Tōkyō Kōgaku

History

Topcon was a Japanese manufacturer. Its full name was Tokyo Kogaku, and it appeared in 1932 as an optical company. It was one of the two big Japanese optical companies, the other being Nippon Kogaku, best known as Nikon. The company's first camera was released in 1937 and was not a big success. It remained a quite minor camera maker until the end of the 1950s, even if its range of 6x6 TLRs met some success.

It began the production of 35mm SLRs in 1957, and it very soon concentrated on it, stopping the production of all the other types. The Topcon RE Super, launched in 1963 at the Photokina, was their most innovative and most professional camera. It was the first SLR with a through the lens exposure meter. Pentax would follow next year with the Spotmatic, and Nikon only in 1965 with the Nikkormat FT, and with the Photomic T prism for the Nikon F.

In parallel to the high end bodies, Topcon also manufactured simpler SLRs, at the beginning with a central shutter, later with a Copal Square focal plane shutter.

The Topcon SLRs were imported in the USA by Beseler, which put their own name on the bodies. Some models were marked Hanimex when imported in the Commonwealth.

At the end of the 1960s, Topcon ceased to innovate, and produced variations on the same basic design until 1976. The bodies made after 1977 are not up to their predecessors, and the rumor says they were not designed by Topcon but in an external company.

Topcon decided to stop the production of cameras in 1981. Today the Topcon of the good period are eagerly collected in Japan.

35mm SLRs

Exakta lens mount

• Topcon R = Beseler B Topcon (1957-1960)
• Topcon RII = Beseler C Topcon (1960-1961)
• Topcon RIII Automatic (1961-1963)
• Topcon RS (1963), rare variant of the RE Super with no meter
• Topcon RE Super = Beseler Topcon Super D (1963-1972)
• Topcon RE-2 = Beseler Topcon D-1 = Hanimex Topcon RE-2 (1965-)
• Topcon Super D = Beseler Topcon Super D (1972-1973)
• Topcon Super DM (1973-1976)
• Topcon RE200 = Exakta EDX2 = Carena KS1 (1977-)
• Topcon RE300 = Exakta EDX3 = Carena KS2

All of these take Exakta lenses.

Pentax K mount

• Topcon RM300, the same body with minor modifications was sold under the names of Quantaray Delta 2-RZ, Carena KSM1, Exakta KE4 and Exakta KE5
• Topcon AM-1, never sold, released in 1983 by Cima as Cimko LS-1

They take Pentax K lenses.

Topcon UV lens mount

• Topcon Uni = Beseler Topcon Auto 100 = Hanimex Topcon RE Auto (1964-1969)
• Topcon Unirex = Beseler Topcon Unirex (1969-1973)
• Topcon Unirex EE (1972-1974)
• Topcon IC-1 Auto (1974-1976)
• Topcon New IC-1 Auto (1976-1978)

All of these take Topcon UV lenses.

Fixed lens

• Topcon PR (1959-1960)
• Topcon PRII = DeJur Dekon-SR (1960)
• Topcon Wink Mirror (1960-1961)
• Topcon Wink Mirror E = Beseler Topconette (1961-1963)
• Topcon Wink Mirror S (1963-1964)

All had front element optical complements available.

Links

• The Topcon collectors' club in Japan