Sears Tower 35 made by Nicca

February 3, 2022February 3, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Catalog pages from a Sears Roebuck camera catalog from 1952.

The Nicca-Tower Type-3 is an excellent camera to add to any camera collection featuring early Japanese 35mm rangefinder cameras. They can be a bit on the higher price range but well worth your time chasing one down. If you’d like to discover more about Nicca cameras please visit my good friend Paul Sokk’s wonderful site at http://www.yashicatlr.com/Nicca.html#type3

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by and, while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

Friday Fotos! – Classic Rangefinders

May 1, 2020May 1, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Image courtesy of Paul Sokk www.yashicatlr.com

Recently my good friend Paul Sokk added this wonderful Leica IIIc to his collection of 35mm rangefinder cameras from the late 1940s and 1950s. The Leica is an original design made in Germany and the Nicca and Leotax are considered copies or clones made in Japan.

The Leica IIIc (front) is from 1946-47, the Nicca 3-F (middle) is from 1956, and the Leotax K is from 1955-58. These cameras use what is known as L39 (LTM) screw mount lenses of which literally thousands were made and thousands are still available today in a wide range of focal lengths.

If you’re looking to get into film photography with a totally manual camera then these should be on your list to take a closer look at.

On the left, the Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa and on the right the Nicca built Tower Type-3.

Pictured above are a couple of contenders from 1951. The Contax is an original design from the 1930s and was manufactured in Germany. The Tower branded camera was made by Nicca in Japan and features a Nippon Kogaku Nikkor f/ 2 5cm lens. The Contax sports a Carl Zeiss Sonnar f/ 1.5 50mm lens. The Contax also has an attached selenium cell exposure meter that can be useful for setting the correct aperture and shutter speed. A word of caution about these 70-year-old meters, if they are working (responding to light) then assume that it’s not accurate until you can check it against a modern meter. Most of these types of meters have long since failed.

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa with selenium meter (top center) flap opened.

Paul’s beautiful Leica IIIc

Paul’s gorgeous Leotax F with Topcor f/ 3.5 5cm lens.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope my post stirs some interest in these wonderful cameras. I do have a Tower (Nicca) set available in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com if you care to take a look at it, pop on over.

Take care and stay safe! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

1951 Classics – Contax & Tower (Nicca)

April 18, 2020April 18, 2020Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa and Tower (Nicca) Type-3

Two extremely different cameras that accomplish the same thing – recording an image on 135 film. The Contax is a much bigger camera and for the most part, it is an original design by Zeiss Ikon of Stuttgart. The Tower was made by Nicca Camera for the Sears, Roebuck Company for sale in the US and Canada. The Nicca was inspired by an original design by Leica and it’s often considered to be one of the better Leica “copies”.

Both cameras feature interchangeable lenses and both are rangefinders. The Contax has an attached exposure meter (non-coupled) and with the Tower, you would use a separate meter for determining proper exposures.

The Contax is a slightly larger camera and it’s a tad bit heavier due to the additional weight of the exposure meter. The Contax weighs 773 grams and the Tower weighs 591 grams.

The standard lens on the Contax is a Carl Zeiss Sonnar f/ 1.5 50mm and the Tower has a Nikkor H.C f/ 2 5cm.

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What’s interesting is that back in 1951 these cameras were considered to be “miniature” 35mm cameras per their advertising of the time.

contax iia clip 1

contax IIIa and IIa

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

In the Shop – New this Week!

March 30, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

It’s Monday and it’s time to post some new items in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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Everything is on sale for the remainder of March and the first week of April – take 15% off my already value-priced items.

Lots of other great items in the shop too – pop on over to http://www.ccstudio2380.com and see if there’s something you like.

Thanks, Chris

In the Shop – New this Week!

March 17, 2020March 17, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe and happy. It’s best to keep your spirits up during these uncertain times. Here are some new items in the shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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There are lots of neat stuff in the shop so pop on over to http://www.ccstudio2380.com and check them out. Also, if there’s something you’ve been looking for please ask – we may have it and it’s just not listed yet.

Thanks a bunch! – Chris & Carol

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

In the Shop – New This Week!

March 2, 2020March 2, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all! Here’s a look at what’s new in my camera shop this week – you’ll find my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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You’ll find much more rare, unique, and hard to find camera and photogear at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

I ship almost worldwide and my shop is hosted by Etsy for safe and secure shopping. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

In the Shop – New This Week!

February 19, 2020February 19, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all! Here are some new additions in my camera shop which can be visited at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – check it out!

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This is just a small sample of what’s available in the shop. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

In the Shop – New this week!

January 26, 2020January 26, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all! I’ve added some new items in the shop this week from my collection. Stop by http://www.ccstudio2380.com if you see something that catches your eye and while there check out all of the neat things that are listed. Thanks!

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

In the Shop – New for 2020

January 11, 2020January 11, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all! I hope that your new year is going well and that this year brings a little peace to the world. I’ve listed a few new items in my camera shop which you can visit at http://www.ccstudio2380.com. The shop is hosted by Etsy so I can ship to almost every corner of the planet and you can use a variety of payments that fit your lifestyle.

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This is just a small sample of what I have available in the shop. If there’s something that you want and you don’t see it listed I may have it in my collection. Just send me a message at ccphotographyai@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

In the Shop – some interesting classics

December 24, 2019Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hello all! Happy almost Christmas! Here’s a few new and not so new items in our camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – there are some truly unique and collectible items that you won’t see every day and everywhere.

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Thanks for stopping by and feel free to stop by the shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – Chris

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

Category Nicca-Tower Type-3

Sears Tower 35 made by Nicca

Friday Fotos! – Classic Rangefinders

1951 Classics – Contax & Tower (Nicca)

In the Shop – New this Week!

It’s Monday and it’s time to post some new items in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

In the Shop – New this Week!

Hi all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe and happy. It’s best to keep your spirits up during these uncertain times. Here are some new items in the shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

In the Shop – New This Week!

Hi all! Here’s a look at what’s new in my camera shop this week – you’ll find my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

In the Shop – New This Week!

Hi all! Here are some new additions in my camera shop which can be visited at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – check it out!

In the Shop – New this week!

Hi all! I’ve added some new items in the shop this week from my collection. Stop by http://www.ccstudio2380.com if you see something that catches your eye and while there check out all of the neat things that are listed. Thanks!

In the Shop – New for 2020

In the Shop – some interesting classics

Hello all! Happy almost Christmas! Here’s a few new and not so new items in our camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – there are some truly unique and collectible items that you won’t see every day and everywhere.