RE Auto Topcor lenses

As suggested by Woodrim, will move any discussion to here.

Camera lens 35 reviews from the original 1960`s line up.






Woodrim has one or two, as do I.I`ll try to get some sample image threads going when I`ve got some time.

Excellent. Thanks for starting this, Macca. I'm not at all surprised by the glowing report for 35mm and 100mm. I am surprised how poorly the 5.6/200mm did. I haven't used mine much, primarily because it is so slow, but with the bright days we have here, I could really use it more. The pictures I did take with it were very pleasing and I detected no softness. The Topcors I have now are:

2.8/35 RE Topcor: Every bit as wonderful as the Macca posted review says. While I have other 35mm lenses, including the 2.4/35 Flektogon, it is the Topcor that I use most.




1.8/58 RE Topcor: A very fine lens that can be had for a low price. It is the f/1.4 version that gets all the attention. Very crisp with good colors.




2.8/100 RE Topcor: Again, every bit as good as the report suggests. My favorite among my 100MM lenses.




3.5/135 RE Topcor: Better than the credit I've given it. I don't use it as much because I have faster lenses that I like better. This lens can be had for cheap.




5.6/200 RE Topcor: Very slow lens, but also very small and light. I didn't expect much after reading the old reviews, but was pleasantly surprised by the images. Very acceptable sharp and great colors. I don't use it much because of its lack of speed.

TheEmrys wrote: What are they similar to in terms of rendering, sharpness, and color? What sort of mount do they use? I read that there was one that was the same as a Canon FD.

Sorry that I missed your post earlier. The Exakta mount can be troublesome if you're just using an A-Mount camera, but since I went to NEX, I have acquired many Exakta mount lenses. Like Macca, I do not know of any Canon similarities. There was a Nikon mount Topcor and I think they may have had some connection with Pentax too. Today, the 1.4/58 is cloned by Cosina. Among the more widely produced, the 1.4/58 is most coveted and, sadly, too expensive for me. There are two others that are quite sought after; 1.8/85 and 2.8/300. From what I have seen, the 85mm is superb. Color wise, Macca is correct. I have noticed wonderful blues from Topcor. My 1.4/50 Rokkor is much warmer.
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Macca wrote: Woodrim worth starting the thread to see some of your lovely shots. TheEmrys, I`ve never shot Canon but Topcor colours are slightly cooler, more neutral than Canon and Minolta from what I`ve seen, unless you`re pointing them at Blues or even Gold/Russet type colours as Woodrims shots amply demonstrate. There are no real lemons in the line up. They are sharp, contrasty, superbly built with a craftsman like finish. They are prone to picking up issue as they are lightweight, mainly aluminium construction and can be knocked out of shape by extra rough usage. They are very easy to clean and repair though. I consider my self to be fairly clumsy when it comes to intricate parts but I have stripped and cleaned a few and changed mounts to M42 with parts from a Taiwan dealer on ebay. With the advent of the A7 etc, theres no need for mount swapage unless you plan to use it on E and A mount together. The mount swap is reversible, though I found the latter batch of mounts of inferior quality and the seller not too bothered about this.

Thank you, Macca. And I do remember some of those 25mm pictures. Would love to have one. I had always considered myself quite clever and handy with things, that is, until I started taking lenses apart. Actually, I'm not bad at taking them apart, but putting them back together is a problem. Thank goodness I found Marc Jensen.

Thank you. The Topcors use an Exakta mount. For pictures, I suggest you do a search on ebay for Topcor and you'll see just about every lens. However, ignore the UV Topcors which go cheaply; they also use a different mount for which there are no adapters available, to my knowledge.

As for prices, I'm a cheapskate and did my shopping a while ago. Since then they seem to have gotten more expensive with the proliferation of mirror-less cameras. I do have an extra 2.8/35, 1.8/58, and 3.5/135 should you be interested. If so, PM me and I'll give details.

I prefer cheap adapters that work well, just have to find them. Carenar is a re-branded lens from who knows who. Personally, I stay away from the re-branded stuff unless I know something about it.

I still owe you some pictures.

To follow up on this, I never did manage to find some nice Topcor glass. I do have a new interest in adapted lenses, and these are on my list. A7RII needs more focus peaking fun! :D

I am well behind Macca only having the 3.5/25, 2.8/35, 1.8/58, 1.4/58, 3.5/135, 5.6/200 and 5.6/300.

Kaishi: Since you are in the states, if interested, I can offer you a 35mm, 1.8/58, 135mm, and maybe the 200mm.