1963
35mm SLR
First TTL meter

Topcon Super D + RE Auto-Topcor 58mm f/1.4

Name: Topcon RE Super
Brand: Tokyo Kogaku K.K. (Tokyo Optical Co.)
SKU: SHOP_CAM_VINT_TOPCON_SUPERD_20260605
Price: 2800.0 AED
Availability: InStock

TTL metering, a year before the Spotmatic, and built like the Navy needed it to be.

The RE Super did the thing the Pentax Spotmatic is usually credited with, and did it first: it put the light meter behind the lens. Tokyo Optical's trick was a reflex mirror etched with hairline 0.05mm slits that leak about 7% of the light through to a CdS cell while leaving the focusing image undimmed, so you meter through the taking lens, at full aperture, with no separate window and no compromise to the view. It reached the market in 1963, more than a year ahead of the Spotmatic.

It was also one of the best-made cameras of its generation, and that's not collector hyperbole. The US Navy ran it head-to-head against the Nikon F and chose the Topcon for its sturdier build and ergonomics; bodies engraved 'US Navy' stayed in service into the 1980s. The front-mounted shutter release and the heft give it a planted, deliberate feel, and the film advance is among the smoothest on any 35mm SLR.

The reason you've probably never held one is business, not engineering: Tokyo Optical exited the camera trade in the 1970s and the brand quietly disappeared. What's left is a TTL pioneer on the Exakta mount that handles like a far more expensive instrument than its current reputation suggests.

Match

Who this is for

Good for

TTL metering on a budget
build-quality obsessives
Exakta-mount shooters
deliberate slow shooting

Character

What it feels like to shoot

Shoot a roll and two things stand out: the weight, which is reassuring rather than tiring once the front shutter button settles it in your grip, and the advance stroke, which is genuinely the silkiest many photographers have felt on a 35mm SLR. The shutter is a soft cloth-focal-plane swish, quieter than a Nikon F's clatter. It's a tank that moves like a watch. The quirks are the Exakta-mount lens scarcity and that mercury-cell meter, but the body soldiers on regardless of the battery.

The glass

Paired with this glass

RE. Auto-Topcor 58mm f/1.4. Photo via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND (placeholder until GPP shoot)

Tokyo Kogaku RE. Auto-Topcor 58mm f/1.4

The fast standard that collectors chase the body for. Tokyo Kogaku's 58mm f/1.4 draws like a long normal: shallow, smooth, properly sharp by f/2.8, with the optical pedigree that won Topcon the US Navy contract in the 1960s. Increasingly hard to find, and very hard to find clean.

Born 1963

History of the Topcon RE Super

The RE Super was the flagship of Topcon's professional SLR line and the first 35mm SLR with through-the-lens metering, predating the Pentax Spotmatic. It kept the Exakta bayonet but introduced the Auto-Topcor 'RE' lenses needed for automatic-diaphragm full-aperture metering. It was later revised as the Super D (1972) and Super DM (1973), the latter adding mirror lock-up, before Tokyo Optical left the camera market in the 1970s.

Technical specifications

MFG. 1963 – 1971

Format

35mm SLR

Manufacturer

Tokyo Kogaku K.K. (Tokyo Optical Co.) · Japan

Production

1963 – 1971

Lens mount

Exakta bayonet (full-aperture metering needs the dedicated Auto-Topcor RE lenses)

Metering

TTL full-aperture metering via a CdS cell behind the mirror: the world's first through-the-lens metering SLR, beating the Pentax Spotmatic to market. The mirror is etched with 0.05mm slits passing ~7% of the light to the cell, so the finder never dims. Match-needle, manual exposure

Viewfinder

Removable pentaprism with interchangeable focusing screens; meter needle visible in finder

Shutter

Cloth horizontal-travel focal-plane shutter, 1s-1/1000s plus Bulb

ISO range

ASA 25-1600

Flash sync

M and X sync via removable accessory shoe with PC connector

Exposure modes

Manual

Dimensions

approx. 150 x 96 x 50 mm (body)

Weight

821 g

Power

One 1.35V PX625 cell for the meter only. It shoots fine without one.

Backed by GPP

Service & guarantees

Every analog camera ships through our bench

This unit has been fully serviced and CLA'd: cleaned, lubricated and adjusted, with shutter, meter and light seals checked, and it is in confirmed working order. Inspected at GPP; ask us about this exact body.

CLA'd by GPP: shutter speeds checked, light seals replaced where needed, meter calibrated against a known reference.
7-day functional return: if it doesn't work as we declared on this listing, we exchange or refund. Wear-and-tear consistent with the listed condition isn't returnable.
UAE & worldwide shipping: Dubai same-day before 12 PM (AED 50), UAE-wide in 2–3 business days (AED 40), international tracked in 5–10 business days (calculated at checkout). Insurance can be added on request. Customs and import duties are the buyer's responsibility on international orders. Full shipping policy.
Walk in to inspect: Warehouse D36, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai. Mon–Sat, 10am–7pm. Bring a roll if you'd like to test-fire on the spot.

Questions

Things people ask

What film does it take?

Standard 35mm film. We carry the widest selection in the Middle East: colour, B&W, and slide across consumer, professional, and cinema stocks. Need a recommendation for this body? Just ask us.

Is the camera serviced before sale?

Yes. Every analog camera at GPP goes through our bench before it goes on the listing. Shutter speeds verified, light seals replaced where needed, meter calibrated against a reference.

What's your return policy?

7-day functional return. If anything we declared isn't working as described, contact us within 7 days of receipt for a full refund or exchange.

Can GPP develop and scan the photos I shoot with this?

Yes. Our in-house film lab handles colour, B&W, and slide development with scanning. 24-48 hour rush available. More on the film lab.

Can I see the camera before I buy?

Always welcome. Visit Warehouse D36, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai. Open Monday to Saturday, 10am–7pm.