Olympus XA3

I started this forum for any collecting hobby and it turned into my camera collecting and using forum. I use it mostly to keep a record of my photo adventures. Nobody but me seems to have photo adventures that visit here....but however. I have so many cameras now that I forget which is which and which ones work and which ones don't. If you have cameras and adventures you would be welcome to post here.

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PeterN2
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Olympus XA3

Post by PeterN2 » Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:57 am

I bought this camera new in the mid 1980s and used it for about 10 years. I seem to remember it started to go wrong so I replaced it with a Samsung AF Zoom 777i in the mid 1990s. I was looking for something and noticed it sat on a shelf where I had put it back in its original box all those years ago so I got it out to have a look at it. I put new batteries in it and sure enough the wind on wheel was stuck and the shutter would not fire. I tried the self timer and that started to count down when the shutter button was pressed but the shutter didn't fire. It also started to count down again after a pause without touching the shutter button again. I looked online and found that other people had the same fault, wind on wheel stuck and shutter not firing. No-one seemed to offer a solution other than take it to a repair shop. Anyway, I was sat with the back open poking at the take up spool and noticed it would turn so I continued to turn it out of curiosity. Suddenly, something went click. I tried the wind on wheel and it turned. I tried the shutter and it fired. Whatever went click seems to have fixed the problem. I wound it on and fired the shutter about 15 times and it worked every time so it looks to be fixed. The self timer counts down and fires the shutter now. I am a bit reluctant to put a film in it as knowing my luck the fault will reappear after about five shots. I tried the flash and the ready light lights up but the flash will not fire. The ready light just blinks and stays on when the shutter is pressed. It seem the flash has died in its sleep over the last 25 years. I am tempted to put a film in it and hope the extra effort of pulling a film with the wind on wheel does not reproduce the fault.
As for the Samsung AF777i I put a new battery in that but it is dead, not a peep, so it looks like that has died in its sleep over the last 15 years or so.
Olympus XA3 boxes.jpg
Olympus XA3 front.jpg
Olympus XA3 and flash.jpg
Regards
Peter.
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Niner
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Re: Olympus XA3

Post by Niner » Fri Jul 17, 2020 1:55 pm

Glad you got it going. I'd put some film in it and try it out. Those Olympus XA models are in high demand with enthusiasts. They tend to bring more than $100 in working condition and surprising to me amounts advertised only as parts.

Let us know how it does if you run some film through it and get the film developed. I got a feeling you will be pleased with it.
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DuncaninFrance
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Re: Olympus XA3

Post by DuncaninFrance » Fri Jul 17, 2020 2:30 pm

I have owned 3 Olympus Cameras in my life.
A PEN-EE Half frame
A PEN EES-2 , which I still have and
An E10 Digital SLR.
Z400MM.jpeg
Z400MM.jpeg (14.81 KiB) Viewed 1733 times
They were all built like a brick shithouse and the E10, although giving excellent quality for the time was very heavy and cumbersome.

I changed it when we arrived in France for a Canon EOS350 and later an EOS 650 but I then discovered the Fujifilm X-E3 rangefinder digital camera and although very expensive, even secondhand nothing so far has been able to hold a candle to it.........
I probably have about a dozen old film cameras in my collection and once we move ( not very near at the moment! ) I might do some tests......
Duncan

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