arhphotographic

When buying a new (old) film camera I will often get asked “So do you collect cameras then?”

That’s a good question. Well…. I do have a small collection of cameras, but does that make me a collector? ….No. Am I in denial? …No. The reason I can say this is because of cameras like the Fujica ST605.

I purchased the camera for the simple reason “I wonder what that’s like to use” Rather than have a camera sit in a glass cabinet I want to use it to see, among other things, whether I like it and will use it again or sell it on.

At first glance nothing about it could be condsidered very exciting or differentiate it from others of the time period, the mid 1970’s. Certainly no reason to add to a ‘collection’. Weighing about 1 1/2lbs or 700grams with the pictured 50mm Cosinon f1.7 lens, it feels solid. This is something I like.

You can see the self timer switch in the image below along with the button that activates the light meter. Look through the viewfinder and you have a match needle arrangement, which I found worked and was reasonably accurate. This is always a bonus.☺️ The lens mount, M42, opens up the opportunity to use some interesting lenses. When taking a light meter reading the aperture closes down to your selection as you look through the viewfinder. So focus first with aperture wide open, then meter seems to be the way to go.

The film wind on mechanism has a really nice mechanical sound to it. You can really feel the tension in the spring of the lever as your thumb releases it back to its resting place. The articulated plastic arm folds neatly out of harms way when using it, rather than sticking out and pocking you in the eye like some more well known cameras. 🥲

Shutter speeds range from B to an unusual 1/700th second. Flash sync speed is the usual 1/60th The shutter dial also doubles up as the film speed selector that calibrates the light meter. The shutter and mirror return reverberates through the camera body, so you definitely know its working. Click on the image below to hear for yourself.

On the back or the camera you have the battery compartment that houses two LR44 batteries that power the light meter.

Loading the camera with film is relatively straight forward. The Shutter curtain on mine had some white powder residue on it that looked like mildew.😥 It wasn’t I’m pleased to say and it all works fine.

So as I’ve said there really isn’t anything to make this camera remarkable or outstanding from others of similar age and class. That is untill you start using it.

As far as I can remember I haven’t used the Cosinon 50mm f1.7 lens before. Wow ! What a lovely sharp lens. Not only that, but it allows you to get nice and close to your subject.

Apologies for yet another picture of cranes. There is some major building work going on in our neighbourhood and I seem drawn to them as they dominate the skyline.

In the image below I added a close up filter to the 50mm lens

With the picture above I used a Topman 75-200mm f3.8 for its macro mode. Not bad!

Using the camera was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It balanced ergonomics and ease of use beautifully. The working and accurate light meter also contributed to the overall experience.

There are cameras that garner more attention and rightly belong in a glass cabinet. However the Fujica ST605 is not one of those. However it is a camera to use and enjoy using alongside your favourite lens, safe in the knowledge that it will reward you with great looking photos. Which is what I certainly experienced ☺️

So while it would be nice to have a Hassleblad 1600F or Leica M3(anyone who would like to donate one can use the contact page😀) In the meantime I am delighted to have and use a camera like the Fujica ST605. It is a most welcome addition to my ‘tool box’.