Topcon lens quality

Hi everyone,

 

I was wondering if there are any Topcon lens users out there? Are these lenses

any good?

 

http://members.cox.net/topconcollection/

 

Here is s fine example of the Topcor super wide angle 20mm lens:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KOGAKU-RE-AUTO-TOPCOR-20mm-F-4-RARE-WIDE-ANGLE-LENS-

NR_W0QQitemZ260057667006QQihZ016QQcategoryZ707QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewI

tem

 

I was wondering how does Topcor lenses compare with other main stream

manufacturers like Nikon, Canon, Leica and Olympus.

 

Thanks,

Simon

I have three UV Topcor lenses: 135mm,28mm,50mm. They all seem fine but I am not an expert. Here is a recent thread that touches on this subject. I have always wondered if the Topcors that I have would fit on the Super D. I use mine on a Unirex.

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00KzQV

 

Here is a picutre of my Unirex.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/4301569

Topcon lenses are said to be of top quality among those Japanese manufacturers. However, I don't have chance to use it myself due to its mount type.

Simon, Topcor lenses are among the best in the world, and will meet or beat almost anything manufactured by Nikon, Canon, or Leica (not to say anything against any of those makers of very high quality optics). I have used Topcors on my RE Topcons for 30 years. I don't have the 20 mm lens, it's too expensive for my budget, but I use the 25, 28, 35, 58, 100, 135, 200, and the 87-205 zoom. All are very sharp, contrasty, and extremely well built. See the thread from last week for more information. UV Topcors will not fit the RE style bodies (Super D, DM, and RE Super, D1, and RE2). They were completely different cameras altogether.

Wow! Thank you very much for the entheusiastic response. My plan is actually no to shoot films, but to invest in some of these Topcor/Topcon (still confusing to me why the two different names) lenses and buy an adapter for my Olympus E-300 dSLR. See this link:

http://www.cameraquest.com/adapt_olyE1.htm (sroll down to find the adpater for the Topcon lens)

 

I am wondering now, if there are different variation in the lens mount of Topcon cameras, will this particular adapter be suitable only to a limited number of Topcon lenses?

 

Thanks,

Simon

Hi,

I forgot to ask, does anybody have an online photo gallery to show off some pictures taken using Topcor lenses?

 

Thanks,

Simon

Why Topcon? The 4/3 camera can adapt about every 35mm lens bayonet, so why choose these exotic lenses (when Nikon, Pentax K and M42 are plentifully available)? And keep in mind that thanks to the cropped format the effective focal length is doubled (in layman's terms), so that 20mm superwide will not be that exciting on your Olympus E-300.

Topcon also made large format lens.

There are two different 35mm lens mounts and they are not compatible one for the other. you need to be sure your adaptor fits which ever lens mount you are investing in.

They are excellent lens for the 1960's and stand up well today. I have a set of uv topcor lens. unfortunately the cameras require mercury batteries or replacement.

Here is one image, I have a few others on my pages. These are with the UV Topcor lenses, and this image is with the 135mm.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/5572096

 

Be sure you get that UV Topcor and the Topcon lenses difference worked out before you commit to lenses and adapter. It sounds like Dennis (above) knows how to tell the difference.

The UV Topcors were the "economical" line of lenses (according to Antonetto's 'Topcon Story'), and were first made for the leaf shutter Wink Mirror E in 1961. Later, they were modified to fit the focal plane shutter cameras known as the Uni, Unirex, and Auto 100 . The last camera to accept UV lenses was the IC-1. Although they were of consistently high quality, they were not the professional lenses made for the pro RE models discussed above. They were also slower. They do not command the prices of the RE Auto Topcors, either. Again, they are not interchangable with the RE designated Topcors. Be sure to check the mounting system/adapter for your camera before purchasing.

"Again, they (the Topcor UV lenses) are not interchangable with the RE designated Topcors."

 

Topcon made a (very rare) adaptor to adapt UV lenses to RE bodies. BTW RE bodies have a bayonet similar to Exakta mount - but the auto-diaphragm button is at a different position when mounted to the body. Probably lenses designed for Exakta mount can be fitted to an RE body but they are approx. 180 deg off position, i.e. the focussing scale will not be on top.

 

The Topcon IC was NOT a leaf shutter SLR, it was the only Topcon focal plane shutter SLR to use the UV lenses.

 

Due to the small diameter of the leaf shutter the UV lenses had to fit to they had to make some optical compromises. The 200mm UV lens is really bulky and looks as if it has f/2.8 (the filter thread is 67mm diameter) but it has only f/4. On the other hand, the f/3.5 100mm lens is quite short - and, strange enough, does NOT use unit focussing, only the front part of this lens moves when focussing.

I just went to the link you provided. The Topcon lens mount on the 4/3 camera is indeed for the RE style mount (the professional RE Auto Topcors). This mount is similar to the Exakta mount (infact, it is identical), which opens up even more possibilities, since the array of Exakta lenses is vast, available, sometimes even cheap, and includes glass from Zeiss, Steinheil, Kilfitt, and other high end German optical firms. I think Topcors would be a great choice for this.

Winfreid, I don't pretend to know everything about the UV bodies (having never used one), but I didn't say the IC1 was a LS camera. I'm taking my information from the book. And, yes, there is an adapter to use UV with RE bodies, which is the only accessory which would make the lenses interchangable. So, I guess a person could use the 4/3 camera, the Tocpon adapter, and then the UV to Topcon adapter.

The RE. Auto Topcors for the professional Topcon cameras are excellent lenses. Some of them are dirt-cheap for what you get, like the 35mm and 100mm lenses. For adapting to 4/3, the wides get pricey, the 25mm is somewhat pricey, the 28mm is pricier yet, and the 20mm is nutso pricey.

 

While I would eventually like to use my Topcors on a DLSR, the 2X crop factor of the 4/3 system would be extreme. Now that there's an adapter to Canon EF mount for Topcors, that's looking like a possible future idea. Just add the focus confirmation chip to the adapter, and go.

 

There were reviews of a group of the UV Topcors in Camera:35 magazine. They were pretty bad. The leaf shutter Topcon cameras (and IC-1) were Tokyo Kogaku's "affordable" cameras, so the lens quality was compromised by both cost constraints and the small opening of the leaf shutter.

 

The UV to RE mount adapter runs close to $100 on eBay, only shows up a few times a year. At one time I wanted one to be able to use the faster 200/4 UV Topcor, instead of the slow 200/5.6 RE Auto Topcor. Now I have the 200/4 R. Topcor preset lens, which is better than either of them!

 

If you're going to buy a 4/3 system mount adapter, pick one that leads you to cheap wide angle lenses...

The alternatve to the ridiculously expensive 20 mm Topcor is the Exakta mount 20 mm Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon, a good performer at the same speed. I almost bought one last week, but I have to sell a couple of my folders before I do that!

"Simon, Topcor lenses are among the best in the world, and will meet or beat almost anything manufactured by Nikon, Canon, or Leica (not to say anything against any of those makers of very high quality optics)."

 

Where do you get your information? I've never seen a lens lest that puts Topcor lenses on a par with those brands. UV-Topcor lenses as used on the Unirex, Auto 100 and Uni are certainly middle-of-the-road. They would probably be about equal to Vivitar lenses.

Dennis, it was not my purpose to correct any of your statements (which do not need to be corrected in any way), I just wanted to point out the difference between the Topcon Uni/Unirex and the IC cameras. The point is that the UV lenses are probably the only ones which can be used on a leaf shutter SLR and a focal plane shutter SLR. Many manufacturers made both types of SLRs but Topcon was the only one of which a single line of lenses could be used on both.

Dennis, I think ONE point has to be corrected: The Auto100, Uni and Unirex are NOT focal plane cameras. At least my Topcon Uni has a leaf shutter... maybe the fact that Topcon made just one focal plane shutter camera with UV mount caused some confusion to the author of the book you read. BTW there are quite a few errors in books about camera history that need to be corrected. I have never written such a book so I cannot judge any of them as superficial.

Topcor UV lenses are certainly middle of the road at best, but the RE Topcors have been compared in many of the popular photo magazines as among the best around. In particular, the 58 mm 1.8 and 1.4, the 85 mm 1.8, and the 100 mm 2.8 have better resolution than their Japanese and German counterparts. I have several lens test reports from that era that show the RE Topcors as sharp and any of the other high end manufacturers. I can dig them out at some point and post some of the quotes and resolution tests.

If I understand correctly, the Topcon lens mount has the same flanges as the Exakta mount, but also has two pins that aren't present in the Exakta mount. Does this mean you can physically mount Exakta lenses on a Topcon body (but presumably the meter doesn't work or you are limited to stop-down metering)? Winfried said that the focusing scale would not be on top; can anyone confirm this?

 

thanks.

Thank again for continuing the discussion. I found a couple of links on the web which is useful:

 

Exakta/Topcon lens mout

http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-99.html

 

Japanese Topcon club. you need to use the translation tool in some cases.

http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/Topconclub/index.htm

 

http://www.google.com/language_tools

 

I think I will eventually invest in one of these RE lenses.

 

Enjoy,

Simon

Here is list of Topon lens test. It is not free though!

http://www.testreports.co.uk/photography/ap/search/mfrsearch.asp?MainMfr=110

 

Regards,

Simon

Re: Exakta lens mounts. I have owned and used both Exakta and Topcon RE lenses, but it's been many years for the Exaktas. The AUTO Exakta lenses had a plunger mounted on an external arm, which mated to the shutter release on the front of the Exakta camera. This arm closed the diaphragm and released the shutter immediately after. This won't mate to the Topcon bodies, as I recall. Obviously the RE Auto Topcors don't have this, since everything is done internally. Pins won't line up correctly. Non-auto Exakta lenses (preset or manual diaphragm lenses) will just twist onto the body of either camera. The Auto Exakta lenses MAY be about 180 degrees off on the mount, I just don't recall. The flanges are the same but may be positioned differently on the circumference of the lens.

Camera:35 reviewed a lot of the RE Auto Topcors. The results were very fine for the most part. Modern Photography reviewd the RE GN Auto Topcor 50mm f/1.4 (as part of the Super Dm review), and it was a stunner at the time.

It is good to see so many are talking about the Topcon. I am a long-term fan of the system and I have owned lenses and a camera body which I find to be of my unmost favorite. I started using Topcon in around 1975 and the whole system gave me extreme satisfaction in photography. As the body was not functioning well I started to put the system aside. They had stayed in dry boxes for almost 20 years. A friend gave me a Canon 350D a few weeks ago and I found a Topcor lenses to EOS body adaptor on ebay which releases all my Topcon lenses from the dry boxes. I am very happy that I can use my unbeatable Topcor lenses on a curent DSLR. It's amazing! The lenses still perform extremely well and they yield exceptionally sharp pictures. It's amazing to see the fusion of two generation-something that I have never dreamt of! By the way, my Topcon line-up is: 25mm f3.5, 35mm f2.8, 135mm f3.5, 200mm f5.6, 500mm f5.6,and a Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f1.8. The body is Super DM, which will remain on display only. Topcon fans around the world, keep in touch!