"Tower" Camera=Sears?

ggriffi · Mar 2, 2006

Today at work a guy showed this 4x5 that was branded a Sears "Tower" camera. Although I have never held a crown in my hands it sure looks like one. I went to http://www.graflex.org/ but I couldn't find anything there. Does anyone know anything about these?

g

PLEASE MOVE THIS TO LF,DUNNO HOW I DID THIS :confused: :confused:

Dave Parker · Mar 2, 2006

Way to go Gary

Sears, actually bought alot of different brands and marketed them under the Tower brand name, the only difference was the name, I have seen many different examples of the tower cameras that the parts were perfectly interchangable between the Graphex branded cameras, Montgomery Wards, before they went of business also did this, I have a perfect pentax K1000 screw mount that the only difference is, it has the Wards name on it instead of Pentax, and it was alot cheaper, I think I picked it up at a thrift store for $3.00

Dave

Dan Fromm · Mar 2, 2006

ggriffi said:
Today at work a guy showed this 4x5 that was branded a Sears "Tower" camera. Although I have never held a crown in my hands it sure looks like one. I went to http://www.graflex.org/ but I couldn't find anything there. Does anyone know anything about these?

g

PLEASE MOVE THIS TO LF,DUNNO HOW I DID THIS :confused: :confused:

Most likely a Busch Pressman. In some ways a nicer camera than a Crown.

ggriffi · Mar 2, 2006

Dan Fromm said:
Most likely a Busch Pressman. In some ways a nicer camera than a Crown.

Dan,

When I at the graflex site, I checked some of the pictures and it looks like a "crown" more than any of the others. But as I said I am no expert.

Dave,

If things go right I guess I will be sending and order soon! I hope to take this for a "test" drive soon.

g

athanasius80 · Mar 2, 2006

Sears used a variety of brand names over the years. Tower was used on cameras sometime after the mid-1930s. Before that, they sold Kewpie box cameras and Conley folding cameras. Various darkroom brands of theirs were Seroco, Duvoll's, Darko, and Marvel.

This 4x5 is almost certainly a standard brand (maybe Busch Pressman or Burke & James Watson Press) and should be fun. Good luck.

Dan Fromm · Mar 2, 2006

ggriffi said:
Dan,

When I at the graflex site, I checked some of the pictures and it looks like a "crown" more than any of the others. But as I said I am no expert.

Dave,

If things go right I guess I will be sending and order soon! I hope to take this for a "test" drive soon.

g

Well, Dave, the field marks of the 4x5 Pressman are: metal body, rotating back, and the corners of the lens boards are rounded. The field marks of the 4x5 Crown are: leather/artificial leather covered wood body, fixed back, no focal plane shutter.

I suggested that its probably a Pressman because I've handled 2x3 and 4x5 Tower-badged Pressmans and because AFAIK Graflex never sold cameras for rebranding. I mean, I didn't make a SWAG, I reported what I've touched. I don't recall what the 4x5 Pressman's distance scale is like, if present; the 2x3's is quite unlike the 2x3 Graphic's.

Understand that although the Pressman has features the Crown lacks, the Crown has a few advantages. Boards are easier to find. There's better support. If desired and not there already, a Graflok back can easily be fitted to a Crown. The RF fitted to top RF Crowns is cammed, can be used fairly easily with more than one lens. The Kalarts fitted to side RF Crowns and some Pressmans (others have Hugo Meyer RFs) are, practically speaking, good for just one lens.

Whatever you do, good luck and have fun,

Dan

df cardwell · Mar 2, 2006

Sears marketed Busch cameras as Towers. They changed the nameplate not on the flashes !

Sweet cameras, came with Ektars.

Did it follow you home ???

don

glennfromwy · Mar 2, 2006

Yes, it's a Busch Pressman.

ggriffi · Mar 3, 2006

df cardwell said:
Sears marketed Busch cameras as Towers. They changed the nameplate not on the flashes !

Sweet cameras, came with Ektars.

Did it follow you home ???

don

I haven't seen the flash unit so I can't speak to what brand name is on that. It has a 127mm Ektar and Kodak shutter. It is really nice shape. i am going to take it for a test drive when I get back to work in two weeks. Like I said, I am no expert on any of these type cameras so if you all say it's a busch then I believe you alll.

g

jd callow · Mar 3, 2006

Moved the thread. PM me or another mod and we'll get to it a lot faster.

The Busch pressmen are very nice, I think they are little more elegant than the graphics, but suffer a couple problems. One problem is critical: the lens board opening isn't beg enough for the rear elements of modern fast lenses. The other problem is the back will not accept a horseman, graphic style roll film holder. The availability of bits and pieces might be another problem, but ebay seems to be the cure for that.

ggriffi · Mar 3, 2006

Thanks John. I owe you one! In June

g

ggriffi · Mar 3, 2006

Dan Fromm said:
Most likely a Busch Pressman. In some ways a nicer camera than a Crown.

Dan,

You are very right. I just found this link:Pressman D This is the camera. Believe me, I didn't doubt you, because I only know a little bit about graphics, and EVEN less about Pressman. So thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

g

darinwc · Mar 3, 2006

The pressmans are nice first LF cameras. Advantages over the crown/speed graphics: metal body is rugged and more compact than a graflex. Rotating back. Front standard has front and back tilt, also shift.

disadvanteges: heavier than a crown (not sure about the speed). Lensboards are hard to find(but are easy to make). Not good for lenses under 90mm. Small front standard can only accept lenses with a max rear diameter of about 57mm.

"Tower" Camera=Sears?

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