Manual scanned and put online free of charge by Mike Butkus, whose library runs on donations. The link opens his model page, where you can download the PDF.
Getting started
Batteries Open the battery compartment under the camera and fit two 1.5 V LR44 or SR44 batteries the way shown. To test them, push the lever underneath to CHECK: a continuous beep and a steady lamp mean they’re fine. A broken-up sound or a blinking lamp, change them.
Loading With the cover closed, pull the rewind knob all the way up to open the back, in the shade. Put in the cartridge, pull the film leader to the red mark and engage the perforations on the sprocket teeth. Close the back.
Sensitivity With DX film, it sets itself. Otherwise, set the ISO lever under the lens, from ISO 25 to 1600, with no intermediate values.
Your first photo Open the cover all the way, until it clicks: the camera switches on and the shutter button unlocks. Fire and advance with the rear wheel until “1”. The focus lever is on 3 m, sharp from 1.2 m to infinity: just brush the shutter button, a light touch is enough.
Rewinding At the end of the roll (24 or 36 exposures), press the release button under the camera. Unfold the crank and rewind until the tension gives, then pull the knob to open the back and take out the film in the shade.
What it can do
Exposure is automatic, from 2 s at f/3.5 to 1/750 s at f/14.
Three focus zones on the lever: close-up from 1 to 1.5 m, normal position at 3 m (sharp from 1.2 m to infinity) and landscape from 2.5 m to infinity. The lever returns to 3 m when you close the cover.
Backlight compensation: push the lever underneath to +1.5 and shoot.
A 12 s self-timer: lever to SELF TIMER, then the shutter button. The lamp blinks and a beep sounds. Move the lever back to stop it midway.
Good to know
The shutter button responds to finger pressure: a light touch is enough, it’s designed that way to avoid camera shake.
With the cover closed, the shutter button is locked and the camera off: open it all the way before aiming.
A red lamp in the viewfinder warns of an exposure of 1/30 s or slower: use the flash or a tripod. It goes out after 90 s to save the batteries. Close and reopen the cover to turn it back on.
The manual rules out 1.3 V mercury batteries, even of the same size.
Check the batteries when fitting them, after a long rest, before a long session and in very cold weather.
The flash
The manual describes the dedicated A11 (or A16) flash: it attaches to the side of the camera and takes a 1.5 V AA battery.
Push the camera’s flash lever to the symbol: it turns on the A11 and switches the camera to automatic flash. With no flash fitted, this lever does nothing.
With the A11, use ISO 100 or 400 film, set the same value on the flash, and set the focus lever to the subject’s distance.
XA3 specifications
Format
135 film in cartridges, 24 × 36 mm frames
Lens
D. Zuiko 35 mm f/3.5, 4 elements in 4 groups
Shutter
electronic leaf shutter, programmed, from 2 s to 1/750 s
Focusing
zone focusing, three marks on the lever
Viewfinder
bright-line frame, 0.5× magnification, long exposure lamp and flash symbol
Metering
CdS cell, automatic programmed exposure
Sensitivity
automatic with DX film, set by hand from ISO 25 to 1600 for others
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