Olympus XA1

The Olympus XA1 was ntroduced in 1982. This little gem of a clamshell 35mm compact was the simplest and cheapest of the XA series. It has a fixed-focus f/4 to f/22 x 4 element Zuiko lens, a shutter range of 1/30 to 1/250 sec and programmed exposure via selenium solar cell (like the Olympus Trip) surrounding the lens. There are two film speeds of 100 and 400 ASA via a switch on the base of the camera. The build quality is identical to its siblings the only difference being their varying degrees of sophisticated features.

The Olympus XA1 is probably the simplest camera I own. Part of the iconic XA series, it has a fixed focus 35mm f4 lens and automatic battery-free exposure. There is only one setting to worry about – selecting with 100 or 400ISO for the film speed.