Original OLYMPUS XA • Analog • 35mm film • 1:2.8 • f=35mm • F Zuiko



 

The Olympus XA was a 35 mm rangefinder camera built by Olympus of Japan. It was one of the smallest rangefinder cameras ever made, together with the Contax T. It was designed by Yoshihisa Maitani who had joined Olympus Optical Co Ltd in 1956. The original model, the XA, was sold from 1979 to 1985. The original XA features true rangefinder focusing, a fast 35mm f/2.8 - 22 lens, and aperture priority metering. The lens was protected by a sliding dust cover.

 

The XA, a classic analog camera is in great demand - nowerdays - simliar to old Polaroids etc. and actually it is not bad engineered and designed. But some details bring up bad results and makes it uncomfortable in use, first of all: the trigger.

So I asked myself: If OIympus comes around, and hires you to design a new Olympus XA Analog for 2015: How would it look alike?