Lomopedia: Topcon Uni

The Topcon Uni was an SLR made by a then existing camera manufacturer, Tokyo Kogaku (now named Topcon Corporation). It's one of the first SLRs to have an auto exposure feature along with a center-weighted through-the-lens metering system — an innovative move that was quickly picked up by other camera makers like Pentax with the Spotmatic, and Nikon with the Nikkormat FT.

"Clean and precise" may very well be what the designers were thinking about when they worked on Uni. The 35 mm SLR is simple in both form and function. Its design is pretty straightforward and almost minimalist to a point — users would have to familiarize themselves with a clean-looking camera with just a few controls to adjust or fiddle with. The camera also makes easy work out of taking well-lit photographs with its auto exposure mode.

Topcon cameras were known for their good build quality. They were rugged and up to the task but the later models seemed to have lost that credibility. When the company stopped working on their SLR designs at the end of the 1960s, it's said that their products suffered a dip in performance and overall craftsmanship. Bodies made after 1977 were reported to be of poor quality.

Also, anyone who's looking for a Topcon camera may get confused with “similar models” from different brands. These similar models were basically the same camera stamped with other names when they were marketed outside of Japan. For this particular model, the Uni was sold in the US as the Beseler Topcon Super D/Beseler Topcon Auto 100 (imported by Beseler) and in the British Empire market under the name Hanimex Topcon RE Super/Topcon RE Auto.

Here's a quick fact about the Topcon Uni: The camera was supposed to look like it's winking at you when a picture is taken. This feature is called the “Wink Mirror System” by Topcon — three items block the path of light namely the mirror, the shutter, and the aperture blades.

Photos Taken by Our Community

Technical Specifications

Lens: 53 mm f/2 6-element lens
Mount: Topcon UV bayonet. The mount included a locking facility when Topcor UV lenses are attached
Image Size:
Shutter: Leaf shutter in camera body. Speeds 1 sec to 1/500th plus B and self-timer. 1/8th to 1/500th available for auto-exposure (in red: lower speeds in white). 10-sec self-timer (set MVX switch to V, and press shutter release)
Meter: Open aperture needle based (f stop shown) TTL center-weighted metering system using a CdS cell. Includes under and overexposure warning zones (but the shutter will still fire)
Exposure: Automatic shutter speed priority, or fully manual
Focusing: Fresnel screen with central micro-prism focusing spot, and a fine focusing ring around this. Magnification x 0.75
Flash: Cold shoe and PC terminal. M and X sync (set to X for daylight photography)
Film Speed: 25 to 400 ASA (selector dial has a locking lever)
Film Type: 35 mm
Film Advance: Single long stroke lever
Rewind: Via crank and bottom release button
Dimensions: 136 × 93 × 63 mm (W × H × D)
Weight: 890 g
Battery: 1 × 1.35v PX625A mercury battery (use the equivalent WeinCELL MRB625 zinc-air cell)

All information used in this article was sourced from Camera Portraits, Camerapedia, Butkus Camera Manuals, and Camera Wiki.

written by cheeo on 2018-05-22 #gear #35mm #slr #uni #topcon #hanimex #beseler