I made my own UV Topcor adapter ,I took the lens mount of a Topcor " Wink " SLR camera ,and fitted an M42 mount on the back , not pretty ,but works well . Amazing optics from Topcor .
Remember Topcon designed a new mount to replace the modified Exacta one they used, this was licensed by Pentax and labeled as the K mount. It was also used by Topcon for a short time before they exited the camera business. Other Topcon firsts were instant return mirror/diaphram returning to fully open; through the lens metering; the auto-winder.
Wonderful history lesson. A few things: Please include some overviews of how the design of these lenses was: What elements and the arrangements. I'm sure those won't be copystriked. (patents have long since run out) If possible also the lens formulations. I want to know, I'm learning, why these lenses have different characters. Also, you do not have to apologise for not getting things exactly right multiple times. You're doing us a service and it's not necessary. Thanks again.
I will try to include those kinds of things - but I am really worried because almost every picture online these days can lead to a copyright strike : / Especially since many pictures belong to others who took them
interesting video regarding the history. I bought my first Topcon, an Re, with the RE 1.8 lens, in 1967, and it is still working perfectly. I also have an ex US Navy Super D that came with the 1.4 RE lens. Also a beautiful camera. I love these cameras, they are built like tanks and take beautiful pictures.
"Interesting video" - Maybe, but this 'guy' makes/verbalizes some WILD claims and opinions, along with many errant 'facts'... With the hundreds and maybe thousands of RUclips videos I've watched, this may well be one of the worse when it comes to "WILD claims and opinions".
Thanks again for the video! Very informative and insightful about the histories of camera companies. I agree, it's tragic what happened to Topcon, I could only wish what they could've achieved had they survived. Nonetheless, great video. I'd love to see more free-flowing chats about the history of vintage cameras/lenses. Keeping an eye out for the next Topcon one ^_^
Hi all, I bought My Topcon RE Super in 1971. I choosed the 58mm 1,8 and the 135mm 3,5 telelens. It still in My collection of SLR cameras. And yes you are right about the design...it is very maskulin! Rouge and heavy. I've got so many Nice photos with it.
@@Noealz I think that would be super interesting and awesome! Especially since it seems like it's so difficult to find information about these companies and how they went about designing their lenses and cameras all in one place online. It seems like all the stories are spread through tons of different posts, or you have to look up at archived image of a magazine article.
@@reptilespantoso I really love all the Konica lenses so much! They're an exceptional value. I was lucky enough to find a Autoreflex T3 with a Hexanon 57mm F1.2 on it for $40 on Craigslist. That was my find of the year. I know I could sell it for bunches on eBay , but it's such a good lens I don't ever see myself giving it up. I did the rear-mount Bokeh mod for it, and put it under a UV A/B lamp for about 3 weeks clearing up the yellowing, and it's just an amazing all around lens. I also had a Canon FD 50 1.2 and a Olympus 55mm 1.2 and sold both of those off because the Hexanon is just that much better. The Olympus and Cannon had much busier frantic background blur, but the Hexanons bokeh is super smooth and nice .
refreshing my topcor re super as I watch this and I'm more impressed by their legacy than the actual product in front of me. I am so excited to put some film through this relic. Durable is an understatement, this thing is SOLID, every part moves smooth and tight, which is nothing short of insane for a 50y/o unit.. blown away!!
THX! Much info I did not know. One of the students in the '70 had a Topcon camera and it was already rare in that time. I loved the camera for their optics, but also because the shutter could syncronise with flashlite much faster than the other camera's.
@@Noealz Thanks but more to you. & btw I have ordered my first one! based on your nice review and can't wait to see it at the door and then the fun that should follow. I love old gems. A secrete to keep to ourselves :-)
I love the Topcon RE Super cameras, quite heavy/bulky but with a feeling of quality. I have two of them, bought mostly for the lenses. One is branded "Hanimex Topcon" which I think is a UK model, and a slightly earlier one branded just "Topcon". They are the same camera with a few cosmetic differences. Both of them still work perfectly, including the light meters, despite most likely spending decades in storage, which I think is a testament to their quality. The light seals don't fair so well but they're an easy fix. The RE Auto Topcor lenses are just beautiful things that take great photos.
Thanks for history lesson. It's fascinating. Even the music production advanced from WW2 - the vocoder as the name suggest was designed to encrypt messages - now it's an instrument used in pop songs
my work partner is retiring and he just gifted me a pair of Topcon Super Dm, with drives (one doesnt work the other was full of battery corrosion) and a 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 87-203mm and a 300mm. the 300 is an f6.3 so its not very fast. the US pronunciation is BESS ler... good information. thanks! ive been a Canon shooter since 1976 with a Canon EXauto with some nonsense screw mount on the lenses
I was just given a box of old camera stuff, and there was a topcon RE2 and 3.5 cm f2.8 and 10 cm f2.8. Seems like they're going to be amazing lenses, waiting for my adapter
Very informative and have always highly regarded the RE Super. Just a point about British optics and cameras. Not all were as bad as the Corfield Periflex! I suggest you look at the Reid 3 which many thought better made than its Leica equivalent (Now they cost more too) and the f2 TTH lens was fine for its day. The Ilford Witness was also good but very rare. Currently Cooke cine lenses are very well regarded by Pro Cinephotographers .
The Topcon RE Super D/DM-CC and the beautifully-designed D-1 were the cameras I coveted as a young photographer in the late 1960's, when all I could afford was a fixed-lens Fuji rangefinder. Not Nikons or Canons! The Topcon lens focusing was indeed "ball-bearing like," and the "meter on the mirror" system was, until the Olympus OM-2 camera with off-the-film metering came along, the most advanced light meter in an SLR out there. Unfortunately Topcon didn't make a wide selection lenses for them, and then Beseler stopped distributing them and they fell to Paillard, which had just been the outlet for Bolex and had also acquired Hasselblad. Paillard tied availability of the highly desirable Swedish Hasselblad medium-format cameras to dealers being able to move more Topcons, which were becoming out of date despite innovations like the first auto-winder for an SLR. I still love their engineering, but let's face it, in terms of size they are not exactly a Leica III-C with the collapsing lens! If there's a larger 35mm SLR body out there, would somebody please let me know?
I have a Beseler Topcon Super D camera with two lenses (RE,Topcor ƒ1.4 58mm and RE,Topco ƒ2.8 35mm) that belonged to my late father-in-law. The camera has been stored away for the last 20 years and I just recently got it out to shoot some film. I replaced the light seals (at least those I could tell where there originally), but I've only shot one roll of film and it hasn't returned from the developer yet, so I may have more work ahead of me. The camera is extremely simply built, rugged in the extreme, and easy to operate. The light meter isn't like anything else I've ever seen. The light coming through the lens may result in the light measurement, but the illumination of the dial visible inside the viewfinder comes from a small window set in the top of the camera. There are no numbers but a retro looking curved meter that you have to align to get correct exposure. The only drawback is if you are shooting inside a darkened area into light, it's hard to see the meter. When the shutter is released I expect to see a head fall because it sounds like a guillotine! I knew very little about the camera and the story behind the company until I watched your video. So many thanks for the information. Here is a photo of what the camera looks like. www.flickr.com/photos/glenbledsoe/50562706658/in/dateposted/ To me it looks like it inspired the Tesla CyberTruck. I wonder if the "Beseler" import name was supposed to suggest "Best Seller."
I've actually been looking for one of those 35mm - I almost got one for a good price too but got outbid by robots. It does look like the cybertrunk now that I think about it!
Un buen trabajo de investigación y video de divulgación, sobre esta gran marca, yo puede comprar la super DM con 16 años , pero vi que la bayoneta estaba muy obsoleta y estuve mirando todas las marcas en aquella época, recuerdo que la top con costaba muy cara en las tiendas de electrónica aquí en las Islas Canarias, y busque por canon ae1, al final compre mi primera cámara una cocina ct 1 a por la bayoneta Pentax k y poder tener muchos objetivos a disposición, la montura del tipo exacta, no era muy recomendada por los vendedores aunque reconozco hoy en día mi error y he soñado muchos años con aquel momento, en que tome mi decisión errónea, ojalá pudiera viajar en el tiempo a aquella época y solucionarlo, hoy en día tengo mi canal de fotografía y mi pasión es las cámaras, es cierto Sony tiene una montura de bayoneta pequeña y lentes enormes pesadas y caras, que descomponían totalmente el diseño, prefiero Panasonic L System , y he comprado ese diseño con mucho futuro, hay muchos de que hablar en este mundo de las cámaras y la pasión por la historia, top con era mejor que Nikon y canon pero no supieron venderse, la bajoneta fue sus gran error y luego pasaron a la montura k, con los años, pero ya era tarde, sus cámaras ya no gustaban y Nikon había caminado mucho mas rápido con su marketing, mira mi canal y suscríbete si te apetece, pues es una PASION QUE COMPARTIMOS,saludos luis perera
Good interesting history! The last topcon in the UK was the RM 300 using the K mount. Did topcon make it? or was it manufactured by someone like cosina or chinon? You are correct about the exakta mount constricting the rear element. I started my photography in the mid sixties and with an Exakta for astronomy photos, as it had a 12 second shutter. I was successful, but the optics were large objectives made in the UK.
I Heard u talking about uv topcor adaptator to modern cams. I have found an old 60's camera of my old grandfather and i made an adaptater for 30 bucks to E Mount for my A7. Its very easy, if semeone need, dont mind to ask me !
Topcon is/was fantastic stuff. Their history and quality is remarkably similar to Konica. Today they are both perhaps the greatest value to be found on the used market by a giant margin.
Do you happen to know the difference in optical design between the Topcor S 5cm f2 and the Leotax Leonon 5cm f2? The Leonon has very unique bokeh rendering. I do not have the Topcor, but the rendering seems much smoother in terms of bokeh. I love the Leonon!
@@Noealz I want both. And I want the better one in a special box, the other, with the others. So I need the answer and will find it out. Sooner and not later.
I can try to understand the leica lens and why it's better than the others for the price (added the brand , history , made in Germany - TAX increasing the cost) but i just cant understand why the bodies hold so much value. is it the usability or its stronger than other brand bodies , the only thing i can see is the view finder focus design that's better than other brands and that's about it. nice video, looking forward to the next one.
To be honest, I think older Leica cameras or lenses weren't as good as people made them to be - it wasn't until much later that they were great. Zeiss on the other hand has always been pretty awesome : )
I keep hearing that Tokyo Kogaku couldn't design faster lenses because the Exakta mount. However, I would want more explanation of that. The throat diameter for that mount is 46mm. Today Sony's mirrorless camera's use a mount that is almost the same at 46.1mm. There were mounts with even smaller throat diameters. M42 is 42mm. Leica M is 44mm. Contax G is 44mm. Minolta is 44.97mm. Nikon F as well as Konica AR was only 1 mm larger at 47mm.
I wish I could give you more information! sadly there isn't too much information out there and most of the one that is, is in Japanese :( So I tried to put out as much as I knew about it
> > > > > > 9:11 < < < < < < I,m lost when you say " _They released the very first SLR_ " Do you mean Topcon made the very 1st ever SLR? or They made the 1st Japanese SLR or their own companies 1st SLR. Could you please and kindly clarify? Also, what was that SLR? Was it Super D? or what Thx.
UV topcor's are not as great as the RE topcors - they are still good lenses though - but you are going to have a hard time adapting that lens to a camera unless you have custom made adapters
@@Noealz Thanks for the information. I was simply given this lens for free. If nothing else, it led me to your very interesting video. Interesting lie. I see it online being sold for between 19 and $160. That's weird.
The UV lens is for the Topocon Auto 100/Unirex/IC-1 camera, a design with no shutter in the camera body. Instead, each lens has a separate "leaf" shutter built into it, the kind that opens up from and closes to the center. This shutter can be very handy for taking portraits in broad daylight, as the camera can synchronize with an X flash, or strobe, up to the top shutter speed of 1/500 of a second! So you can use a flash to fill in shadows and still shoot with a high shutter speed to open the lens and bur the background. These cameras, although unbelievably noisy, are pretty cheap right now, so if you want to dabble with location film portraiture, this is the lens/camera combination to do it with inexpensively!
I enjoy some of your videos, especially your cool moody photos. I also really like Tokyo Kogaku lenses and cameras like the RE. One quick correction though. You implied that Nikon was civilian production compared with Tokyo Kogaku. In reality Nikon supplied the Imperial Navy during the war. After the war though both got permission from the Japanese government and US occupation authorities to make gear to raise foreign exchange revenue. They helped to rebuild modern Japanese industry. Yes, American soldiers bought Nikons and I assume also Topcons around the Vietnam War at PX stores in addition to the export models you mentioned. I hope your video will encourage someone to do a more detailed history in English. Might be a good book on Tokyo Kogaku.
One more suggestion if you will do more videos on Japanese camera makers would be to check the Japanese pronunciation of a few key words like Kogaku. It will help since others are watching your videos. Aloha
topcor lenses, I read, not know for certain, were used as the benchmark for japanese govz.industry standards, re performance. the voice to text conversion used is poor. , in vid. the Koren war, was theopportunity that foreign professional war photographers had to discover how good japanese optics could be, on their Leicas, Contaxes. the topcon model you mentioned as the first TTL metering camera, must have just beat the miranda sensorex. Konirishu (Konica), also optical glass maker, öike Yashica. made some very good lenses. in the uk, the leica copy was made by Reid camera co. - one of the best copies of the IIIf, it has been said. the Exakta mount, also had the disadvantage of an external front ahutter release /diaphraghm coupling . awkward to use for many. re Sony mounts, xou are referring to the A.mount (ppreviously Minolta), not the later E-mount? . as advanced Sony & Ziess designs exist right now in all FL, have done for years. ? interested to see some sample ühotos from topcor 50/2. expecting flaring is an issue, due to lack of lens surfacecoatings. an interesting vid. thanks. recounts how a defeated nation recovered through hard work, urilizing and improving on american marketing techniques, to suceed in their key export market, the USA, later globally. with few natural resources, they realized small, high value products, like cameras and radios were potential winners. they actual did the marketing thing, if no or limited market, create a good one, producing products people could afford to buy, use, enjoy, and of sufficient quality. - an 'economic miracle'. US general,McArthur, instilled the need for wuality in products produced, to ensure a viable economic recovery. if topcor lendes are good the large vlogger-videoing community will bux,adapt and use them, rven love their visual preculistities, if they exist. can't see any evidence of this, yet. I'd like to see you explore Konica . theit famous tag.line slogan, in their advertising in the 1960's: 'i ts the lens' - one of the oldest optical houses, in Japan, I think.
I found the Topcor 5cm, but it’s 2400 RMB, around 340$. I saw a Topcor 58 1.4 in Ais mount, but didn’t mention RE or UV. Very expensive : 6800 RMB, around 970$. 😅 I am more leaning towards German lenses (maybe because I was born in Europe 😂) like Leica/Zeiss/Voigtländer... love the compactness and the optic quality of them. Built like tank and beautiful too... I also like the cheaper alternatives you can see this days like 7Artisans/TTArtisan. Not as good optically, but certainly have some interesting character that IMO worth it, especially at that price! M mount lenses, that’s where my dream manual lenses are. One of my first adapter when I will have a mirrorless camera will be a M mount one for sure... [with a Xpro3, Xt3 or Sigma fp, it will be delicious 😁]
Noealz - Rain Photography just saw the other video, now I understand. 😂 Maybe I will try that in the future, but I should focus on finding the right camera for me first (hard time to choose... lot of lovely things), I feel naked with no camera right now... 🤣😬
Over designed is a subjective opinion. What is measurable and objective is that German optics outperform Japanese optics. You can call the Japanese optics more practical if you want, but I disagree. The Japanese are good performing optics that are cheaper than the more expensive better performing German counterparts. Tokyo Kogaku was probably the most advanced Japanese optical company at the time and indeed they have probably the best performing optics of the period (from Japanese companies). Unfortunately, that period is the 1950s to 1970s. Optics that are decades younger with multi coating and other advances are able to exceed the Tokyo Kogaku lenses. The mechanics are at the top of anyone: Japanese or German.
@@Noealz They are still in business today and making optical equipment. Sadly, they aren't making it for the consumer camera market anymore. Today it would have mattered who they were able to hire. Most companies and advancements are made by a handful of geniuses. For example, many if not most modern glass advancements were made by one man: Stookey. Corning ware. Gorilla Glass. Photochromatic glass. Perhaps others I am not aware of. Tokyo Kogaku had the manufacturing precision to make high quality optics. I think many of their designs were German optical formula's released as war reparations. However, They had unique ones as well. They had a 300mm f/2.8 lens almost 20 years before anyone else.
"Super Dm body has mirror lockup" - Yes, add to that, a HORRIFIC change in the advance gearing design. As opposed to the SILKY smooth Super D & RE Super, the Super DM feels like you have SAND in the gears...
Nice story, but not very complete, too much talking about other things and sometimes not total correct. Did you read the Topcon Story book? For me as a big European Topcon collector this is a nice video to watch....but it is not the whole Topcon story........but still informative.......btw...Topcon lenses (Topcor) were in that time the absolute top class glass, much better than most of the German glasses/lenses (of course German lovers will deny that :) ) and they were the first in the early 60 which had a F2.8 300mm lens.......
Did you know there was a special Leica IIIc for German Officers in WW2, collector items will set you back 400 K dollars Furthermore I have to disagree with you on many subjects (as Leica shooter). First of all, Leica is not over-designed, they still keep it simple. A Leica camera is primary build for shooting stills. All buttons are for setting exposure and the menu is limited compared to the Japanese camera's . It is all about image quality and not gadgets. About pedigree, M2, M3 , M6 are still well valued and you can repair them till doomsday even parts are still available The lenses are also great , even old Leica lenses will go for premium prices. (I won't go in detail cause then I would be taken over your channel.) You should get hold a video inside the factory where they make lenses, they are out there on the net. - Sony on the other-hand is not a camera company it is an electronic company . It's all gadgets and you will never know how long they will be producing camera's, cause when the profit is low, off the go (see Betamax, Sony Plasma Screens and Sony Laptops, all gone before the technologie had ended and incase of Laptops, that market is still here) Their lens-mount is design flaw therefor their lenses have to be longer (focal distance to sensor) than lenses of other MIRRORLESS brands which neutralises the compactness of their Mirrorless system they claimed in the beginning They don't even have the technology to design lenses, they are all designed by others and manufactured by Sony under strict quality supervision by the design company to secure their good name.
+RS ah regarding the leica stuff I was actually talking about the zeiss lenses, I should have specified that part. I have seen that video about the glass being made in the factory, actually I spend a great deal of time watching those - they are quite enjoyable. I know Sony is more of an electronics company - They became a big player on the mirrorless world quite quickly though so I wouldn’t be surprised if they come out with a new mount soon, they must realize that it has to happen at some point for the future of their camera lines.
@@Noealz But the reason for Sony's success in the Mirrorless market is due to the fact, they bring out new camera's in a rapid tempo. Look at life span of the A7 series, where real companies bring out a camera with good quality that last for years, Sony goes for the quick win. In the beginning their service was terrible. All new Sony have 90% more features and their buyers don't go for quality. Look at the YT channels, check out the comments , you can figure out who's a Sony shooter, new kids on the block with no knowledge of Photography whatsoever. The Leica lenses are also NOT over designed. I don't know where it is based on ?? Let 's have a look at a Canon EF 50 mm 1.2 lens 6 groups 8 elements and 8 blades around 1600 USD . To keep it fair we take the Leica Summilux 50mm 1.4 - 5 groups 8 elements and 9 blades. 4000 USD Besides the price (focus on the parts) not much difference. The difference however is quality of glass , body , durability. There is NO OVERDESIGN in that Leica lens. As a street shooter I shoot 28mm Summilux, man that is a different ballpark, again NO over-designing , PURE QUALITY. Also the vintage Leica lenses go back till 30's. Some lenses have a l manufacturing life cycle of 40 years . Cause it was, and still is , quality and did not need to be redesigned. Open a 40 year old Leica lens, there is no magic trick inside besides premium glass !! Those lenses were as simple as all the other brands but of higher quality hence the high prices still nowadays.Same with Voigtlander and the like, still worth a bundle , quality that will last longer than our lives. If you think HIGH QUALITY is over-designing, yes than it is, but that's because you are probably satisfied with lower quality.
@@RS-Amsterdam Maybe I'll make a video about it in the future then : ) Regarding the internals of camera lenses and camera bodies, replacement parts when broken and repairs etc
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I made my own UV Topcor adapter ,I took the lens mount of a Topcor " Wink " SLR camera ,and fitted an M42 mount on the back , not pretty ,but works well . Amazing optics from Topcor .
It used to be like that for me! The new mounts make it easier
Remember Topcon designed a new mount to replace the modified Exacta one they used, this was licensed by Pentax and labeled as the K mount. It was also used by Topcon for a short time before they exited the camera business. Other Topcon firsts were instant return mirror/diaphram returning to fully open; through the lens metering; the auto-winder.
Aha good to know, thank you for that : )
Wonderful history lesson.
A few things: Please include some overviews of how the design of these lenses was: What elements and the arrangements. I'm sure those won't be copystriked. (patents have long since run out) If possible also the lens formulations. I want to know, I'm learning, why these lenses have different characters.
Also, you do not have to apologise for not getting things exactly right multiple times. You're doing us a service and it's not necessary. Thanks again.
I will try to include those kinds of things - but I am really worried because almost every picture online these days can lead to a copyright strike : / Especially since many pictures belong to others who took them
Hello, I bought my Topcon IC-1 auto new in 1975, I still have it and it sill works 👍
Oh very nice!
interesting video regarding the history. I bought my first Topcon, an Re, with the RE 1.8 lens, in 1967, and it is still working perfectly. I also have an ex US Navy Super D that came with the 1.4 RE lens. Also a beautiful camera.
I love these cameras, they are built like tanks and take beautiful pictures.
unfortunately I keep getting outbid on those Super D cameras :/
"Interesting video" - Maybe, but this 'guy' makes/verbalizes some WILD claims and opinions, along with many errant 'facts'...
With the hundreds and maybe thousands of RUclips videos I've watched, this may well be one of the worse when it comes to "WILD claims and opinions".
@@y2ktube Exactly what isn't correct in what was said. You can't just go bad mouthing something because you don't understand.
Thanks again for the video! Very informative and insightful about the histories of camera companies. I agree, it's tragic what happened to Topcon, I could only wish what they could've achieved had they survived. Nonetheless, great video. I'd love to see more free-flowing chats about the history of vintage cameras/lenses. Keeping an eye out for the next Topcon one ^_^
+bigBlue oh I’ll make one more video about the lens I own after the livestream edits tomorrow :)
Hi all,
I bought My Topcon RE Super in 1971. I choosed the 58mm 1,8 and the 135mm 3,5 telelens. It still in My collection of SLR cameras.
And yes you are right about the design...it is very maskulin! Rouge and heavy. I've got so many Nice photos with it.
Good choice! I'd still like to get my hands on more Topcon lenses but they can get pricey : /
Yesssss. I'd love to see a History of Konica up they ended their SLR line in 87.
+Occult Demon Cassette I think I can do a whole set of these history videos, they are all so interesting and I have lots of time during the winter :)
@@Noealz I think that would be super interesting and awesome! Especially since it seems like it's so difficult to find information about these companies and how they went about designing their lenses and cameras all in one place online. It seems like all the stories are spread through tons of different posts, or you have to look up at archived image of a magazine article.
I simply love my Hexanon 50mm f1.4 to bits. It's a very subjective thing, it's my favorite, right now.
@@reptilespantoso I really love all the Konica lenses so much! They're an exceptional value. I was lucky enough to find a Autoreflex T3 with a Hexanon 57mm F1.2 on it for $40 on Craigslist. That was my find of the year. I know I could sell it for bunches on eBay , but it's such a good lens I don't ever see myself giving it up. I did the rear-mount Bokeh mod for it, and put it under a UV A/B lamp for about 3 weeks clearing up the yellowing, and it's just an amazing all around lens. I also had a Canon FD 50 1.2 and a Olympus 55mm 1.2 and sold both of those off because the Hexanon is just that much better. The Olympus and Cannon had much busier frantic background blur, but the Hexanons bokeh is super smooth and nice .
refreshing my topcor re super as I watch this and I'm more impressed by their legacy than the actual product in front of me. I am so excited to put some film through this relic. Durable is an understatement, this thing is SOLID, every part moves smooth and tight, which is nothing short of insane for a 50y/o unit.. blown away!!
I'll never sell my topcors : )
My first camera was my father’s old RE Super. It’s a beast of a camera. The strap broke and in fell onto concrete and just kept going.
Haha yeah I've seen some with bulletholes but they still work lol
THX! Much info I did not know. One of the students in the '70 had a Topcon camera and it was already rare in that time. I loved the camera for their optics, but also because the shutter could syncronise with flashlite much faster than the other camera's.
Topcon equipment was ahead of its time : )
Highly educational and really loved it. Thanks, man for producing this, and way to go.
Glad you enjoyed it! Wish more people knew about Topcor lenses
@@Noealz Thanks but more to you. & btw I have ordered my first one! based on your nice review and can't wait to see it at the door and then the fun that should follow. I love old gems. A secrete to keep to ourselves :-)
@@samsen3965 I don't do reviews! Please keep that in mind : )
@@Noealz The word was loosely used so no emphasis there. ;-)
I love the Topcon RE Super cameras, quite heavy/bulky but with a feeling of quality. I have two of them, bought mostly for the lenses. One is branded "Hanimex Topcon" which I think is a UK model, and a slightly earlier one branded just "Topcon". They are the same camera with a few cosmetic differences. Both of them still work perfectly, including the light meters, despite most likely spending decades in storage, which I think is a testament to their quality. The light seals don't fair so well but they're an easy fix. The RE Auto Topcor lenses are just beautiful things that take great photos.
I need more : )
Thanks for the story and history of Topcon. Very informative.
Glad you enjoyed it! I hope to spread the gospel of topcon haha
Thanks for history lesson. It's fascinating. Even the music production advanced from WW2 - the vocoder as the name suggest was designed to encrypt messages - now it's an instrument used in pop songs
Yeah! Lots of advancements happened because of necessity, including of course nuclear power
my work partner is retiring and he just gifted me a pair of Topcon Super Dm, with drives (one doesnt work the other was full of battery corrosion) and a 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 87-203mm and a 300mm. the 300 is an f6.3 so its not very fast.
the US pronunciation is BESS ler...
good information. thanks!
ive been a Canon shooter since 1976 with a Canon EXauto with some nonsense screw mount on the lenses
awesome!
I was just given a box of old camera stuff, and there was a topcon RE2 and 3.5 cm f2.8 and 10 cm f2.8. Seems like they're going to be amazing lenses, waiting for my adapter
I wish I had that luck :(
Very informative and have always highly regarded the RE Super. Just a point about British optics and cameras. Not all were as bad as the Corfield Periflex! I suggest you look at the Reid 3 which many thought better made than its Leica equivalent (Now they cost more too) and the f2 TTH lens was fine for its day. The Ilford Witness was also good but very rare. Currently Cooke cine lenses are very well regarded by Pro Cinephotographers .
I will look into it!
The Topcon RE Super D/DM-CC and the beautifully-designed D-1 were the cameras I coveted as a young photographer in the late 1960's, when all I could afford was a fixed-lens Fuji rangefinder. Not Nikons or Canons! The Topcon lens focusing was indeed "ball-bearing like," and the "meter on the mirror" system was, until the Olympus OM-2 camera with off-the-film metering came along, the most advanced light meter in an SLR out there. Unfortunately Topcon didn't make a wide selection lenses for them, and then Beseler stopped distributing them and they fell to Paillard, which had just been the outlet for Bolex and had also acquired Hasselblad. Paillard tied availability of the highly desirable Swedish Hasselblad medium-format cameras to dealers being able to move more Topcons, which were becoming out of date despite innovations like the first auto-winder for an SLR. I still love their engineering, but let's face it, in terms of size they are not exactly a Leica III-C with the collapsing lens! If there's a larger 35mm SLR body out there, would somebody please let me know?
I wish I knew to tell you!
I have a Beseler Topcon Super D camera with two lenses (RE,Topcor ƒ1.4 58mm and RE,Topco ƒ2.8 35mm) that belonged to my late father-in-law. The camera has been stored away for the last 20 years and I just recently got it out to shoot some film. I replaced the light seals (at least those I could tell where there originally), but I've only shot one roll of film and it hasn't returned from the developer yet, so I may have more work ahead of me.
The camera is extremely simply built, rugged in the extreme, and easy to operate. The light meter isn't like anything else I've ever seen. The light coming through the lens may result in the light measurement, but the illumination of the dial visible inside the viewfinder comes from a small window set in the top of the camera. There are no numbers but a retro looking curved meter that you have to align to get correct exposure. The only drawback is if you are shooting inside a darkened area into light, it's hard to see the meter. When the shutter is released I expect to see a head fall because it sounds like a guillotine!
I knew very little about the camera and the story behind the company until I watched your video. So many thanks for the information. Here is a photo of what the camera looks like.
www.flickr.com/photos/glenbledsoe/50562706658/in/dateposted/
To me it looks like it inspired the Tesla CyberTruck. I wonder if the "Beseler" import name was supposed to suggest "Best Seller."
I've actually been looking for one of those 35mm - I almost got one for a good price too but got outbid by robots. It does look like the cybertrunk now that I think about it!
Very interesting, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it
Un buen trabajo de investigación y video de divulgación, sobre esta gran marca, yo puede comprar la super DM con 16 años , pero vi que la bayoneta estaba muy obsoleta y estuve mirando todas las marcas en aquella época, recuerdo que la top con costaba muy cara en las tiendas de electrónica aquí en las Islas Canarias, y busque por canon ae1, al final compre mi primera cámara una cocina ct 1 a por la bayoneta Pentax k y poder tener muchos objetivos a disposición, la montura del tipo exacta, no era muy recomendada por los vendedores aunque reconozco hoy en día mi error y he soñado muchos años con aquel momento, en que tome mi decisión errónea, ojalá pudiera viajar en el tiempo a aquella época y solucionarlo, hoy en día tengo mi canal de fotografía y mi pasión es las cámaras, es cierto Sony tiene una montura de bayoneta pequeña y lentes enormes pesadas y caras, que descomponían totalmente el diseño, prefiero Panasonic L System , y he comprado ese diseño con mucho futuro, hay muchos de que hablar en este mundo de las cámaras y la pasión por la historia, top con era mejor que Nikon y canon pero no supieron venderse, la bajoneta fue sus gran error y luego pasaron a la montura k, con los años, pero ya era tarde, sus cámaras ya no gustaban y Nikon había caminado mucho mas rápido con su marketing, mira mi canal y suscríbete si te apetece, pues es una PASION QUE COMPARTIMOS,saludos luis perera
buenos videos : )
Love the history lesson thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
So interesting! We want more history videos!
That's one of my plans for this winter =p
Good interesting history! The last topcon in the UK was the RM 300 using the K mount. Did topcon make it? or was it manufactured by someone like cosina or chinon? You are correct about the exakta mount constricting the rear element. I started my photography in the mid sixties and with an Exakta for astronomy photos, as it had a 12 second shutter. I was successful, but the optics were large objectives made in the UK.
Oh I dont know if they made that one :(
I Heard u talking about uv topcor adaptator to modern cams. I have found an old 60's camera of my old grandfather and i made an adaptater for 30 bucks to E Mount for my A7. Its very easy, if semeone need, dont mind to ask me !
good stuff!
Topcon is/was fantastic stuff. Their history and quality is remarkably similar to Konica. Today they are both perhaps the greatest value to be found on the used market by a giant margin.
Konica is also great for infrared =p
Do you happen to know the difference in optical design between the Topcor S 5cm f2 and the Leotax Leonon 5cm f2? The Leonon has very unique bokeh rendering. I do not have the Topcor, but the rendering seems much smoother in terms of bokeh. I love the Leonon!
Oh I don't know sadly :(But I will check that out now! I really want the Topcor S though =p
Very interesting, good job!!!.
I remember my beautiful Topcon Super DM. If you know where can I get one, let me know. Thanks, JL.
They are quite pricey now :(
I have a uv topcor f2 50mm. Is this the one you’re looking for?
I got the one I wanted since then ^^
Question: In case you know:
Is Topcor lens, f/1.4 Topcor 58mm better or 50mm and which one is more expensive?
There is no "better" - there is only what you want
@@Noealz
This is heavy! I need to think it over to digest it fully but am pretty sure, you're right on the point.
@@Noealz
I want both. And I want the better one in a special box, the other, with the others.
So I need the answer and will find it out. Sooner and not later.
I can try to understand the leica lens and why it's better than the others for the price (added the brand , history , made in Germany - TAX increasing the cost) but i just cant understand why the bodies hold so much value. is it the usability or its stronger than other brand bodies , the only thing i can see is the view finder focus design that's better than other brands and that's about it.
nice video, looking forward to the next one.
To be honest, I think older Leica cameras or lenses weren't as good as people made them to be - it wasn't until much later that they were great. Zeiss on the other hand has always been pretty awesome : )
I keep hearing that Tokyo Kogaku couldn't design faster lenses because the Exakta mount. However, I would want more explanation of that. The throat diameter for that mount is 46mm. Today Sony's mirrorless camera's use a mount that is almost the same at 46.1mm. There were mounts with even smaller throat diameters. M42 is 42mm. Leica M is 44mm. Contax G is 44mm. Minolta is 44.97mm. Nikon F as well as Konica AR was only 1 mm larger at 47mm.
I wish I could give you more information! sadly there isn't too much information out there and most of the one that is, is in Japanese :( So I tried to put out as much as I knew about it
> > > > > > 9:11 < < < < < <
I,m lost when you say " _They released the very first SLR_ "
Do you mean Topcon made the very 1st ever SLR? or They made the 1st Japanese SLR or their own companies 1st SLR.
Could you please and kindly clarify? Also, what was that SLR? Was it Super D? or what
Thx.
I forgot : )
Nice idea for a channel! Today I came into possession of the UV Topcor 1:4 f=100mm Tokyo Kogaku Japan. I can't find any information on it. Any info?
UV topcor's are not as great as the RE topcors - they are still good lenses though - but you are going to have a hard time adapting that lens to a camera unless you have custom made adapters
@@Noealz Thanks for the information. I was simply given this lens for free. If nothing else, it led me to your very interesting video. Interesting lie. I see it online being sold for between 19 and $160. That's weird.
The UV lens is for the Topocon Auto 100/Unirex/IC-1 camera, a design with no shutter in the camera body. Instead, each lens has a separate "leaf" shutter built into it, the kind that opens up from and closes to the center. This shutter can be very handy for taking portraits in broad daylight, as the camera can synchronize with an X flash, or strobe, up to the top shutter speed of 1/500 of a second! So you can use a flash to fill in shadows and still shoot with a high shutter speed to open the lens and bur the background. These cameras, although unbelievably noisy, are pretty cheap right now, so if you want to dabble with location film portraiture, this is the lens/camera combination to do it with inexpensively!
I enjoy some of your videos, especially your cool moody photos. I also really like Tokyo Kogaku lenses and cameras like the RE. One quick correction though. You implied that Nikon was civilian production compared with Tokyo Kogaku. In reality Nikon supplied the Imperial Navy during the war. After the war though both got permission from the Japanese government and US occupation authorities to make gear to raise foreign exchange revenue. They helped to rebuild modern Japanese industry. Yes, American soldiers bought Nikons and I assume also Topcons around the Vietnam War at PX stores in addition to the export models you mentioned. I hope your video will encourage someone to do a more detailed history in English. Might be a good book on Tokyo Kogaku.
One more suggestion if you will do more videos on Japanese camera makers would be to check the Japanese pronunciation of a few key words like Kogaku. It will help since others are watching your videos. Aloha
ah thank you for that correction
The Topcon R was not the first japanese SLR, the Miranda T was.
ah gotcha
topcor lenses, I read, not know for certain, were used as the benchmark for japanese govz.industry standards, re performance.
the voice to text conversion used is poor. , in vid.
the Koren war, was theopportunity that foreign professional war photographers had to discover how good japanese optics could be, on their Leicas, Contaxes.
the topcon model you mentioned as the first TTL metering camera, must have just beat the miranda sensorex.
Konirishu (Konica), also optical glass maker, öike Yashica. made some very good lenses.
in the uk, the leica copy was made by Reid camera co. - one of the best copies of the IIIf, it has been said.
the Exakta mount, also had the disadvantage of an external front ahutter release /diaphraghm
coupling . awkward to use for many.
re Sony mounts, xou are referring to the A.mount (ppreviously Minolta), not the later E-mount? . as advanced Sony
& Ziess designs exist right now in all FL, have done for years. ?
interested to see some sample ühotos from topcor 50/2. expecting flaring is an issue, due to lack of lens surfacecoatings.
an interesting vid. thanks. recounts how a defeated nation recovered through hard work, urilizing and improving on american marketing techniques, to suceed in their key export market, the USA, later globally. with few natural resources, they realized small, high value products, like cameras and radios were potential winners. they actual did the marketing thing, if no or limited market, create a good one, producing products people could afford to buy, use, enjoy, and of sufficient quality. - an 'economic miracle'. US general,McArthur, instilled the need for wuality in products produced, to ensure a viable economic recovery.
if topcor lendes are good the large vlogger-videoing community will bux,adapt and use them, rven love their visual preculistities, if they exist. can't see any evidence of this, yet.
I'd like to see you explore Konica . theit famous tag.line slogan, in their advertising in the 1960's: 'i ts the lens' - one of the oldest optical houses, in Japan, I think.
I found the Topcor 5cm, but it’s 2400 RMB, around 340$.
I saw a Topcor 58 1.4 in Ais mount, but didn’t mention RE or UV. Very expensive : 6800 RMB, around 970$. 😅
I am more leaning towards German lenses (maybe because I was born in Europe 😂) like Leica/Zeiss/Voigtländer... love the compactness and the optic quality of them. Built like tank and beautiful too... I also like the cheaper alternatives you can see this days like 7Artisans/TTArtisan. Not as good optically, but certainly have some interesting character that IMO worth it, especially at that price! M mount lenses, that’s where my dream manual lenses are. One of my first adapter when I will have a mirrorless camera will be a M mount one for sure... [with a Xpro3, Xt3 or Sigma fp, it will be delicious 😁]
The cosina ones are expensive because they are collector items : ) the 5cm are high quality leica copies so they are expensive
Noealz - Rain Photography just saw the other video, now I understand. 😂
Maybe I will try that in the future, but I should focus on finding the right camera for me first (hard time to choose... lot of lovely things), I feel naked with no camera right now... 🤣😬
Zeiss IKON is pronounced like Nikon without the "N" so you are probably right with your trivia fact
thank you for letting me know : )
ayye bro where is the tutorial for ur thumbnail text and art ??
Oh I just downloaded templates from themeforest :3 Pricey but I justified it because I use them so much
Over designed is a subjective opinion. What is measurable and objective is that German optics outperform Japanese optics. You can call the Japanese optics more practical if you want, but I disagree. The Japanese are good performing optics that are cheaper than the more expensive better performing German counterparts. Tokyo Kogaku was probably the most advanced Japanese optical company at the time and indeed they have probably the best performing optics of the period (from Japanese companies). Unfortunately, that period is the 1950s to 1970s. Optics that are decades younger with multi coating and other advances are able to exceed the Tokyo Kogaku lenses. The mechanics are at the top of anyone: Japanese or German.
I would have loved to see what they could have become in a modern world, but sadly they didn't last.
@@Noealz They are still in business today and making optical equipment. Sadly, they aren't making it for the consumer camera market anymore. Today it would have mattered who they were able to hire. Most companies and advancements are made by a handful of geniuses. For example, many if not most modern glass advancements were made by one man: Stookey. Corning ware. Gorilla Glass. Photochromatic glass. Perhaps others I am not aware of. Tokyo Kogaku had the manufacturing precision to make high quality optics. I think many of their designs were German optical formula's released as war reparations. However, They had unique ones as well. They had a 300mm f/2.8 lens almost 20 years before anyone else.
Is that Flamingo from Pier1???!!!
I dont live in USA : )
The Super Dm body has mirror lockup. The Super D does not.
Aha I see! Thank you for that clarification : )
"Super Dm body has mirror lockup" - Yes, add to that, a HORRIFIC change in the advance gearing design.
As opposed to the SILKY smooth Super D & RE Super, the Super DM feels like you have SAND in the gears...
@@y2ktube I have both models. I'll check this out..
Super D Topcons were the worst camera to repair. Camera Repairmen hated them.
poo :(
굳 :)
Thank you very much!
Nice story, but not very complete, too much talking about other things and sometimes not total correct. Did you read the Topcon Story book? For me as a big European Topcon collector this is a nice video to watch....but it is not the whole Topcon story........but still informative.......btw...Topcon lenses (Topcor) were in that time the absolute top class glass, much better than most of the German glasses/lenses (of course German lovers will deny that :) ) and they were the first in the early 60 which had a F2.8 300mm lens.......
It's hard to fit everything into one video : )
@@Noealz That's so true, but you called your video.....the history of Topcon.....and this video isn't. It's just a story about Topcon.
Did you know there was a special Leica IIIc for German Officers in WW2, collector items will set you back 400 K dollars
Furthermore I have to disagree with you on many subjects (as Leica shooter).
First of all, Leica is not over-designed, they still keep it simple.
A Leica camera is primary build for shooting stills.
All buttons are for setting exposure and the menu is limited compared to the Japanese camera's .
It is all about image quality and not gadgets.
About pedigree, M2, M3 , M6 are still well valued and you can repair them till doomsday even parts are still available
The lenses are also great , even old Leica lenses will go for premium prices. (I won't go in detail cause then I would be taken over your channel.)
You should get hold a video inside the factory where they make lenses, they are out there on the net.
-
Sony on the other-hand is not a camera company it is an electronic company .
It's all gadgets and you will never know how long they will be producing camera's, cause when the profit is low, off the go (see Betamax, Sony Plasma Screens and Sony Laptops, all gone before the technologie had ended and incase of Laptops, that market is still here)
Their lens-mount is design flaw therefor their lenses have to be longer (focal distance to sensor) than lenses of other MIRRORLESS brands which neutralises the compactness of their Mirrorless system they claimed in the beginning
They don't even have the technology to design lenses, they are all designed by others and manufactured by Sony under strict quality supervision by the design company to secure their good name.
+RS ah regarding the leica stuff I was actually talking about the zeiss lenses, I should have specified that part. I have seen that video about the glass being made in the factory, actually I spend a great deal of time watching those - they are quite enjoyable.
I know Sony is more of an electronics company - They became a big player on the mirrorless world quite quickly though so I wouldn’t be surprised if they come out with a new mount soon, they must realize that it has to happen at some point for the future of their camera lines.
@@Noealz But the reason for Sony's success in the Mirrorless market is due to the fact, they bring out new camera's in a rapid tempo. Look at life span of the A7 series, where real companies bring out a camera with good quality that last for years, Sony goes for the quick win. In the beginning their service was terrible. All new Sony have 90% more features and their buyers don't go for quality. Look at the YT channels, check out the comments , you can figure out who's a Sony shooter, new kids on the block with no knowledge of Photography whatsoever.
The Leica lenses are also NOT over designed.
I don't know where it is based on ??
Let 's have a look at a Canon EF 50 mm 1.2 lens 6 groups 8 elements and 8 blades around 1600 USD . To keep it fair we take the Leica Summilux 50mm 1.4 - 5 groups 8 elements and 9 blades. 4000 USD
Besides the price (focus on the parts) not much difference. The difference however is quality of glass , body , durability. There is NO OVERDESIGN in that Leica lens. As a street shooter I shoot 28mm Summilux, man that is a different ballpark, again NO over-designing , PURE QUALITY.
Also the vintage Leica lenses go back till 30's. Some lenses have a l manufacturing life cycle of 40 years . Cause it was, and still is , quality and did not need to be redesigned.
Open a 40 year old Leica lens, there is no magic trick inside besides premium glass !!
Those lenses were as simple as all the other brands but of higher quality hence the high prices still nowadays.Same with Voigtlander and the like, still worth a bundle , quality that will last longer than our lives.
If you think HIGH QUALITY is over-designing, yes than it is, but that's because you are probably satisfied with lower quality.
@@RS-Amsterdam As I mentioned - I didn't mean Leica was overdesigned - I was talking about the Zeiss Lenses : )
@@Noealz But what is the overdesign part then ? I don't get it
@@RS-Amsterdam Maybe I'll make a video about it in the future then : ) Regarding the internals of camera lenses and camera bodies, replacement parts when broken and repairs etc