Fujica

Fuji's camera division — compact, capable, underrated

Fujica is the brand name under which Fuji Photo Film sold its consumer cameras, and it represents one of the great underdog stories in Japanese photography. While Nikon, Canon, and Pentax fought for headlines, Fujica quietly produced a series of 35mm SLRs with innovations that the bigger brands would not adopt for years. The ST series cameras are some of the best-kept secrets in vintage SLR photography.

History

Fuji Photo Film entered the camera market in the late 1940s under the Fujica brand name, initially producing simple rangefinder and viewfinder cameras for the Japanese domestic market. The company's real contribution to camera history, however, came in the 1970s with the ST series of 35mm SLRs. These cameras were designed with the same optical expertise that Fuji brought to its professional medium format cameras and its world-class film emulsions, resulting in instruments that consistently outperformed their price point.

The Fujica ST701, introduced in 1971, was a genuine milestone: the first 35mm SLR to use a silicon photodiode for light metering instead of the CdS (cadmium sulfide) cells used by every other manufacturer. Silicon metering responded faster to changing light, was more accurate in low light, and did not suffer from the "memory effect" that plagued CdS meters. This was a significant technical achievement that the rest of the industry would eventually adopt, but Fujica got there first. It was a pattern that would repeat throughout the ST series.

The ST series expanded through the 1970s with the ST801, ST901, ST605, and their variants, each offering a compelling combination of features, build quality, and optical excellence through Fuji's M42 screw-mount Fujinon lenses. These lenses, coated with Fuji's proprietary EBC (Electron Beam Coating) multi-coating technology, were among the finest optics available for the M42 mount, delivering color rendition and contrast that rivaled lenses costing two or three times as much. The Fujica system never achieved the market share of its Japanese competitors, partly because Fuji was always primarily a film company, but photographers who discovered these cameras recognized their exceptional value.

By the late 1970s, Fujica transitioned to a new bayonet mount with the AX series, but the magic of the ST system lingered. The Fujica brand was eventually retired as Fuji consolidated its camera operations, but the ST series cameras and their Fujinon lenses remain tremendously popular among film photographers who appreciate quality engineering at sensible prices.

Notable Cameras

Fujica ST701

The ST701 holds a permanent place in camera history as the first SLR with silicon metering. But beyond that milestone, it is simply a wonderful camera to shoot with. The body is compact and well-balanced, the shutter is smooth and quiet, and the viewfinder is bright enough to focus comfortably in dim light. Pair it with the Fujinon 55mm f/1.8 EBC lens, which is one of the sharpest standard lenses ever made for the M42 mount, and you have a combination that produces images of startling clarity and beautiful color. The ST701 routinely sells for a fraction of what comparable Nikons and Canons command, which is frankly absurd given its quality.

Fujica ST801

The ST801 expanded on the ST701's innovations with an LED viewfinder display, showing the selected shutter speed alongside the meter reading. This made the camera faster and more intuitive to use, particularly in rapidly changing light. The ST801 also featured a faster top shutter speed and improved mirror damping, making it Fujica's most capable manual-focus SLR. Photojournalists and documentary photographers who tried the ST801 were often converted, praising its reliability, its accurate metering, and the gorgeous rendering of its Fujinon EBC lenses.

Fujica ST605

The ST605 is the budget entry in the ST series, and it is a masterclass in how to make an affordable camera that does not feel cheap. Fujica stripped out the LED display and some of the ST801's refinements but kept the silicon metering cell and the excellent Fujinon lens mount. The result is a camera that beginners can learn on and experienced photographers can appreciate for its simplicity. The ST605 is arguably the best value in vintage Japanese SLRs, offering optical quality and metering accuracy that far exceed its modest price on the used market.

All Models in Archive (7)

Slr

• AX-3 - 1980-1985
• AX-5 - 1980-1985
• ST605 - 1976-1980
• ST605N - 1978-1981
• ST701 - 1971-1975
• ST801 - 1973-1978
• ST901 - 1974-1979