, 3, 4}, and that the A-{1L, 11, 16} can be used on the XA-1. If anyone can positively confirm this, I would appreciate it, as I have access to neither an A-{1L, 9M} or an XA-1. F5) How can I modify my A-series flash to work at ISO 50 and 200, instead of 100 and 400? A small square of 2X ND filter over the flash sensor will effectively convert it to operate at ISO 50 or 200. This makes the camera more suitable for ISO 64 reversal and ISO 200 negative film stocks. Thanks to Bob Niland Finally, here is a list of folks that have helped with the FAQ to date (i.e. sent me contributions or made useful editorial comments): Bob Niland Bob at The Camera Place, Wellesley, MA Thanks, folks! Cheers, --Lee ____________________________________________________________________________ R. Lee Hawkins lhawkins@annie.wellesley.edu Department of Astronomy lhawkins@wellesley.edu Whitin Observatory Wellesley College Ph. 617-283-2708 Wellesley, MA 02181 FAX 617-283-3667 ____________________________________________________________________________