UV TOPCOR 28mm f/4

[PGraham3]

I just finished shooting a roll of Kentmere 400 using the Topcon Unirex with the UV Topcor 28mm f/4. Majority of the photos were shot at f/4-5.6. I'm not a huge fan of Kentmere 400, but should suffice for some pretty decent shots. I'll share a few I like once I get it developed. Until then...

 

[PGraham3]

I posted a few shots on my Lomography page using this UV Topcor 28mm f/4 with Kentmere 400. The results weren't too bad for shots up close with with plenty of light and aperture set between f/2.8-8; however, in low-light it didn't perform as well. Granted, the viewfinder isn't the greatest on the Unirex as it was a bit hard to focus this lens under the tree canopy, and I may have been off a bit. I'll keep at it with this camera as I enjoy shooting it.
Let me know what you think of the results.

1 foot away (f/4) - (https://www.lomography.com/homes/pmonroe/albums/2385781-topcon-unirex/25275864)

3-4 feet away (f/5.6) - (https://www.lomography.com/homes/pmonroe/albums/2385781-topcon-unirex/25275865)

12-15 feet away (f/2.8-4) (https://www.lomography.com/homes/pmonroe/albums/2385781-topcon-unirex/25275866)

12-15 feet away (f/2.8-4)- (https://www.lomography.com/homes/pmonroe/albums/2385781-topcon-unirex/25275867)

 

[Paul Howell]

I quite like my version the uni, sort of odd camera, the thunk of the light baffle makes the leaf shutter louder than than a focal plane. The IC has a focal plane shutter with a top shutter speed of 1/500. The 50 2.0 is pretty good, the100 and 200 are sharp, the 200 is heavy, the 28, don't use it much, but like yours preforms well in good lighting.

 

[PGraham3]

@Paul Howell - Cool! Thanks for the comment! Yeah, the camera makes a pretty loud clap like a medium-format camera, but I still like shooting it. By the way, I have a question that you could maybe help me with. Would a W-Komura Uni Auto 35mm f/2.5 be able to be used safely on the Topcon Unirex? I've read that Hi Topcor lenses may/may not be used on the Unirex, but a little unsure about Uni Auto lenses. What do you think?

 

[Paul Howell]

Don't know. Looking on line I see one that's in a Minolta MD mount, others used an adaptor, assuming that the lens is matched to a adaptor made for a UV mount body, should work.

 

[wiltw]

@Paul Howell - Cool! Thanks for the comment! Yeah, the camera makes a pretty loud clap like a medium-format camera, but I still like shooting it. By the way, I have a question that you could maybe help me with. Would a W-Komura Uni Auto 35mm f/2.5 be able to be used safely on the Topcon Unirex? I've read that Hi Topcor lenses may/may not be used on the Unirex, but a little unsure about Uni Auto lenses. What do you think?

the Unirex is similar to the Topcon Auto 100...small diameter lens throat with leaf shutter in the body immediately behind the lens mount (listed specs are from Unirex information)

• Lens mount: UV Topcon bayonet mount. The mount included a locking facility when Topcor UV lenses are attached.
• Viewfinder: Fresnel screen with central mirco-prism focusing spot, and a fine focusing ring around this. Magnification x 0.75.
• Shutter: Seikosha SVL leaf shutter in camera body. Speeds 1 sec to 1/500th plus B and self-timer. 1/15th to 1/500th available for auto-exposure (in red: lower speeds in black). 10 sec self-timer (set MVX switch to V, and press shutter release).

Highly unlikely you can use the Komura, unless you can get seller to measure the diameter where the yellow arrow is in this photo, and it measures <21mm.
From what I can tell, the Komura UNI was a multi-mount lens, similar in concept to the Tamron Adaptall 2 lenses, and while Komura did have a 'Topcon' mount, it was actually for the RE (Exacta) mount lenses for the higher end (than the Auto 100/Unirex) SLR bodies.

The back of the above lens does NOT appear to be compatible with the Unirex mount. The Hi Topcor lens DOES appear to be compatible. I would have to research more to learn why the Hi Topcor lens would not be compatible.

By my understanding, after doing some research, there was some mount change basically due to the removal of the behind-the-lens leaf-shutter, all lenses made for focal plane shutter IC-1 have the HI Topcor marking. Four HI lenses made for IC-1, two 50mm versions (f/2 and f/2.8), one 55mm (f/1.8) and one zoom 87-205mm f/4.7. The HI Topcor indicates that these lenses are for the IC-1.

 

[Paul Howell]

After a quick search on the internet seems that Kormua made lens in a specific mount along with lens that fit various adaptors, similar to Tamron Adapt All, Vivitar and Soligar of course had their own versions. So if Kormua made an adaptor for the Unirex, with a matching lens, then maybe? I don't think I recall seeing any 3rd party lens for Topcon UV or Kowa R2, another leaf shutter interchangeable 35mm.

 

[wiltw]

After a quick search on the internet seems that Kormua made lens in a specific mount along with lens that fit various adaptors, similar to Tamron Adapt All, Vivitar and Soligar of course had their own versions. So if Kormua made an adaptor for the Unirex, with a matching lens, then maybe? I don't think I recall seeing any 3rd party lens for Topcon UV or Kowa R2, another leaf shutter interchangeable 35mm.

And I was able to find that while the IC-1 bayonet mount is the same on UV and HI Topcor lenses, some of the HI Topcor have rear elements that are too large to fit onto cameras other than the IC-1 Auto models. Again, <21mm is the key dimension to have any seller confirm, before purchase, for compatability to Auto 100 and Unirex.

 

[Paul Howell]

Yeah, now I get it, the IC-1 does not use a leaf shutter, focal plane, so HI Topcor are out when using any of the older models.

 

[PGraham3]

Great research @wiltw @Paul Howell . Much appreciated! I’ll just stick with UV Topcor lenses.