This is the Sears Tower Flash, it was produced between 1955 to 1958. This particular camera came to me through my family, my father gave it to me for the addition of the collection and for its care. After so many years it’s unknown whether or not it was purchased by my grandparents of by my father or from one of his several siblings. What I do know is that at that time to buy the whole outfit of Camera, Flash unit, a few bulbs, a roll of film, and batteries in 1955 would cost $7.25, or in today’s dollars (2017) $67.10. A rather economic bundle for just getting started with a simple point and shoot camera. Also, the camera its self could be bought on its own for $4.35 or $40.26 today.
As a simple box camera, its lens is set for focusing at 6 feet to infinity and its aperture is fixed so all the user has to do is compose the image in the viewfinder and press the shutter button. When indoors or low-light the flash unit comes in with its one time use flash bulbs (No. 5 bayonet base).
I’ve used this camera once since getting it, after giving it a good once over in cleaning and going out to take a few shots I found it very easy to use as it was intended. I used black and white film because I knew that I had a lot of latitude for exposure given that the shutter speed and aperture were fixed I was at the mercy of light. The images while I was able to exposed properly, I found that due to the slower shutter you had to be careful about camera shake and sadly one of the mirrors in the viewfinder wasn’t aligned with the lens so while in the portrait orientation my images were out of my intended composition. All obstacles that could easily remedied before my next outing with it.
The Specs:
Produced: 1955-1958
Type of camera: simple box Camera
Film/picture format: 120 roll/ 2 1/4” x 3 1/4”
Lens Mount: Fixed
Lens(es): Meniscus lens
Shutter: Simple leaf shutter
Exposure metering: none
Viewfinder: Two way waist level viewfinder
Focusing screen: Fixed in viewfinder
Reflex mirror: none
Depth-of-field preview: none
Frame counter: Rear viewing window, up to 8 Frames
Film advance: Winding knob
Power source: none required for camera, Flash unit requires two AA batteries
Camera Back: Removable box for changing film rolls