The Fujica ST801 - A Tribute To My Dad

In this video I take my Nikon F and Fujica ST801 to a childhood park that my late father used to take me to for pictures. Today, February 15th would have been his birthday, so I wanted to use and review the Fujica ST801 that he also owned as a tribute to him. I talk about the specs of the Fujica ST801 and show pictures I have taken with it. Enjoy.
For more on this camera and more pictures from that day check out my blog article on the Fujica ST801 alysvintagecameraalley.wordpr...
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[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

For more info and pictures with the Fujica ST801 check out my article here alysvintagecameraalley.wordpress.com/2020/02/15/the-fujica-st801-and-my-dads-birthday/

[@RealTomHamilton]

My father passed away unexpectedly last year on this day. He was a big photography enthusiast in the 70's and 80's in advertising, but was always taking pictures and videos as I grew up as well. I have always had a love for photography because of him and have followed the passion myself. He passed down many things to me last year. Today I was going thru some boxes of his things I've had in storage and in them was a huge box of his equipment from decades ago. Among them was a Fujica ST801 with many lenses in a gear bag. I can't wait to put some film in it and shoot. I'm glad someone else is remembering their dad with this camera.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s a great comfort and feeling to have something that helps us remember them and honor them. My dad passed 21 years ago and I still feel his loss. I’m glad you’re going to honor yours with his camera. I’m sure he would’ve loved that.

[@MrMarkpoole]

The Fujica ST801 is a nice camera,and even better since your dad used one.My dad was into cameras before us kids came along,but he died not long after I started photography so I don't know what camera he had.I have a Voigtlander Vitomatic IIA that I inherited when my father in law passed away.He bought it new in 1961 and it still works great.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

M Poole I’m sorry to hear that. It’s always really special when you inherit a camera. It takes on a different meaning

[@merlinmarquardt]

A really lovely vlog on it’s own merits and a lovely tribute to your dad.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Merlin Marquardt 😊 thank you

[@amandacreamer05]

Aly, this is a beautiful tribute to your dad, thank you for sharing with us. What a meaningful way to spend his birthday.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Thank you

[@theoldcameraguy]

Lovely tribute to your Dad

[@BillSmith1]

A beautiful tribute to your dad Aly.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Bill Smith thanks bill

[@sergebonin7875]

Super photos! Très touchante vidéo. J’aime beaucoup.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Thank you!

[@danodonnell9325]

What a lovely film. Oh, so much unspoken and understated but BAMN! it hit me. Lots of unspoken tenderness so many things left unsaid and yet the emotion is the film is powerful. Beautiful.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Thank you 🙏

[@matteovrizzi]

A beautiful story. my dad also had an st801 which stopped working some time ago, but he kept all the lenses so i bought him another body :) all the best

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

matteovrizzi thank you. Can you recommend any good lenses? I’ve been on the search for some. I only have the Fujinon 50mm

[@pentlx]

@@AlysVintageCameraAlley I bought two ST801s, the first in '74 and the second in '77, and I usually carried them both. To this day, I consider the LED readout to be superior to the LED readout by any other manufacturer. Its ability to distinguish 1/4 stops is unmatched by any other, and because of it the readout is not jumpy the way some others are. Accuracy is as good as when new. The 28mm f3.5 EBC Fujinon is a really good lens- I used that more than any other lens, with the possible exception of the 55mm f1.8 EBC Fujinon, which is a great lens, all-around. You might prefer a 35mm, and Fuji had two, one an f1.9. The 55mm f3.5 EBC Fujinon Macro is awesome, in my experience every bit as sharp as the Nikkor 55mm 3.5 macro in side-by-side tests, while being noticeably smaller. The 135mm f3.5 EBC Fujinon balances really nicely on the ST801. I also had a Tamron Adaptall 70-150 f3.5 zoom with the ST adapter (which gave open aperture metering). I used a Pentax Super-Takumar f4 200mm as my long telephoto (I got it for almost nothing, as it was the older non-multicoated one.) It was very easy metering stopped down, because the LEDs always meant I could easily see the readout. Because of that, I would not hesitate to use any screw-mount lens on the ST801. EBC Fujinons can be hard to find, but the admirable Pentax Super Multicoated Takumars are easy to find. and they had a much wider range of lenses than the EBC Fujinons. Certainly Fuji had enough for most people's needs though. But with Pentax you can find gems such as the 100mm f/4 Macro, and interesting focal lengths other makers didn't have, like the 120mm and 150mm lenses. Makers like Yashica and Ricoh put out some nice lenses in the same range as Fuji, that might be easier to find. And of course Vivitar, Tamron, Tokina, Soligor, Kiron, and other aftermarket makers put out some good glass. I suggest you start out with a 35mm or a 28mm wide angle, and a 100/105mm or 135mm telephoto or a zoom like a 75-150, 70-210, 80-200. Once you use them for a while, you'll know if you like what you have, or want to try something different.

[@user-wr5hy4yt4b]

i have one too... I still use it. and good memories😊

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Thank you 😊

[@anthonymiller8979]

A wonderful tribute. So sorry you lost your Dad so young. I lost mine when I was 29. I am 65 now and not a day goes by that I don't miss him and think about him. My dad was not a photographer but I remember him buying me a camera strap when I bought my first SLR at age 18. He was an avid woodworker though and i still have an use many of his tools and feel such a connection to him every time I pick one of them up. Glad having the same kind of camera as your dad gives you that connection.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Thank you. My dad was a jack of all trades type of guy so I loved watching him build and repair things. Like you I still have his hammer and I cherish it. It’s funny how certain items can still carry on a persons memory.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Sorry I hit enter too soon. I wanted to also say I am sorry for your loss as well. Losing a parent makes a huge impact on your life. My father has now been gone longer than he was in my life and like you said, not a day goes by that i don’t miss him.

[@cirebyte7588]

That is the stand off position for the wind-on of the Fujica. Nice video and photos. ^..^

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

CireByte thank you

[@artisfine]

Nice report, love the music too! Just took the 901 because I own some 42 lenses and now it was time for a camera out of this time.Thanks 🤗

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Thanks so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Can you recommend any lenses? I only have the one.

[@artisfine]

@@AlysVintageCameraAlley what focaL lentgh?

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

@@artisfine I mostly use 50mm and 35mm and a zoom to 200 or more

[@artisfine]

@@AlysVintageCameraAlley so everything :-) When you shoot for a longer oeriod of time, you will find out, what focal lenth you like most, which kind of look, what famous photographers you like most, if you like more colour or black and white etc. The best 50mm is the Leica Summilux asph,........... for m42 mount I like to use the 50mm 1.8 Pancolar which still is a cheap lens but a great choice. For a dreamy look watch the Canon50mm LTM 1.4, all lenses you can use with adapters on mirrorless cameras. Have fun !

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

@@artisfine these lenses work on the Fujica?

[@FabrizioZago]

I like Fuji cameras, I have a Fujica ST901, among others, but unfortunately has a problem with the light meter and I always need to carry around an axternal one. No big deal. You made a nice tribute to your dad, he would be proud of you seeing that you walked on that bridge fighting your fear.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Fabrizio Zago - Photography and Media thank you.

[@johnmorales9458]

very nice.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Thank you

[@Raychristofer]

You got me choked up so bad watching this.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Raychristofer aww thanks so much. That means a lot. My dad would’ve loved doing all of this with me. He passed right before the internet became something consumers could use and I know he would’ve had a channel just like yours

[@Raychristofer]

@@AlysVintageCameraAlley I'm so sorry to hear that, that photo with you on his shoulders is precious.. Let me guess your dad probably passed in the 90s. What was it that he suffered from?

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Yes 1998. He had heart disease and died form a heart attack when I was 11

[@pentlx]

On the 801, the end of the wind lever does pivot as shown.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Yea

[@mar4kl]

You do your father and his camera proud! I remember wishing, in 1979, that I could afford a camera with a SPD meter instead of CdS, but I didn't realize at the time that SPDs had been around that long; I thought they were introduced in the late 1970s. (I think a year or two after I bought my Minolta XG-1, gallium photodiodes started to appear in SLRs.) In the end, having the slower, venerable CdS-based meter as opposed to a faster SPD-based one didn't make a difference for most of us amateur photographers. I'm guessing the faster metering systems were most useful to fast-action sports photographers. The fact of the matter is that despite how I remember obsessing over details of every camera I considered, poring over photo magazine reports of chromatic aberration and focusing accuracy at levels not reproducible outside of a lab, and comparing minutiae with friends and so on, all SLRs, TLRs, and rangefinders of the day were capable of taking excellent pictures, and the variable that mattered most was the skill of the person using the camera.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Thank you. Unfortunately the meter in my Fujica isn’t working right anymore. It’s off by several stops for some reason. It’s such a nice camera though. Feels different than my other SLRs for some reason.

[@mar4kl]

@@AlysVintageCameraAlley, , if it's reading several stops too low (meaning it calls for a wider lens opening or slow shutter speed), try checking for dust or grime wherever the meter pickup is. (Sorry, my area of expertise is computers, not cameras, so I'm not sure where the meter pickup would be.) If it's reading several stops too high, then the best I can suggest is a good camera shop that specializes in vintage film cameras. We have one in Chicago, although I have to imagine there's one closer to where you live.

[@jonmacd]

I'm assuming the shutter is fully mechanical on these as well? Cool camera!

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Jon MacDonald yes it is. I think it was the last one. After this one I think the ST901 was electronic if I’m not mistaken.

[@pentlx]

@@AlysVintageCameraAlley There were some later mechanical ones- variations on the ST701, like the ST705.

[@martinohesse]

Hi! If I use another m42 lens, the camera will give a wrong exposure metering?

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

The lens would need to have that tab I mention in the video in order for it to couple to the meter. I guess Fuji made it that way so that you would use their lenses. If you use another brand M42 it will not couple and you’ll have to use stopped down metering.

[@martinohesse]

@@AlysVintageCameraAlley do you think this method should work: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4XCfGSors9rpMk I ask because I never shooted film, but i have a few m42 lenses for my digital camera and I see this fuji 801 at a good price in a local store.

[@2008erichuang]

Today is the first day of using ST801... ^^

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

How’d you like it?