This is a Fujica ST801, a 35mm Single Lens Reflex camera made by Fuji Photo in Tokyo, Japan between 1972 and 1978. The Fujica ST801 was a very popular mid range 35mm SLR during a transitional era where cameras were moving more and more towards electronic shutters and exposure automation. Although still a fully mechanical camera, the ST801 had a modern through the lens silicon photocell and supported open aperture metering. This feature was uncommon for M42 screw mount cameras, as it required an extra post to be added to the back of the lens to properly index the aperture ring when shooting. In addition, the ST801 had a top 1/2000 shutter speed, a 7 LED meter display, and one of the brightest viewfinders of any SLR from its era.
Film Type: 135 (35mm)
Lens: 50mm f/1.4 Fuji EBC Fujinon coated 7-elements in 6-groups
Lens Mount: M42 Screw Mount w/ EBC Pin for TTL Metering
Focus: 1.5 feet / 0.45 meters to Infinity
Viewfinder: Fixed SLR Pentaprism, 0.96x Magnification
Shutter: Cloth Focal Plane
Speeds: B, 1 – 1/2000 seconds
Exposure Meter: TTL Silicon Photo Diode w/ LED Viewfinder Display
Battery: 6v PX28L / 544 Silver Oxide Battery
Flash Mount: Hot Shoe plus FP and X Flash Sync, 1/60 X-Sync
Weight: 908 grams, 638 grams (body only)
Manual: http://www.cameramanuals.org/minolta_pdf/minolta_autowide.pdf
In the 1970s, auto exposure was all the rage in high technology 35mm SLRs. Makers of cameras from Nippon Kogaku and Canon to Pentax and Chinon had interchangeable lens SLRs with automatic exposure. For many of these cameras, in order for the metering system to work properly, changes needed to be made to the lens so that the in body meter could detect both the maximum aperture of the lens, but also how far it had stopped down in order to return an accurate exposure.
For makers of cameras with bayonet lenses, this was an easy task, simply add some type of feeler somewhere on the mount that automatically indexes the lens. Makers of screw mount SLRs however had a different challenge. Unlike bayonet lens cameras, subtle variances in screw mount camera bodies and the lenses themselves result in inconsistencies in how far the lens mounts to the camera. Using a mechanical linkage to index the aperture ring on these lenses was difficult without some way to figure this out.
Some companies like Chinon did it via stop down metering which had the advantage that it would work on any lens, but other companies like Fujica went a step farther and made subtle changes to the screw mount. This allowed for the metering system to meter with the lens wide open, without having to stop it down first. Although auto exposure systems could work with stop down metering, it was not an ideal process as it added an additional step to the process and also darkened the viewfinder.
Fuji’s solution to support open aperture metering required them to add a locking tab to the inside of the lens which allowed the camera to detect the precise location of the aperture ring. This opened the door for screw mount cameras which supported both open aperture metering and auto exposure. Lenses with this feature were labeled Fujinon EBC (Electron Beam Coating), and the first two cameras that supported it were the Fujica ST-801 and ST-901 from 1972 and 1974 respectively.
The Fujica ST-901 was the brand’s most advanced model, featuring both open aperture automatic exposure, twin Silicon Blue Cell exposure meters, and a very neat digital LED readout in the viewfinder. While the ST-901 was a very impressive camera, it was extremely expensive. With a retail price of $605 with a Fujinon EBC f/1.4 lens, which compares to right around $4000 today, the camera was out of reach of all but the most deep pocketed photographers.
For those who couldn’t afford the lofty price of the ST-901, but still wanted to stay in Fuji’s system, their next best option was the ST-801 which supported the same EBC lenses with open aperture metering, but did not have automatic exposure. This difference resulted in a retail price of $440 with the same Fujinon EBC f/1.4 lens, a price that compares to a more reasonable $2900 price today. This difference of more than a $1000 inflation adjusted dollars meant that a lot more people could benefit from Fuji’s new lenses using the ST-801.
The ST-801 proved to be a popular model, not just for its new lenses and open aperture metering feature, but it had a number of other notable features. Highlighting that list was was the LED display in the viewfinder which when it was first released, was the first camera to use LEDs for the metering display. Only the previous Yashica Electros had a light up display, but theirs used traditional bulbs, and not diodes. Advantages to LEDs over analog needles, as had been in used for more than a decade, were that LEDs are easier to see in low light, have an almost instant response time, aren’t affected when the camera is rotated or moved around, and in theory, would be more durable…plus, they looked cool!
In addition, the ST-801 was Fuij’s first SLR with a 1/2000 top shutter speed matching that of the fastest SLRs of the era. To accommodate the faster speed, Fuji redesigned the horizontally traveling cloth shutter from the earlier ST-701 and built this one with lighter weight Teflon curtains. Viewfinder brightness was improved as well with an updated Fresnel pattern etched into the focus screen and the silver coated surfaces of the pentaprism.
Reviews of the ST-801 from around when it was first released were usually very positive. The above short review from the December 1973 issue of Popular Photography gives high praise to the new LED display, specifically that it shows three full stops above and below proper exposure which allows the photographer to adjust their settings on the fly. In addition, positive remarks about the very bright viewfinder, accurate meter, and quality of the EBC coated lenses help round out this camera.
The Fujica ST-801 proved to be a popular model, staying in production from 1972 to 1978. Two versions of the camera exist with the only changes being cosmetic. The earlier version, which is what I am reviewing here, has the Fujica logo on the front of the prism embossed in chrome. In 1974 when the Fujica ST-901 was released, the Fujica logo on the ST-801 changed to match that of the ST-901 which was black paint filled on chrome model and white paint filled on the black model.
I had previously reviewed the Fujica ST-901 and while I did like the camera, it wasn’t as memorable as I’d hoped it would be. After that review, I have yet to pick it up again for another roll. I wasn’t looking for another Fujica SLR, but as these things often do, this camera found me when I met camera collector Christopher May at a camera show in Chicago and he gifted me this camera. When he handed it to me, it had a Fujinon EBC f/1.8 lens on it, but already having an f/1.4 lens without a body, I put my lens on his body and decided to give it a go.
It would take me a bit before I’d come around to shooting the ST-801, but when I did, I felt immediately drawn to it. I have often been drawn to this generation of 1970s screw mount SLRs with some level of automation. I’ve shot and given high marks to similar cameras like the Olympus FTL, Pentax ES II, and Chinon CE II Memotron. I find that the balance of a full size, mostly metal body, with the availability of literally millions of M42 lenses, but with modern features like electronic metering and usually some type of LED display, is the perfect balance between vintage and modern. Adding to the appeal, the Fujica ST-801 is very attractive and has an extremely bright viewfinder, which is something that I value very highly as I am visually impaired.
I cannot explain what the difference was between my experience with the ST-901 and ST-801, but I just liked this one better. It felt comfortable in my hands, the location of all the controls was perfect, and as previously mentioned, the viewfinder was terrific. I’ll save you the narration of going through all of the camera’s controls as they are similar enough to the ST-901 that you could just read that review, but highlights here are the 1/2000 top shutter speed, location of the stop down button which is essential for non EBC lenses, and the implementation of the lens release switch.
Although this camera does use the standard M42 screw mount, which normally does not require a lens release, in order for the automatic indexing feature of the EBC lens to work, an addition pin is present which “locks” the lens in the correct position. Like bayonet lenses, you must press in on this lever before you can unscrew the lens. When mounting non EBC lenses, they just screw on as normal, and this pin is not used.
The viewfinder is excellent and easily on par with more prestigious cameras like the Nikon F3 and Minolta XD11. In fact, I would say the mid 70s to early 80s were the highlight of SLR development before focus screens became “tuned” for smaller aperture zoom lenses (Rick Oleson explains what changed in focus screen design during the zoom lens era in Episode 67 of the Camerosity Podcast). In addition to being optimized for slower lenses, later SLRs introduced liquid crystal overlays inside the viewing screen which would illuminate red dots or squares to show auto focus positions. To make these overlays work, a thin layer of liquid crystal is laid upon the focus screen, reducing its brightness somewhat. This leaves the technologically simple viewfinders of cameras like the Fujica ST-801 that are optimized to use as much light as possible from fast f/1.8 and f/1.4 to give you one of the brightest SLR screens ever made.
As I continued to handle the Fujica ST-801, I was getting the impression that this was a camera which was more than the sum of its part. Much like a Nikkormat or a Canon FTb, this was a well built and ergonomically excellent camera that in the words of Ken Rockwell “gives you everything you need without all the crud you don’t”. In early summer 2024, I loaded up some fresh Kodak Proimage 100 and took it out shooting.
It should be no surprise that the images I got from the Fujinon lens mounted to the ST-801 were extraordinary. While Fuji never made it to the upper echelon of 35mm camera makers like Nikon or Canon did, they were well respected with their pro series cameras like the roll film GS and GSW series cameras, and Fujinon lenses were regularly some of the best Japanese lenses on the market.
Images shot through the ST-801 were as good as any you’d likely see from any other top tier 35mm SLR. Sharpness, color accuracy, rendering, everything was great. I only shot color film through the camera, but I found the colors to be accurate and showing excellent contrast. I am certain that with black and white film, I would have been equally impressed.
For its era, the ST-801 was pretty advanced camera. It was one of only a few that had a 1/2000 top shutter speed, it metered using two Silicon Photo Diodes which were far superior CdS cells which were still used at the time, it had that great viewfinder with LED display, and support for great lenses. There was very little to not like.
Clearly, what differentiates the Fujica ST-801 from other cameras is its combination of size, excellent build quality, excellent ergonomics, and feature list. Compared to other metered M42 cameras, it offered more than Olympus and Pentax, and although it did require special EBC lenses to support full open aperture metering, it did not require a long motion of the shutter release like the Chinon Memotron series.
This was a good camera and it still is a good camera today. It is easy to default back to more well known “prestige” cameras of the same era when talking about the best SLRs of the 1970s, but for my money, the Fujica ST-801 is near the top of the list, it may not be everyone’s number 1 choice, but it is definitely worthy of your consideration. And if you already have one and are enjoying it, but are GASsing for something different, just know that you already have a great camera, and that it only gets incrementally better.
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External Links
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Fujica_ST801
https://alysvintagecameraalley.com/2020/02/15/the-fujica-st801-and-my-dads-birthday/
https://www.photo.net/forums/topic/512974-fujica-st801-test-results/
https://cameragx.com/tag/fujica-st801/
https://www.collection-appareils.fr/x/html/page_standard.php?id_appareil=10239 (in French)
Agree it’s perhaps the best of M42 SLRs ever. I sold one, had buyer’s regret and how have another. There’s an editing error in the specs: not an Optiper leaf shutter.
Good catch Howard. This is what I get for copy and pasting, sometimes I forget to fix some stuff. I corrected the shutter.
What a surprise! A black ST801 is perhaps the camera I use most often. While I don’t have EBC lenses, I use it mainly with an Adaptall 2 Tamron 01A (a legend on it’s own), and I absolutely love this combo for what I mainly do, which is a landscape work.
In my opinion there’s only one thing they did wrong – and that’s a tripod socket location. I wish it was in the middle. But I can definitely live with it, considering all the rest.