Fujica ST605 / ST605N
When it comes to the 35mm SLR cameras of the 1970s and 1980s, most photographers find themselves with a camera from one of the "big five" camera manufacturers: Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Olympus or Minolta. Fuji had also been producing SLR cameras of their own during this time, from the Fujicarex of the early 1960s on to the moderately popular series ST cameras of the 1970s.
The Fujica ST605 was the second-to-last in Fuji's ST series of cameras, launched in 1976 (with the ST605N update, rolled out in 1978). There is nothing too flashy about the ST605. It is the camera equivalent of the restaurant that features a limited menu but fully delivers on these few items. Likewise, the ST605 has a limited number of features, all of which deliver what you need to make the camera solid, well-built, and reliable. One of our customers has owned and used her ST605 since 1976, when she bought it new - this anecdote alone attests to the camera's durability.
The ST605 also makes use of the Pentax M42 lens mount, opening the camera up to an immense selection of optics. The shutter is a rubberized cloth curtain, with speeds ranging from 1/2 second on the slow end up to a max of 1/700th, plus Bulb mode. Metering in the ST605 is done via an SBC (Silicon Blue Cell) TTL light meter, a relatively new innovation at the time which offered faster reading and better accuracy in lower light levels. Exposure is set manually and, better yet, the shutter is entirely mechanical. Batteries are required for the light meter, but the rest of the camera does just fine even in the event of dead (or no) batteries.
While we love the Big Five and are often quick to recommend an SLR from that group, it is always worth the time highlighting the many fine cameras that were not part of that club. The Fujica ST605 is a solid camera, as capable as any Pentax K1000 or Minolta SRT 101 - and it can often be found for half the price!
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