 Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:07 am Post subject: Asahiflex Tower (Sears/Fujita) 35mm f/2.5 - RARE, but ? |
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luisalegria wrote:
I picked this thing up with a lot I recently aquired.
It has the 37mm Asahiflex mount.
It is the rather rare Tower 35/2.5 that Sears advertised for a short while in 1958 for the Asahiflex cameras it had been selling for a few years, which it called the Tower 22, 23 and 24. These were of course the first Pentax SLR's.
It is one of two wide-angle lenses made for Asahiflex (the other was a Steinheil), and this was before Asahi made any wide-angle Takumars. It is also probably the last lens made for Asahiflex, as these were already obsolete and about to be discontinued when this lens was introduced. I understand that this lens is quite desirable to collectors of Asahiflex.
There has been some mystery as to who made this lens. I can clear that up. It is a Fujita.
L- Tower R - Fujita
I have a Fujita in M42, the exact same lens.
Some people say that Asahi made the first Japanese retrofocus lens. I believe that honor probably belongs to Fujita, who was a true pioneer, as it made the worlds first retrofocus medium-format lens I believe in 1957, which beats Asahi by a year. This one was at least a contemporary of Asahi's first 35mm Takumar, and for what its worth it certainly got into the US market before the Takumar.
My problem - I don't collect Asahiflex and I don't want to, so this lens is for sale. It is not in perfect condition. The diaphragm blades are dislocated and the rear glass has a slight scrape, understandable as it projects beyond the lens barrel on this early retrofocus lens.
I am still deciding whether it is a good idea to try repair the diaphragm myself. If someone wants to make me an offer for the lens as-is, I will consider it.
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I like Pentax DSLR's, Exaktas, M42 bodies of all kinds, strange and cheap Japanese lenses, and am dabbling in medium format/Speed Graphic work. |
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