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Getting the most out of my Topcon 135mm F4 Macro
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 10:36 pm    Post subject: Getting the most out of my Topcon 135mm F4 Macro Reply with quote
I got this beautiful lens at a thrift store for $60 and have no idea how to use it. I plan on using this lens on a Sony NEX.

I see this thread here with beautiful photos involving a bellows: [link removed, for some reason it's messing up my post. see below!]

Is a bellow the best/only way to use this lens? I understand I need to buy a helicoid to make the lens focus - no problem. I don't have a Sony NEX yet but I tested it with my Nikon using a cardboard tube. With the cardboard tube at about 35mm, I had to be about 6ft from something to get it to be in focus. With a 130mm cardboard tube, the lens was able to nicely focus on close items. I figure an adapter would be about 35mm or less, so if I just simply used an adapter, I would have the same result as my tube test? And why is this? I thought macro lenses were supposed to be used up close. When this lens was current and used with film cameras, did it function the same way or is it somehow different with the older cameras?

Thanks for your time!

Last edited by cjrobe on Wed Jan 25, 2017 2:37 pm; edited 6 times in total


PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 7:04 am    Post subject: Re: Getting the most out of my Topcon 135mm F4 Macro Reply with quote
cjrobe wrote:
I got this beautiful lens at a thrift store for $60 and have no idea how to use it. I plan on using this lens on a Sony NEX.

I see this thread here with beautiful photos involving a bellows.

http://forum.mflenses.com/tokyo-kogaku-macro-topcor-135mm-f4-bellows-t76090.html

Is a bellow the best/only way to use this lens? I understand I need to buy a helicoid to make the lens focus - no problem. I don't have a Sony NEX yet but I tested it with my Nikon using a cardboard tube. With the cardboard tube at about 35mm, I had to be about 6ft from something to get it to be in focus. With a 130mm cardboard tube, the lens was able to nicely focus on close items. I figure an adapter would be about 35mm or less, so if I just simply used an adapter, I would have the same result as my tube test? And why is this? I thought macro lenses were supposed to be used up close. When this lens was current and used with film cameras, did it function the same way or is it somehow different with the older cameras?

Thanks for your time!


Welcome here! Your link did not show, at it is an anti-SPAM measure for new members here, but it does now.


PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 10:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi I have the lens and posted some pics up with it on the forum a short while back. It is a bellows macro, it can be used on a Topcon short bellows, fairly cheap to pick up on the net or a Topcon double rail bellows.

I imagine it can also be used on any Exakta mount bellows. The only advice I can give is make sure the bellows material is intact , in good condition and clean otherwise you face the possibility of debris from it getting into your lens or camera.

I tried stacking some focusing helicoids and topcon extensions but close focus to about 4- 5 meters or so is all you will get before it gets wobbly.If you want the full range of the lens, a bellows lets you try this. The short one is quite portable for field macro work.

Thread with some shots is here http://forum.mflenses.com/tokyo-kogaku-macro-topcor-135mm-f4-bellows-t76090,highlight,%2Btopcor+%2Bmacro+%2B135mm.html


PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
kds315* wrote:

Welcome here! Your link did not show, at it is an anti-SPAM measure for new members here, but it does now.

Thanks for the welcome! I couldn't get the link to play nicely even now, when I put it in it makes all the text below it a link.

Macca wrote:
Hi I have the lens and posted some pics up with it on the forum a short while back. It is a bellows macro, it can be used on a Topcon short bellows, fairly cheap to pick up on the net or a Topcon double rail bellows.

I imagine it can also be used on any Exakta mount bellows. The only advice I can give is make sure the bellows material is intact , in good condition and clean otherwise you face the possibility of debris from it getting into your lens or camera.

I tried stacking some focusing helicoids and topcon extensions but close focus to about 4- 5 meters or so is all you will get before it gets wobbly.If you want the full range of the lens, a bellows lets you try this. The short one is quite portable for field macro work.

Thread with some shots is here http://forum.mflenses.com/tokyo-kogaku-macro-topcor-135mm-f4-bellows-t76090,highlight,%2Btopcor+%2Bmacro+%2B135mm.html
I saw, thanks for chiming in! Fantastic shots, I tried to link to it in my first post but it wasn't working out so well.

I found these two on eBay, decent price. Is the first one a compact one or do they make it even smaller?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Compact-Folding-Togo-Topcon-Exacta-Macro-Folding-Bellows-Lens-Attachment-w-Box-/201762565274
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Topcon-Topcor-Folding-Bellows-Exacta-mounts-/161731140442

And just as far as general setup to a Sony NEX camera, I could first use one of these directly on the camera:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/M42-C-Mount-Movie-Lens-to-Sony-NEX-E-Mount-Adapter-Dual-Purpose-M42-C-NEX-A7s-/112245127894

And then one of these on the bellows:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Exakta-EXA-Camera-lens-to-M42-Ring-Adapter-Free-shipping-vintage-camera-part-/262759227852

And then attach the bellows to the lens?


PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You are unnecessarily complicating it.

Search e-bay for Exakta nex adapter. There should be about 50 to choose from. A 10- 15 dollar adapter should work fine. The thing with some of the topcon lenses is that on some there are "stop" screws in the base of the mount that conflict with some of the adapters. Use a tiny screwdriver and remove (be sure to save it if you ever plan on selling it). Exakta bayonet and topcon are physically the same so exakta extension tubes will work as well. (the camera function connections are different though so you can't necessarily use an exakta lens on a topcon CAMERA). Then you just focus by moving the camera.


PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
jamaeolus wrote:
You are unnecessarily complicating it.

Search e-bay for Exakta nex adapter. There should be about 50 to choose from. A 10- 15 dollar adapter should work fine. The thing with some of the topcon lenses is that on some there are "stop" screws in the base of the mount that conflict with some of the adapters. Use a tiny screwdriver and remove (be sure to save it if you ever plan on selling it). Exakta bayonet and topcon are physically the same so exakta extension tubes will work as well. (the camera function connections are different though so you can't necessarily use an exakta lens on a topcon CAMERA). Then you just focus by moving the camera.
I saw those direct adapters, but they are actually larger than these two smaller adapters combined and only have one function. With those two adapters I can use M42 lenses, C lenses, and EXA lenses all for about $20. Do those larger adapters, like the one below, have any advantages to those ring adapters? Good to know about the screw, thanks for the heads up. Mine has one of those screws.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Exakta-EXA-Mount-Lens-to-Sony-NEX-E-Mount-Camera-Adapter-NEX7-NEX-5N-NEX5-NEX3-/130905217543


PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cjrobe wrote:
kds315* wrote:

Welcome here! Your link did not show, at it is an anti-SPAM measure for new members here, but it does now.

Thanks for the welcome! I couldn't get the link to play nicely even now, when I put it in it makes all the text below it a link.

Macca wrote:
Hi I have the lens and posted some pics up with it on the forum a short while back. It is a bellows macro, it can be used on a Topcon short bellows, fairly cheap to pick up on the net or a Topcon double rail bellows.

I imagine it can also be used on any Exakta mount bellows. The only advice I can give is make sure the bellows material is intact , in good condition and clean otherwise you face the possibility of debris from it getting into your lens or camera.

I tried stacking some focusing helicoids and topcon extensions but close focus to about 4- 5 meters or so is all you will get before it gets wobbly.If you want the full range of the lens, a bellows lets you try this. The short one is quite portable for field macro work.

Thread with some shots is here http://forum.mflenses.com/tokyo-kogaku-macro-topcor-135mm-f4-bellows-t76090,highlight,%2Btopcor+%2Bmacro+%2B135mm.html
I saw, thanks for chiming in! Fantastic shots, I tried to link to it in my first post but it wasn't working out so well.

I found these two on eBay, decent price. Is the first one a compact one or do they make it even smaller?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Compact-Folding-Togo-Topcon-Exacta-Macro-Folding-Bellows-Lens-Attachment-w-Box-/201762565274
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Topcon-Topcor-Folding-Bellows-Exacta-mounts-/161731140442

And just as far as general setup to a Sony NEX camera, I could first use one of these directly on the camera:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/M42-C-Mount-Movie-Lens-to-Sony-NEX-E-Mount-Adapter-Dual-Purpose-M42-C-NEX-A7s-/112245127894

And then one of these on the bellows:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Exakta-EXA-Camera-lens-to-M42-Ring-Adapter-Free-shipping-vintage-camera-part-/262759227852

And then attach the bellows to the lens?


With regard to the links to the two bellows, they are both the same one, just one of them has been extended in the photo. Get the cleanest one.

FWIW you can glue an M42 ring to an exakta/topcon mount lens or bellows, it rarely gets to exact infinity though that probably wouldn`t really matter on the bellows, however you may have trouble if you want to reverse this as taking glue of can be a PITA . As you experiment with lenses you will probably collect more adapters so I would also advise a cheapish exakta to nex just now.

I only recently upgraded my Topcon/Exakta to Sony E mount adapter with a Kipon one as I was having problems with internal reflections on a cheaper one I bought. The Kipon one has been worth every penny, superb fit. But I have quite a few Topcon/Exakta mount lenses so it was worth the extra money.
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