Topcon IC-1

[Attila]

I just got today this camera, I am very impressed about finish and controls.

Is anybody have it ? Any experience ? I read on NET this is a budget level camera not same good than Re-TOPCOR I can't believe it, finish so professional.

[luisalegria]

I had one and sold it last year with some UV Topcors

I didn't shoot any film with it.

Topcon was a quality manufacturer, these look good and the UV Topcor lenses are well made.

[Attila]

Thanks! I am planning to try it with film, perhaps with B&W due crappy weather.

[dof]

Don't think I've ever seen any third party lenses made for the UV mount.
Or even a T-mount for that matter. Anyone know of any? Just curious.

[luisalegria]

I don't think there ever were any.

Like all leaf-shutter lenses they were hard to adapt to standard lens designs.

[Attila]

I did start to use this camera, just lovely I like it from every aspects.

[scsambrook]

I recall selling these when they were new - I think build quality is about the same as the RE-2, but nowhere near the RE Super/Super D family. The IC-1 was the last in the series that began with Wink-mirror S, and ran through the Unirex family. Nice shiny chrome and grained leather cloth finish makes them look classy. And they came in a nice (for Japanese manufacture) leather case. Cost in UK was about the same as a Pentax Spotmatic.

No independent lenses were ever made so far as I know. The Japanese photo industry seeminlgy never went down the commonality route favoured by the Kodak,Voigtlander and Zeiss with lens/blade shutter combinations.

Like most leaf-shutter slrs, reliability was always less than total across the numbers sold but I think it's true to say they were at least as reliable as the Bessamatic, Retina Reflex and Contaflex. The biggest drawback was the heavy shutter relase and loud 'slap-click-slap' operating noise. And the lenses were sometimes a sloppy fit.

[Attila]

Thank you Steven! Now I know a bit more again.

[Attila]

Camera has same shutter speed even at B position, I made an empty roll damn it.

[John Shriver]

It's the only UV mount Topcon camera with a focal plane shutter. Inherently it should be the most reliable, all of the leaf shutter ones had reliability issues, and even more serious repair-ability issues.

The UV mount lenses are quite so-so optically. The US distributor (Charles Beseler) even reprinted the rather negative reviews from Camera:35 magazine, I don't understand why.

There are three reasons for the lenses to be so-so:

They were for the "economy" line of Topcon cameras, so cost was an issue.

They are constrained by the small opening of the leaf shutter.

They are constrained by how far the leaf shutter on an SLR camera has to be from the film plane.

But, it's easy to collect a full set of UV mount lenses, and boy are they cheap.

[Attila]