Soooooo... I bought a Topcon!

[nickthetasmaniac]

Pt.III in Nick's Weird and Wonderful Old Camera Finds on Gumtree

I've always been curious about Topcon SLRs, mostly due to the articles like this and this that wax lyrical about impeccable build quality and wonderful lenses etc etc...

So I was rather excited when this one popped up on Gumtree for llareggub looking very clean with a bunch of accessories (although sadly not a hood). It should arrive by the end of the week 🙂

I believe it's Topcon-R 'Autokinon', which as far as I can tell was the first auto-aperture version, but came before the RII and RIII versions that actually had 'Automatic' engraved on the prism. I was a bit puzzled by the lack of both stop-down lever and 'Automatic' text, but I think I figured it out in the end... Happy to be corrected by the Brains Trust!

Any thoughts or tips or essential Topcon reading while I wait for it to arrive?

 

[steveyork]

Great cameras -- so well made. Heavy. Good eye relief as I recall. Fantastic optics. A bit quirky. Too weird for a daily user but nice change of pace. I had a set once, a Topcon R in a case with a standard assortment of lenses and filters ect, and impressed with the sheer build quality. I put a few rolls threw it, then passed it on to someone else. Lenses held up really well, even by today's standards. Topcor lenses have a reputation of high optical quality. Enjoy.

There's a book on Topcon/Topcor, relatively rare. I had it once, but that's where you'll find most of the info in one place. There used to be a repair guy in California, USA, who worked at Topcor, but I think he's retired now.

Good luck. Early Topcor stuff is getting hard to find. One of the cool looking cameras though.

 

[steveyork]

Not bad for a lens from the 50's. This was the 3.5cm/2.8. You got to love lenses measured in centimeters. Total old school.

Ha, ha, not the lens that the horizon is crooked; just the lousy photographer.

No longer have the camera set. Still have the dog though. Just a lot more grey in the muzzle.



Old Topcon R by Steve, on Flickr

 

[steveyork]

Here was my set. Can't recall where it went, but sold it be. Back then I only kept stuff that would be used regularly. Now days I'd probably keep it because ... well, it's just too damn cool looking. You know, pull it out once a year type of thing.

Topcon Camera Porn by Steve, on Flickr

 

[Retro-Grouch]

That is one exceptionally cool looking camera! Congratulations!

 

[Pál_K]

Congratulations! Topcons are excellent cameras with excellent lenses. The 35/2.8 on mine really surprised me.

The shutter speed detents between 1/125 and 1/1000 on my R II dial are extremely close together. At 1/1000, the lift-and-set dial does not lower totally flush - that’s normal. Also, for slow speeds, set “30-1” on the main dial and set the speed, from 1/30 to 1 second, on the surrounding tab. One thing that’s unusual, not sure if it’s just mine, is that if I select a speed faster than 1/30 (e.g. 1/60), I have to make sure the tab is at “30” and not slower. For example, if I choose 1/125 on the main dial, then the tab has to be at “30” to get the right speed. If the tab is at “1”, I’ll get 1 second.

Sadly, many web sites that used to discuss Topcon are now gone or have photos removed so that even if you use the internet Wayback Machine, you still don’t see the photos.

My R II and Super D:



My understanding is that the nice green collar around the release is how the R II originally came - matches the lens.

 

[Pál_K]

Actually, I’d like confirmation the fast and slow speeds really work as I described above or whether mine is just unusual.

My Nikon S2 has a similar dial and tab arrangement, but works like you’d expect: if you select a speed faster than 1/30 on the dial, you’ll get that speed regardless of what the tab is set to.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Thanks for the thoughts and images!

No longer have the camera set. Still have the dog though. Just a lot more grey in the muzzle.

Old Topcon R by Steve, on Flickr

That's a happy looking Pup 🙂

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

The shutter speed detents between 1/125 and 1/1000 on my R II dial are extremely close together. At 1/1000, the lift-and-set dial does not lower totally flush - that’s normal. Also, for slow speeds, set “30-1” on the main dial and set the speed, from 1/30 to 1 second, on the surrounding tab. One thing that’s unusual, not sure if it’s just mine, is that if I select a speed faster than 1/30 (e.g. 1/60), I have to make sure the tab is at “30” and not slower. For example, if I choose 1/125 on the main dial, then the tab has to be at “30” to get the right speed. If the tab is at “1”, I’ll get 1 second.

Interesting, thanks for the details. I've read that there's a few quirks around film advance and the setting of fast and slow speeds with the earlier bodies. I'll see how mine operates regarding the slow-speed dial and get back to you!

Sadly, many web sites that used to discuss Topcon are now gone or have photos removed so that even if you use the internet Wayback Machine, you still don’t see the photos.

Yes, it seems like there's hardly any online info for any of the Topcon SLR's other than the RE Super...

My understanding is that the nice green collar around the release is how the R II originally came - matches the lens.

I was curious about that... Mine doesn't have the coloured, anodised (?) ring. Some of the photos I can find online do, some don't...

 

[David Murphy]

Super cool looking vintage SLR. I once owned what was called one of their "economy models", the RE-2, a rock solid wonderful camera. Topcon collecting and using can be a nice adventure.

 

[raydm6]

Cool camera! Those lenses have a similar big button shutter release like the Exas/Exaktas. Can they be mounted on both cameras?

 

[Mos6502]

Cool camera! Those lenses have a similar big button shutter release like the Exas/Exaktas. Can they be mounted on both cameras?

The actual bayonet mount is the same, as is the lens register distance, so yes, technically. However the automatic aperture operation won't work of course, because the difference in position of the shutter release.

 

[raydm6]

The actual bayonet mount is the same, as is the lens register distance, so yes, technically. However the automatic aperture operation won't work of course, because the difference in position of the shutter release.

Cool. Thanks for that.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Congratulations! Topcons are excellent cameras with excellent lenses. The 35/2.8 on mine really surprised me.

The shutter speed detents between 1/125 and 1/1000 on my R II dial are extremely close together. At 1/1000, the lift-and-set dial does not lower totally flush - that’s normal. Also, for slow speeds, set “30-1” on the main dial and set the speed, from 1/30 to 1 second, on the surrounding tab. One thing that’s unusual, not sure if it’s just mine, is that if I select a speed faster than 1/30 (e.g. 1/60), I have to make sure the tab is at “30” and not slower. For example, if I choose 1/125 on the main dial, then the tab has to be at “30” to get the right speed. If the tab is at “1”, I’ll get 1 second.

Sadly, many web sites that used to discuss Topcon are now gone or have photos removed so that even if you use the internet Wayback Machine, you still don’t see the photos.

My R II and Super D:

filedata/fetch?id=4795133&d=1658883007

My understanding is that the nice green collar around the release is how the R II originally came - matches the lens.

I suspect it must run a Leitz-type second curtain release latch. The reason the dial sits higher at 1/1000 on the later screw mount models equipped with such a speed, Eg IIIc—IIIf, is intentional. It ensures the active shaft strikes the dedicated slit adjustment stud for 1/1000; thus enabling this speed to be calibrated independently from the longer settings.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Pt.III in Nick's Weird and Wonderful Old Camera Finds on Gumtree

I've always been curious about Topcon SLRs, mostly due to the articles like this and this that wax lyrical about impeccable build quality and wonderful lenses etc etc...

So I was rather excited when this one popped up on Gumtree for llareggub looking very clean with a bunch of accessories (although sadly not a hood). It should arrive by the end of the week 🙂

I believe it's Topcon-R 'Autokinon', which as far as I can tell was the first auto-aperture version, but came before the RII and RIII versions that actually had 'Automatic' engraved on the prism. I was a bit puzzled by the lack of both stop-down lever and 'Automatic' text, but I think I figured it out in the end... Happy to be corrected by the Brains Trust!

Any thoughts or tips or essential Topcon reading while I wait for it to arrive?

Nice score. Don't have a Topcon focal plane shutter model, yet. Slightly jealous. Well done, Nick! Have to give me a look at that, some time. 🙂

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Nice score. Don't have a Topcon focal plane shutter model, yet. Slightly jealous. Well done, Nick! Have to give me a look at that, some time. 🙂

Thought you might be interested in this one!

 

[Pál_K]

There is this site, which I found a few years ago and seems to be still alive. It’s mostly Japanese, but has good information in English as well:

http://topgabacho.jp/Topconclub/

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

There is this site, which I found a few years ago and seems to be still alive. It’s mostly Japanese, but has good information in English as well:

http://topgabacho.jp/Topconclub/

Thanks, I hadn't come across that one