Topcon RM300
Background
Topcon has a long and illustrious history as a camera manufacturer; the RE Super of 1963 was the first 35mm SLR to feature TTL metering and their first 35mm SLR ever came in 1957 – two years before the Nikon F or Canonflex. By 1980 (or thereabouts) the marque had fallen a long way from its prime, and I doubt that Topcon had much to do with the actual design and manufacture of the RM300 – it gives every sign of being a generic PK mount body of a type that was very common from Cosina, Chinon, etc at the time.
Technical Details
Very standard specs for the time with a mechanical shutter of 1s to 1/1000, the RM300 offers a few advantages over the K1000. The vertical travel, metal bladed shutter offers a flash sync of 1/125th against the 1/60th of the K1000, and there’s a self timer. Metering is center weighted averaging with traffic light LEDs rather than a needle to indicate exposure.Also as an advantage over the K1000 the RM300 accepts a motordrive, and I consider myself lucky to have found one for my collection.
Why it’s special
It’s not what I should have purchased, but it’s what I got because I thought it was cooler. At school we used the K1000, as did almost everyone in the late ’70s and early ’80s. The RM 300 seemed more modern with its 3 LED exposure indicator, metal bladed shutter; but it really wasn’t very well built. My example almost immediately developed a fault and spent weeks back at the manufacturer being repaired!
The Museum Sample
I bought this example through eBay from a British seller for £26, it was sold as “spares or repair”. They don’t come up often probably as they were never especially popular, and there’s little reason (other than sentimentality) to want to hold on to one.
Additional Info
- Manufacturer : Topcon
- Year Introduced : 1979
- Year Discontinued : 1983?
- Film format : 35mm
- Serial Number : 2106726
Hi Kevin,
What were the issues you faced with this camera? I am currently in a bid for this camera on an estate sale website and it seems to be in good visual condition. It also comes with three lenses. Should I continue to pursue this camera, and what would be a good price to pay for one?
I am new to film photography but I have experience with manual photography on digital cameras so I don’t think the experience will be any more difficult. This would be my first film SLR.
Thanks
P.S your blog seems to be the only source on the internet that has some sort of personal review for this camera.
Hi – Sorry to take so long to reply, I don’t get many comments and so don’t check often!
The RM300 I originally owned back in the 1980’s had a shutter problem, and I think it was eventually just replaced under warranty.
If you are looking to buy your first 35mm film camera I would be tempted to stick with the well known manufacturers such as Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, or Minolta. The Pentax K1000 is hugely popular, but perhaps a little overpriced as a result. You could look at one of the Pentax Spotmatics as a very capable and cost effective alternative – I’d go for something with simple needle metering and everything mechanical apart from the button battery required to run the meter.
I happen to be a fan of all the Pentax K series, as they’ve held up well and are solidly built. The Pentax M models are beautiful little jewels, but not all of their electronics have survived so well. I lean towards the K series cameras as there’s good availability of K mount lenses, and screw mount adaptors too.
Good luck!
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for your feedback! I went with a Konica Autoreflex T3n. Anything that has Nikon, Minolta Or Canon goes for insanely high prices up here near Toronto. Olympus isn’t widely available for some reason.
Another question I bought one of these new many years ago, I was having a clear out and came along it, as a manual camera it will work but although it was stored without batteries, I replaced them with new LR44 batteries and dont get the lights. have I forgot something like a hidden switch or are electronics no longer working, and can it be repaired
Hi – A slight depression of the shutter switch is all it takes to turn on the meter, at which point the LEDs should illuminate.
It might be worth cleaning the electrical contacts in the battery compartment to see if that brings it back to life.
The RM300 manual can be found here:
https://www.cameramanuals.org/pdf_files/beseler_topcon_rm300.pdf