Fujica Single-8 P2 (late 1970s)

Name: Fujica Single-8 P2
Brand: Fujica

The Fujica Single-8 P2 is a compact, silent 8mm movie camera that uses the Single-8 cartridge format. This was Fuji's answer to Kodak's Super 8. Single-8 has a thinner base film, and the pressure plate is built into the cartridge instead of the camera. The P2 appears to have come in two versions. The base model has a fixed 11.5mm lens (an eBay listing reads "F=11.5mm"). The "P2 Zoom" adds a zoom lens with Fujica's "Snap Focus" mechanism. Snap Focus is a focus-free system that locks the zoom and focus rings together so they move only within the depth of field. Everything stays sharp without manual focusing.

Documentation on the P2 is thin, and the record is muddled. filmkorn.org dates the base P2 to a production run of March 1978 through October 1979, marketed from September 1978. cine-super8.net gives the P2 Zoom a later window, February 1979 to April 1983, marketed in 1979. The two sources may be describing different variants, but the discrepancy is unresolved. What the listings agree on is silent operation, with no sound recording. Exposure is automatic through a CdS cell, not TTL metering, and film speed is set automatically for 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 ASA. The viewfinder is a single-lens reflex type with an adjustable eyepiece and an under-exposure warning signal. The aperture indicator sits on the right side of the camera body.

Surviving examples are cheap. Four recorded sales show a median of £13, ranging £5 - £18, with the last sale in July 2026. One eBay lot paired the P2 Zoom with a Marine 8 underwater housing. A Kijiji listing in Ontario offered a working P2 at $40 CAD, though its description is muddled with other items in the lot. Seller condition reports vary: "completely functional," "works fine but exposure is not tested," and "bon état" all appear. That suggests the motors and battery-check lights tend to work, while the exposure meters are often untested and may be a point of failure.

Format: Single-8 silent cartridge (standard 8mm)
Lens (base P2): 11.5mm fixed focal length
Exposure: Auto, CdS cell (non-TTL); film speeds 25–400 ASA automatic
Viewfinder: SLR-type with adjustable eyepiece; under-exposure warning
Special feature (P2 Zoom): Snap Focus — zoom and focus rings locked to move within depth of field