This article is excerpted from one by Chuck Fehl in The Photogram, Volume 52 No 1, Spring 2024. It is courtesy of Michigan Photographic Historic Society.

One of my all-time favorite 35mm SLR film cameras is the Topcon Super D and its variants. It was manufactured by Tokyo Kogaku (Tokyo, Japan) between 1963 and 1978 and distributed by Beseler in the U.S. until inventories were depleted in the early 1980s.

This camera was originally known as the Topcon RE Super, but Beseler used a different nomenclature for its Topcon models (A, B, C, D). In the United States, the RE became the Super D and was blessed with many unique professional features for its 1963 debut. Notably, it was the first SLR with true through-the-lens (TTL) coupled metering, a major innovation at the time.

The metering was based on a super-sensitive CDS meter cell located behind a precisely scored mirror surface, which allowed light to leak through in a sort-of center-weighted pattern. It worked beautifully and only resulted in about a 10% light loss to the prism (or waist-level) viewfinder—hardly noticeable.

There were two main Super D models: the original from 1963 and an improved version from 1971. The later model included mirror lock-up and a plastic-tipped advance lever. Topcons are not lightweight cameras—tipping the scales at 26 oz (D) and 36 oz (Dm) with lenses attached. This is old-school brass, glass, and chrome construction.

The Super D also featured interchangeable viewfinders, allowing for the use of eye-level prisms, optional waist-level, and magnifying viewfinders. It was available in satin chrome or black paint finishes—the latter being the professional preference. The U.S. Navy purchased several thousand Super Ds in black finish for use by the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War era.

Another unique feature that caught my attention was the “plug and play” motor drive linkage on its base plate. You could attach a Topcon motor drive directly to the camera without any internal adjustments or base plate removal—unlike Nikon or Canon. The only drawback was the cost—nearly as much as the camera itself. Many of the few that were made were driven to death or suffered other fates.

To satisfy that motor drive desire more affordably, Topcon released the Super Dm (1973–78), which came with a film winder attached. It was essentially a further improved Super D, now featuring lens aperture visibility in the viewfinder.

One of the standout aspects of Topcon SLRs was their lens quality, widely regarded by collectors as the equal of Nikkor and Canon. Rather than develop a unique lens mount, Topcon borrowed Exakta’s 35mm bayonet flange. This decision had pros and cons: some Exakta lenses could be used on the Topcon and vice versa, but the meter coupling cams would not function, leading to inconveniences. Still, credit is due for avoiding yet another soon-to-be obsolete proprietary mount.

The Super D’s lasting claim to fame is its superb Tokyo Kogaku 5.8cm f/1.4 lens—one of the gold standards in usable vintage glass for modern DSLRs. Just try to find one!

Today, Topcon is largely a forgotten brand. It might have fared better with stronger promotion by its distributor, Beseler, which was primarily a darkroom equipment supplier. While contemporary reviews were positive, Topcon never developed the full professional system like Nikon and Canon, and the pros simply weren’t using them. As a result, Topcon became more of a cult camera, an also-ran with a loyal niche following.

The few people I knew who used Topcon Super Ds would take them on six-month photo safaris to Nepal or Africa—places where the nearest camera repair shop was a thousand miles away. They’d shoot all day with these rugged instruments and then use them to pound in tent stakes at night. That’s how tough they were—for the people who used them.

~ Photographs by Chuck Fehl