Topcon RE Auto Topcor 1.8/58 wide open sharpness

[iangreenhalgh1]

Just a shot I took today that I thought was worth sharing.




Sharp lens, but what I really like about it is the colours, microcontrast, bokeh, just paints beautiful images.

[iangreenhalgh1]

f4, bright light:




f2.8, cloudy:




It does 3D 'pop' too:

[Attila]

Stunning! Hard to imagine better results!

[iangreenhalgh1]

Yes, just wish I could afford to collect all the Topcors, such nice lenses, and the feel and build quality is wonderful too, focus is so smooth even after 50+ years.

I did a little PP on the barrow shot:

[Excalibur]

...erm interesting but haven't we all got loads of nifty fifties. But I suppose if I see one going for peanuts I'll buy it even though I don't need it

[iangreenhalgh1]

Point being, this is better than most fifties, one of the very best.

[Aanything]

Actually, pics are good, but the crops are impressive.
I remember I read somewhere that this lens was made by cosina: is that true?

EDIT:
No, sorry, the topcor lens I read was made by cosina was 1.4/58, not this.
Sorry.

[woodrim]

Aanything: If I'm not mistaken, Cosina makes them currently for Voitlander label. The lens is based on the original Topcor made by Topcon.

[Lightshow]

The Topcor RE 58/1.8 is highly under rated, and dirt cheap at prices close to $100, more-so when I compared my RE 58/1.4 to it,
the 1.4 doesn't have the detail the 1.8 does(on a NEX-7, I really need to try more samples of the 1.4), actually I don't think I have many normal lenses that can match the 1.8 in resolution.
The only con is the CA in high contrast shots.

Cosina made a tribute version of the 58/1.4 with blessings from Topcon, which is now discontinued, one is available in m42 for $2000 here: http://www.cameraquest.com/inventor.htm

I believe there is one on ebay in Nikon mount for much more.

[Aanything]

Woodrim, Lightshow: thanks for the info.

[patrickh]

I have the 35, 100 and 135. Now I have to go and get the 58.


patrickh

[iangreenhalgh1]

I have the R 90 and RE 135 and 200, all stunning, slowly I will collect the others, I'd dearly love the 25mm.

[Katastrofo]

The 58/1.8 is a definite envy, damn you Ian. It is at the top of my list for 50's to get.
Looking over some flickr photos, I'd be happy with the 50/2 or 58/1.4, for film. Here's one
from the 58/1.4 using film:

[Katastrofo]

Well, I finally am going to see what this lens is about, Andreas will probably snicker
after parading the pristine set of Topcors he has:

Click here to see on Ebay

Looking for Saturday or Monday for it to arrive, will be trying it on my NEX-C3.

[Mir]

I own the RE Auto-Topcor 2,8/35,
the RE Auto-Topcor 1,8/58,
RE Auto-Topcor 2,8/100,
RE GN Topcor M 1,4/50 (just recently finished CLA)

And i'm waiting for a RE Auto-Topcor 2,8/28 (still looking for a hood)
and a second RE Auto-Topcor 1,8/58 so i can learn to get in it
without destroying the good one that needs CLA...

I can't wait to try them all !

(i'm already wishing for others...)

[Esox lucius]

The results speak for themselves, the lens clearly matches its reputation!

[kuuan]

[Lightshow]

Then kuuan I think you should try another copy, mine is very sharp.
I recently picked up an R 135/3.5 preset, I then took it apart(helicoid & aperture) and did a clean and relube, it's a great lens, sharp wide open.
Nex-7 & RE 58/1.8

[kuuan]

[woodrim]

When examining sharpness, hosting can also influence what we are seeing here, especially if they apply any compressin to the images. I discovered this at pbase, my hosting site, when they changed their compression method. They did not announce any changes, but I rather suddenly began seeing a difference. I now send my images at 1024 and select "no change" so they will remain the images I send. Of course they do get saved there, but now I see no appreciable differences from what I sent.

The 58/1.8 was my first Topcor and was responsibe for my subsequent small collection. I find it very sharp, even wide open, although I rarely shoot that way, and as sharp as anything I have when stopped down. The colors are good, with blue being very vibrant. These next two images I do remember being wide open with the first one being a vertical crop from a horzontally composed image:





This one was wide open or very near:


And these next two probably at f/5.6

[kuuan]

Yes Woodrim, stopped down it is very, very sharp!
Sharpness wide open, even if the 100% crop in my test linked above doesn't look great, is very good too! It's just that some of the others, truly great lenses and most start @f2, wide open may be even sharper. ( also on my computer and differences can even already be seen on the camera when focusing with live view )

One really has to bear in mind that these are unsharpened 100% crop of a 16MP sensor! ( I have an impression that now we see much less 100%, unsharpenend crops then a few years ago when we all had 6MP or 10 MP cameras )

See in comparison a bigger crop of the same wide open shot taken with the Topcor, but here reduced in size and sharpened. And sure hosting plays a big role! This is hosterd by mflenses and interestingly, if you click on it, in the new window it will look sharper, for wide open very impressively sharp indeed!

[sburley]

[Lightshow]

[iangreenhalgh1]

Out of all the 50-ish lenses I've tried on my NEX, this is still my favourite, I rate it higher than even the Hexanon 1.7/50, Planar 1.8/50, Pancolar 1.8/50, Sonnar 1.5/50, I wouldn't swap it for even a Planar T* 1.7/50 or a Summicron-R 2/50, I just love it.

[Lightshow]

Yeah, I'll only sell mine when I get a black version.