Anybody know about the Tower 24 camera?

[durr3]

<p>I just acquired a Sears Tower 24 camera with 3 lenses and some extras. Does anybody know anything about these cameras? I believe it was made by Pentax for Sears.</p>

<p>Thanks</p><div></div>

[craigd]

<p>According to the info I have, it was made by Asahi (i.e. Pentax) in 1955. This is consistent with the Takumar lens on yours. Tower cameras were made by a variety of manufacturers for Sears Roebuck and sold in Sears' stores.</p>

[starvy]

<p>It looks like a big hunk of a camera, solid as a tank! You might find the following link useful http://www.concentric.net/~sherfy/spec12.html</p>

[walter_degroot]

<p>My curiosity was aroused<br>

and looked at the sherpy site and there were pictureds of three<br>

but no details. I also did a different seach and came up empty.</p>

[walter_degroot]

<p>the shoein the photo fooled me<br>

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Asahiflex</p>

 

[JDMvW]

<p>It's very nearly a copy of the pre-war and immediate post-war Praktiflex, down to the "instant return" mirror that it is said to have invented. Its Asahi name is Asahiflex (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asahiflex">link</a>).</p>

<p>It's reasonably rare, and I envy you, at least if you got it cheap. ;)</p><div></div>

[JDMvW]

<p>At least I thought the 24 was earlier, but it's actually later--1956-7 according to Kadlubek. I'm not quite clear on which Sears (Tower) version corresponds to what in the Asahi sequence. The first Asahiflex was in 1952, with various models following up to 1957. That catalog is 59, not 52, sorry.<br /> <br /> The Praktiflex itself was in production intermittently from 1939 to about 1946 -the latter period under Soviet military control.</p>

[greg_buchanon]

<p>I came across this, therefore it's reasonable to assume others will as well.<br /> That is an Asahiflex IIb it's the same as a Tower 23 but it has a 2.4 lens instead of the 3.5 58mm and I think the Tower 24 has an M42 mount instead of M37..... (I'm not certain, but the Tower 22 came with the same lens, too so M42 and M37?)<br>

<br /> That 2.4 is the only Heliar type lens (5 elements in 3 groups) ever for an SLR and also the fastest Heliar design..... it is extremely nice for close up imaging and portraits...it's down right amazing actually<br>

<br /> Asahi Takumar also had a 58mm F2 but it is unique in another way, it was a Zeiss Sonar design...the widest Sonar angle ever for an SLR and the only Sonar for an SLR I know of<br>

<br /> Most of the rest like most SLR lenses are based on Gaussians.</p>

<p>My career in becoming an impulse driven hoarder with an obvious delusion over this history as if it matters or has anthropological meaning or significance is due to discovering a Tower 23 at a Pawn Shop near the dawn of time, I traded some beads and a 4 good blankets and it all just plummeted downhill from there on.</p>