Nicca / Tower LTM Tower,Nicca,Kardon,Reid....

[john neal]

Adverts in AP suggest that the Reid was actually more expensive than a new Leica - here's a fairly late example. In the same issue there are adverts for Leica IIIgs at £91/19/10 - £10/$40.00 cheaper - a pretty significant sum in 1961.

Ian,

That was definitely more than a 2nd hand car in 1961 - I bought a Standard 8 for £8, having turned down a Humber 16 for (oddly)£16. Those were the days

 

[Jocko]

Ian,

That was definitely more than a 2nd hand car in 1961 - I bought a Standard 8 for £8, having turned down a Humber 16 for (oddly)£16. Those were the days

Funny you should say that John - I picked up 1958 car magazine and there were adverts for cars at £10.00 - I was going to mention that, but it seemed too unbelievable without posting "evidence"!

I think my car is worth £10.00 - but that's different!

Incidentally - the Leica you sold me has utterly restored my love of photography! Thank You!!!

All the Best, Ian

 

[bob cole]

Tower, Nicca, Kardon, Reid

Tower, Nicca, Kardon, Reid

For maybe the one or two members who really don't yet know, every one of these Leica copies -- the Tower, which is the Sears name for the Nicca, the American-made Kardon, the British-made Reid and other leading Leica copies [the Canon, the Honor, the Leotax, the US-made Ektra, the Chiyoca and others] are all very fine [and expensive] rangefinder cameras...

The Reid III is a copy of the Leica IIIb, according to "Leica Copies," by HPR, and the Reid I is a copy of the Leica Standard...Early ones were made for the British Army and have Army markings...They all came with the excellent British-made 2 inch, f/2 Taylor, Taylor & Hobson lens... It"s as nice as a Leica and in that price class.

The hardest to find are the Kardon and Ektra but my favorite -- if I can find one some day -- is the Japanese-made Honor. Years ago I turned down a chance to buy one for $50 usd because I'd never heard of it...I bought the case for $5 but it disappeared over the years; it's probably worth a lot today because Honor cases are very rare...


I do have a couple of Tower/Niccas -- including the Tower 45, which is the Nicca 5, with the lever wind and horizontal back door, like the Leica M3...

 

[furcafe]

I wouldn't classify the Kodak Ektra as a Leica copy, since it had a completely different lens mount (thus no more like the LTM than the Zeiss Ikon Contax). I would put the Ektra in the same category as the Bell & Howell Foton, the other great innovative American 35mm RF system camera that failed in the marketplace.

For maybe the one or two members who really don't yet know, every one of these Leica copies -- the Tower, which is the Sears name for the Nicca, the American-made Kardon, the British-made Reid and other leading Leica copies [the Canon, the Honor, the Leotax, the US-made Ektra, the Chiyoca and others] are all very fine [and expensive] rangefinder cameras...

 

[HuubL]

That Ilford Witness looks veeerrry pretty.

 

[john neal]

Ian,

My first Standard 8 with sliding windows, no boot lid (you loaded it by folding the back seats down), and "trafficators" (remember those?) was £8 and one year later I bought a second for spares at £5 which was in much better condition - it replaced the original and lasted for over 3 years. We used to load it up every summer and travel from Coventry to the Lizard for our hols - it took all day!

Cameras at that time were part of my life, but would have been an Agfa Sillette that I had had since I was about 12, or a cheap and nasty P&S that my wife bought - definitely worth more than the car!

I have been through several photographic "fads" in recent years, in attempts to rekindle my once flagging enthusiasm - tried all sorts of Nikon SLR kit and those over-priced Dianas, which I enjoyed for a while, pinholes (which I still enjoy), but the big thing was to pick up that IIIf and feel it willing me to expose some film - took me back years. I now have a choice of LTM and M bodies to play with and recently decided to dispose of all my other cameras (except an R8) as I am so happy with them. I intend only one other body purchase - a Zorki 1 that will get converted to a "rat-cam" a la Gordon Coale when it arrives from the Ukrain.

Glad to hear that you enjoy using the Leica - I'm still regretting selling the Serenar with it - I had hoped to find a Summar to replace it, but no joy as yet - one day....

Funny you should say that John - I picked up 1958 car magazine and there were adverts for cars at £10.00 - I was going to mention that, but it seemed too unbelievable without posting "evidence"!

I think my car is worth £10.00 - but that's different!

Incidentally - the Leica you sold me has utterly restored my love of photography! Thank You!!!

All the Best, Ian

 

[Jocko]

John, I do remember trafficators! Gentler days on the road! To my huge delight - but at risk of causing you undeserved distress - when CRR serviced the camera they threw in a full job on the Serenar, which was - of course - perfectly fine, but is now exceedingly slick. It was re-collimated and I look forward to seeing the results.

It's curious - I would not have believed the sheer grace and physical pleasure found in using these cameras, and how that feeds into ones' pictures. A Barnack Leica or quality copy is something akin to the Platonic form of 35mm photography, and I too am going to shed other cameras. I do hope you find your summar soon.

My very best wishes, Ian

 

[John Robertson]

Jocko
your advert for the Periflex shows the same one I have, the Gold Star.
tyhe lenses were made for it by Shacht of Ulm, and Enna of Munich, but labled as Lumax or Lumar etc. Some were very good lenses. having a sprocketless drive, the spacing between frames gradually increases as you reach the end of the film, which used to drive slide processors mad. My early one has a glass pressure plate,speeds of 1/25 to 1/300 and is a very simple camera. The Gold Star is more "sophisticated" and has focal plane shutter with speeds of 1 to 1/300 sec timed by clockwork supplied by Prontor, and the periscope focussing device works "automatically" Later the corfield company made a version called the Interplan which had Exacta or Pentax lens mounts.
I don't use the Periflex now as the shutter is running very slow. I still use the Advocate though, its Dalmeyer f3.5 35mm lens is very sharp.
Despite their weirdness the Periflex cameras were very successful.
the company which made them still exists today.

The last of the Reids were bought up by A W Young a camera retailer and were sold off in the early 70's , the camera sold at £80, the Taylor Hobson lens £20. This is when I bought my lens for my Leica. I sold the Leica soon afterwards but kept the lens in its box virtually unused at the back of a cupboard until a few years ago when I discovered it worked and collapsed safely on my Bessa R2. After shooting a couple of films with it, I was astonished by the quality of the images from it, and it is now my standard "standard" lens. I wish now I had bought the Reid camera as well, Ah Well!!!

 

[davidbivins]

Nikon Kiu:
My camera is of the same vintage as the one being auctioned to which you linked. In fact, the serial number is only about 1500 numbers higher. Mine was also made in occupied Japan. In addition to the Tower history you mention, the logo for Tower that you see on the top plate is a representation of the Sears Tower, fittingly.
This camera is a joy to use. My only problems have been with my idiocy in cutting the film correctly. I bought a metal template (copy of the Leica version) on eBay and using it was able to load the film without fuss. What a relief, finally. I was batting about .200 before this and would often find that it wasn't winding properly.
I've attached a photo I took with it, with a Summicron 50 collapsible, at the local wine bar.

 

[raid]

Do all Tower cameras have removable lenses? I recently got a Tower camera with a normal lens but it does not look as if is removable.
It is the 57A with a 50mm/2.8 lens.

Raid

 

[John Robertson]

No one has mentioned two other Leica-similar camera systems. The French Foca (lovely cameras and lenses!!) and the Czech Opema, also nice. They are both often quoted in books etc as having Leica 39mm mounts, they don't, and do not even think of trying to mount their lenses on 39mm LTM cameras, their removal will require expensive surgery!!!!

 

[dexdog]

Raid, some of the Tower cameras have removable lenses, and some do not. The Sears company sold a wide variety of cameras in the years following WW2, everything from box cameras to SLRs, under the Tower name. The makers were both German and Japanese, and included Nicca, Pentax, Mamiya, Ricoh and Steinheil, among others.

The rangefinder cameras manufactured by Nicca and sold as the Tower types 3, 4 and Tower 45 and 46 all use LTM lenses. The SLRs manufactured by Pentax, Mamiya and Ricoh used both M42 and K-mounts, IIRC.

 

[raid]

Mark: Then my Tower is most likely a low level camera.

Raid

 

[davidbivins]

Raid: perhaps in dollar value, but not necessarily in perceived value. I rarely use my 18B (Mamiya-made) fixed-lens rangefinder, but it takes great photos and the meter works. I find the Mamiya-Kominmar 1:2 48mm lens to be quite sharp and render out-of-focus areas much to my taste. I just have a lot of other lenses that do that too, on bodies that I know better, so it's just a curiosity sitting on the shelf most of the time.

 

[raid]

David: I know what you mean; each camera can be somehow special and excellent for use. Maybe I got a great beach camera. If it gets damaged by sea water then I am still OK with it. Better my Tower than my M6.

Raid

 

[migtex]

I must admit the only reason I bought the Sears/Tower 35 was to use the Nikkor 5cm f:2.

I'm surprised by the quality! Now it's in CLA. (low speeds were all the same...)

 

[xayraa33]

For maybe the one or two members who really don't yet know, every one of these Leica copies -- the Tower, which is the Sears name for the Nicca, the American-made Kardon, the British-made Reid and other leading Leica copies [the Canon, the Honor, the Leotax, the US-made Ektra, the Chiyoca and others] are all very fine [and expensive] rangefinder cameras...

The Reid III is a copy of the Leica IIIb, according to "Leica Copies," by HPR, and the Reid I is a copy of the Leica Standard...Early ones were made for the British Army and have Army markings...They all came with the excellent British-made 2 inch, f/2 Taylor, Taylor & Hobson lens... It"s as nice as a Leica and in that price class.

The hardest to find are the Kardon and Ektra but my favorite -- if I can find one some day -- is the Japanese-made Honor. Years ago I turned down a chance to buy one for $50 usd because I'd never heard of it...I bought the case for $5 but it disappeared over the years; it's probably worth a lot today because Honor cases are very rare...


I do have a couple of Tower/Niccas -- including the Tower 45, which is the Nicca 5, with the lever wind and horizontal back door, like the Leica M3...

I remember seeing an Honor Leica copy for sale at the Toronto camera show 2 years age. I do remember it had an f2 50mm Zuiho lens, thats right Zuiho, not Zuiko, and the seller wanted 600 Can. dollars for the camera with lens.
it sold after a few hours on the sellers table.
I was not in the market for Leica copies of that price range, so a 15 dollar Zorki 1 with bad curtains and a killer I-22 lens was my purchase.

 

[350D_user]

[...]but goverment interference and various problems stalled plans for years[...]

It's good to know nothing much changes.

... I digress.

Adverts in AP suggest that the Reid was actually more expensive than a new Leica - here's a fairly late example. In the same issue there are adverts for Leica IIIgs at £91/19/10 - £10/$40.00 cheaper - a pretty significant sum in 1961.

Hmm. I ran that £100/12/6 through the "Measuring worth" website (http://www.measuringworth.com/index.html). The result for 2006 was £1,547.19. Interestingly, MW Classic Camera have two of these Reid III's for sale, the cheaper of the two is £995.

 

[rogerchristian]

I own a camera store, and a couple of years back, took in an NRIII, LTM copy. Over a period of time I tried to find something, anything about it. I think it had SN 43. I found one obscure mention of the NRIII, in a Nikon Historical Society article. That is, I believe the only mention on the web. I later found out there were 50 of the cameras made, and then the company folded or was absorbed. The body was not in very good shape, shutter was toast, and needed a lot of TLC. I did not bother to get it fixed, sold it to KEH, and hope they finally came out on it. That ranks with one of the rarest of the rare in my book. Have taken in Niccas, Leotaxes, etc., over the years, but that was long ago, and these things were not so rare, at least I thought. These days, I shoot with a Leica Standard, IIa, Bessa R (LOVE IT!)15, 35/1.7. 50/2.5, 75, and a pair of M3's. Not much free time, but enjoy the equipmnent nonetheless.

 

[David Murphy]

For maybe the one or two members who really don't yet know, every one of these Leica copies -- the Tower, which is the Sears name for the Nicca, the American-made Kardon, the British-made Reid and other leading Leica copies [the Canon, the Honor, the Leotax, the US-made Ektra, the Chiyoca and others] are all very fine [and expensive] rangefinder cameras...

The Reid III is a copy of the Leica IIIb, according to "Leica Copies," by HPR, and the Reid I is a copy of the Leica Standard...Early ones were made for the British Army and have Army markings...They all came with the excellent British-made 2 inch, f/2 Taylor, Taylor & Hobson lens... It"s as nice as a Leica and in that price class.

The hardest to find are the Kardon and Ektra but my favorite -- if I can find one some day -- is the Japanese-made Honor. Years ago I turned down a chance to buy one for $50 usd because I'd never heard of it...I bought the case for $5 but it disappeared over the years; it's probably worth a lot today because Honor cases are very rare...


I do have a couple of Tower/Niccas -- including the Tower 45, which is the Nicca 5, with the lever wind and horizontal back door, like the Leica M3...

The Honors pop up on eBay every blue Moon or so. There's an Honor lens for sale right now -- only $895 (ebay 7622794013)