Olympus XA - sync speed

baachitraka · 2025-11-07T12:43:07-0500

I see there is a setting for ISO on the flash and flipping the slider to flash actually turns on the flash and so on...

Now, I wonder what is the sync speed when flash is turned on?

miha · 2025-11-07T13:14:03-0500

Flash sync is rather slow, around 1/30s.

baachitraka · 2025-11-07T13:19:31-0500

I presume the aperture when flash is on is also like f/4?

baachitraka · 2025-11-07T13:21:43-0500

miha said:
Flash sync is rather slow, around 1/30s.

that's a bit slow...

miha · 2025-11-07T14:51:59-0500

baachitraka said:
that's a bit slow...

It’s slower than a Leica at 1/50… but that’s just because Olympus is syncing with perfection, not just the flash!

baachitraka · 2025-11-07T15:25:51-0500

I think, it's still okay. Flash fires perhaps for very shorter times and that I could also use to trigger the optical triggers to fire much powerful flash.

Nevertheless, XA shines in street photography and handy in house parties.

Taylor Nankervis · 2025-11-07T17:31:31-0500

Fascinating question, and it does surprise me it hasn't been asked before.
In my kit I have held on to my Olympus XA and flash since it was first bought back in 1982!

baachitraka · 2025-11-07T17:39:49-0500

Taylor Nankervis said:
Fascinating question, and it does surprise me it hasn't been asked before.
In my kit I have held on to my Olympus XA and flash since it was first bought back in 1982!

I was just curious since aperture was opening is approximately f/4 and I was curious about the sync speed.

XA got leaf shutter and I was kind of expected something faster...

wiltw · 2025-11-07T17:50:57-0500

The Olympus XA, when put into the Flash mode and used with the A11 flash, defaults to f/4 and about 1/30 (I read somewhere that its shutter in Flash mode is 1/40). You CAN use the XA with an external flash unit and set aperture and shutter speed (not use Flash mode), and its leaf shutter would permit flash synch up to about 1/500 (the shutter can fire at 1/750, but whether or not you can use that speed with flash is another matter).

baachitraka · 2025-11-07T17:56:49-0500

wiltw said:
The Olympus XA, when put into the Flash mode and used with the A11 flash, defaults to f/4 and about 1/30 (I read somewhere that its shutter in Flash mode is 1/40). You CAN use the XA with an external flash unit and set aperture and shutter speed (not use Flash mode), and its leaf shutter would permit flash synch up to about 1/500 (the shutter can fire at 1/750, but whether or not you can use that speed with flash is another matter).

How can I use the XA with an external flash unit?

wiltw · 2025-11-07T18:03:44-0500

baachitraka said:
How can I use the XA with an external flash unit?

Oops, no external flash sync socket!

Taylor Nankervis · 2025-11-07T18:04:24-0500

wiltw said:
You CAN use the XA with an external flash unit

I would like to see an actual example of this. I have the XA beside me and I can see three ports, one of which is the screw-in orifice, with a tiny recessed pin at the top and a 2-pin port below. So how is an external flash hooked up without potential damage to the camera itself (e.g. trigger voltage)?

baachitraka · 2025-11-07T18:08:27-0500

Taylor Nankervis said:
I would like to see an actual example of this. I have the XA beside me and I can see three ports, one of which is the screw-in orifice, with a tiny recessed pin at the top and a 2-pin port below. So how is an external flash hooked up without potential damage to the camera itself (e.g. trigger voltage)?

I wonder about the same but we may use the optical triggers to trigger the external flash.

wiltw · 2025-11-07T18:09:46-0500

Taylor Nankervis said:
I would like to see an actual example of this. I have the XA beside me and I can see three ports, one of which is the screw-in orifice, with a tiny recessed pin at the top and a 2-pin port below. So how is an external flash hooked up without potential damage to the camera itself (e.g. trigger voltage)?

Trigger voltage issue arose only when camera manufacturers designed in electronic circuits rather than mechanical contacts to trigger flash...in 1979 this was not yet an issue; the standard of 24V for digital circuit controlleed flash did not occur until about 1992.
In another reply I already admitted to overlooking the absence of a PC flash sync port.

Chan Tran · 2025-11-07T18:12:02-0500

Taylor Nankervis said:
I would like to see an actual example of this. I have the XA beside me and I can see three ports, one of which is the screw-in orifice, with a tiny recessed pin at the top and a 2-pin port below. So how is an external flash hooked up without potential damage to the camera itself (e.g. trigger voltage)?

I tried to modify an A11 flash to get the sync contact but was unsuccessful.

Chan Tran · 2025-11-07T18:16:00-0500

You can sync the flash optically and if you don't want any light from the A11/A16 you can put the optical slave sensor right at the A11 flash tube and cover it up. You can set the aperture at any aperture and it would still work. The problem is mainly to get a decent shutter speed because when you use flash it's dark and even if you set the ISO to 800 (while having ISO 100 film inside) you don't really gain much in term of shutter speed. I was thinking of putting a small LED where the light sensor is to get the shutter speed up higher.
However, if I were to use the A11/A16 flash the 1/30 sync speed doesn't bother me. It's the f/4 aperture that does. I prefer f/8 or f/5.6.

baachitraka · 2025-11-07T18:22:25-0500

If it could trigger the external flash, then the external flash duration is typically 1/400 - 1/1000 and that could freeze the subject even when shutter is firing only 1/40.

Olympus XA - sync speed

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