Care to outbid me?

[Encinalense]

Looking for a Stereo Realist on E-bay this morning (for a birthday present), I found this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=370070807623&ssPageName=STRK:MEBI:IT&ih=024

Lest that link not work, the item number is 370070807623.

Is anyone familiar with this camera? It appears to have a good lens -- a Cassar S 50/2.8 (an M42, right?) and Prontor shutter. Little info in the posting, and I'm sure I'll be outbid (and I'm feeling a little bad about bidding for myself in shopping for a gift for someone else!). But I thought you folks might like to take a look.

 

[Encinalense]

Answering my own post: the camera is basically a Tower 51. I'm bidding too much (in fact, the opening bid may be too much!). But what the hell? It appears to be in great shape . . .

 

[oftheherd]

Tower brands were all copies of something else and sold by Sears. Be careful here as there is corrosion in the battery compartment. No telling what else that is connected to and where the corrosion might have migrated to.

 

[Encinalense]

Thanks -- that corrosion is in the flash battery compartment, though. The camera is batteryless.

Thanks, also, for seeing to it that this isn't a one-man thread!

And you're right -- it's an exact copy of the Iloca Rapid B. The Cassar is a fixed version (I thought it seemed weird that it might be a screwmount . . . but you can always hope).

If I wind up with it, I'll post pictures.

 

[bob338]

if you're looking for a stereo realist, pm me. i have a couple i was thinking about selling soon and i know a lot about them. ebay is a major crapshoot...

bob

 

[Encinalense]

OK. The Realist 35 (AKA Iloca Rapid B; AKA Sears Tower 51) was $39 and in great shape (maybe it was even worth $15!) -- after replacing the beamsplitter, I shot a roll of expired Fuji around the neighborhood:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=91043&ppuser=24938
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=91042&ppuser=24938
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=91041&ppuser=24938
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=91040&ppuser=24938