Fujica ST605 review

Fujifilm's history of making affordable system cameras dates back to its Fujica SLR film cameras

Fujica ST605
(Image: © Australian Camera)

Early Verdict

The ST series Fujicas still don’t have much cachet as collectibles compared to the rival mechanical contemporaries from the likes of Nikon, Olympus, and Minolta. However, the back-to-basics Fujica ST605 is now being ‘discovered’ as an interesting alternative to more popular cameras such as the Pentax K1000 and the Minolta SR-T models. Being less common is becoming an attraction. The screw mount means it can be fitted with a whole host of period lenses, but it’s worth tracking down the Fujinon EBC models, because they remain superb performers optically.

Pros

  • +

    Basic 35mm film SLR

  • +

    Plentiful lenses (via M42 mount)

Cons

  • -

    Aperture needs to be stopped down manually

  • -

    No center-weighted or spot metering

  • -

    1/700sec top shutter speed

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If all your photography practice has been in the digital era, you may not know that Fujifilm had a very productive ‘previous life’ as the maker of film cameras. Of course, the company started out making film – for both photography and cinematography – but in 1948, it introduced its first camera, a 6x6cm ‘folder’ called the Fujica Six. The Fujica brand was derived from Fuji Camera and remained in use until the mid-1980s. 

Australian Camera featured review

(Image credit: Future)

This review originally appeared in Australian Camera magazine, one of Digital Camera World's sister titles Down Under. Click here to find out more about Australian Camera magazine, including how you can subscribe to the print issues or buy digital editions.

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Paul Burrows
Editor

Paul has been writing about cameras, photography and photographers for 40 years. He joined Australian Camera as an editorial assistant in 1982, subsequently becoming the magazine’s technical editor, and has been editor since 1998. He is also the editor of sister publication ProPhoto, a position he has held since 1989. In 2011, Paul was made an Honorary Fellow of the Institute Of Australian Photography (AIPP) in recognition of his long-term contribution to the Australian photo industry. Outside of his magazine work, he is the editor of the Contemporary Photographers: Australia series of monographs which document the lives of Australia’s most important photographers.