Notes

The Olympus XA, introduced in 1979, is widely considered one of the absolute greatest achievements in camera design history. Masterminded once again by legendary engineer Yoshihisa Maitani, the XA defied the engineering limitations of its era: it is a true, full-frame 35mm rangefinder camera packed into a pocket-sized shell that looks and handles like a modern sleek capsule.

While later spin-offs in the line (like the XA2, XA3, and XA4) dropped down to simpler zone-focus or macro-distance settings, the original original XA is a true coupled rangefinder. Looking through the remarkably bright viewfinder reveals a tiny, central golden patch. Aligning the split double-image by moving the focus lever ensures razor-sharp focus from 2.8 feet (0.85m) to infinity.

To prevent camera shake in a chassis this lightweight, Olympus eschewed a traditional mechanical plunge shutter button. Instead, the XA features a flat, distinctive orange electromagnetic feather-touch shutter pad on the top plate. It requires almost zero physical downward pressure to trip the shutter—frequently surprising first-time users by how instantly and silently it fires. The shutter itself is an electronic leaf design capable of step-less automatic speeds ranging from a staggering 10 full seconds up to 1/500th of a second.