Topcon's pro SLR with early mirror-cell TTL metering — the RE Super, 1963.
The Topcon RE Super was a 35mm film SLR introduced in 1963 by Tokyo Optical (Topcon) and was sold in the United States as the Super D. It was a professional-grade body that used the Topcon RE bayonet, an Exakta-derived mount, and it became known for an early through-the-lens metering system that read light off the reflex mirror.
It is a single-lens-reflex camera for 35mm film on the Topcon RE mount. The RE Super was among the first production SLRs with full-aperture TTL metering, achieved using photocells behind slits in the mirror. It has a mechanically controlled focal-plane shutter and operates in metered manual, so it fires without a battery, the cell powering only the meter. The prism finder is interchangeable.
It suits users and collectors interested in an early TTL-metering pro SLR with a robust, all-metal build. It handles as a heavy, well-made camera of its period and was used professionally, including by some government and military buyers, reflecting its durability.
On the used market the RE Super is sought by collectors and Topcon RE lenses are limited in supply. Check the foam seals and mirror-damper foam, confirm the mechanical shutter fires at all speeds without a battery, and test the mirror-cell meter, which was designed for a mercury cell and may read off with modern batteries. Inspect the prism for desilvering, check advance and rewind, and note that specialist repair for the mirror-metering system is scarce.