Topcon 35-S, L and JL

Topcon 35-L with square hood and

carry case. Picture courtesy of Helios 1984. (Image rights)

Topcon-35-S-Package — Topcon 35-S with travel case, accessories, box & original price tag.

TopconL-35-L-001e — Topcon 35-L with Topcon-Meter and instruction manual

The Topcon 35-S, 35-L and 35-JL are 35mm fixed-lens rangefinder cameras manufactured by Tōkyō Kōgaku from 1956 to late 1959 and successors of the Topcon 35 series.

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The Topcon 35-S was released in 1956 and manufactured for about a year. It features a specifically designed Topcor 44mm f/2 semi-wide angle and a Seikosha-MX leaf shutter with speeds from 1 to 1/500 sec and B. The lens is a Double-Gauss type with 6 elements in 4 groups (1-2-2-1), same design as the Topcor-S 50mm f/2. It has an accessory shoe on the top cover and an MFX synchronized flash terminal located on the side of the lens housing. The viewfinder is an Albada-frameline type with automatic parallax correction with a 1:1 aspect ratio. Lastly, the advance mechanism is double-stroke which was claimed by Topcon to prevent the tearing of sprocket holes in films. At the time of its release, it was priced at ¥33,200 ($109 in the U.S.A^[1].).

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The Topcon 35-L (Beseler Topcon-L in North America) replaced its predecessor in 1957. It was released just a few months before the Topcon R (Beseler B Topcon). Its specifications are the same as the 35-S, however, it was upgraded with a Seikosha-MXL leaf shutter which features the "new" LV system. It was sold together with a selenium light meter giving readings in Light Value and was priced at ¥35,000.

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The Topcon 35-JL was released almost simultaneously with the 35-L. It is identical to its sister camera but equipped with a Topcor 44mm f/2.8 and was slightly less expensive. The lens is an Heliar type with 5 elements in 3 groups (2-1-2), same design as the Topcor 50mm f/2.8. It was phased out in late 1959 together with the 35-L, marking the end of the 35mm rangefinders era at Topcon.

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Size 132 x 79 x 64mm

Weight 720g

Filter size 40.5mm

Push-On lens cap size 42mm

Notes & References[]

On the 35-L and 35-JL, the aperture ring click stops on full numbers when the shutter is set at B, 1sec, 1/2, 1/250 & 1/500 and click stops at half points between numbers when the shutter is set at 1/5, 1/10, 1/25, 1/50 & 1/100 for a better exposure. However, it is possible to set the aperture ring between click stops if needed. For more information concerning the light value scale and speed/aperture combination, read pages 22 to 25 of the manual.
List of available accessories: Square hood, a leather case, a lens cap, shutter release button, a selection of filters (Y1, Y2, O2 & UV), reloadable cassettes for bulk film loading and an amplifier for the Topcon-Meter.

The Topcon-Meter was made by Sekonic.
Some Topcon 35-L and Topcon 35-JL have a modified Albada viewfinder with the edges of the window 100% silvered and a clear centre.

The Topcon 35-S has 10 aperture blades.

Both Topcon 35-L & Topcon 35-JL have 5 aperture blades.

↑ Popular Photography - April 1957 - Vol. 40, No. 4 - Page 164

Bibliography[]

Antonetto, M. and Russo, C. Topcon Story. Lugano: Nassa Watch Gallery, 1997. ISBN 88-87161-00-3. P. 33.
Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Items 1368–70. (See also the picture on p. 485.)
Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), ISBN 0-935398-16-3 (hard). P. 94.
McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). P. 925.
Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Items 3797–9.