Tōkyō Kōgaku
Contents
History
Topcon is a Japanese manufacturer. It was founded in 1932 as Tōkyō Kōgaku Kikai K.K. (東京光学機械株式会社, usually translated as Tokyo Optical Company). The companies participating in its foundation were the measure instruments branch of Seikōsha and Katsuma Kōgaku Kikai Seisakusho, both depending companies of Hattori Tokei-ten.[1] It was first an optical company, like Nippon Kōgaku (later Nikon). The company's first camera was the Lord, 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 6×6 TLRs met some success. Parallely it was also making 39mm screw lenses. The Topcon brand name appeared in 1953 on a 35mm camera.
The company began the production of Topcon 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 the company's 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, Tōkyō Kōgaku 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 its own name on the bodies. Some models were marked Hanimex when imported in the Commonwealth.
At the end of the 1960s, the company ceased to innovate on the SLRs, 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 Tōkyō Kōgaku but in an external company.
Tōkyō Kōgaku decided to stop the production of cameras in 1981. Today the Topcon of the good period are eagerly collected in Japan.
The company still exists and took the name K.K. Topcon (株式会社トプコン) in 1989.
35mm film
SLR
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.
Viewfinder
- Minion 35 / Minion 35A (24x32)
- Minion 35B (24x32)
- Minion 35C (24x36)
- Topcon 35A
- Topcon 135EE
Rangefinder
- Topcon 35B
- Topcon 35S
- Topcon 35L
- Topcon 35JL
120 film
6×6 TLR
- Topcoflex
- Primoflex
4.5×6 telescopic
127 film
4×4 TLR
Both are the same camera with different name plates. The Primo Jr was also offered with a meter.
4×5 folding
Notes
- ↑ According to this page of the official Topcon website and to the JCII exhibition catalogue Nihon no kamera o omoshiroku shita kyōshū no burando ten.
Source / further reading
- Nihon no kamera o omoshiroku shita kyōshū no burando ten (日本のカメラを面白くした郷愁のブランド展, Exhibition of nostalgic brands that made Japanese cameras interesting). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 1997. Exhibition catalogue.
Links
- http://www.butkus.org/chinon/ Most Topcon instruction manuals, many in PDF format (Adobe 5.0 or above required), alphabetical listing at www.orphancameras.com, look for Topcon
In Japanese:
