SLR Stories: Sears TLS

It’s been too long since I sat down and wrote about a camera from my SLR collection – I have been stuck in a weird situation thanks to the film photography gods. I finally started to do some at home film developing with Cinestill DF96, but my results were not where I wanted them to be. It was my plan to write a blog about my experience with the single-step black and white developer, but I still don’t feel I have my process dialed in yet. More soon from that… let’s talk about the Sears TLS, and some photos I made with it.

I picked up the Sears TLS on OfferUp, and I actually didn’t have to go far at all to snag it. The seller drove it all the way to the city for me and it was probably one of the quickest, easiest, and most painless purchases I have ever made from a “meetup” style e-commerce app. Besides the fact that I bought the camera for $20, and the fact that it was fully functional, this purchase wasn’t an adventure in any way. In saying that, this purchase was satisfying for me, as I’ve been looking for a TLS to pick up in person for a while.

As I have mentioned before, I’m interested in weird cameras with weird designs – and the Sears TLS is a camera that fits both of those descriptions.

In 1967, Japanese optical and camera manufacturer Ricoh released the Ricoh Singlex TLS – a 35mm SLR film camera with an M42 lens mount. The camera featured shutter speeds of B, 1s, 1/2s, 1/4s, 1/8s, 1/15s, 1/30s, 1/60s, 1/250s, 1/500s, and 1/1000s. Other features included ASA settings from 25-1600, stop down metering, a self timer, and an on/off switch for the light meter. Ricoh sold the Singlex TLS in America, but renamed the camera for Kmart as the Focal TLX, and in Sears stores as the Sears TLS. This camera, along with the 55mm f 1.4 Sears branded lens that it comes with feels like an absolute brick in your hands. The all black finish and black leather gives it a different look than most chrome / black SLR film cameras from the time.

Ricoh Singlex TLS (Top), Sears TLS (Bottom)

The true “weirdness” of this camera is in the location of the shutter speed/ASA dial. Rather than placing the dial on top of the camera, Ricoh put the dial on the front of the camera – which definitely allows for a unique shooting experience. I also thought it only made sense for me to have a camera with Sears branding as I grew up in Chicago – where the Sears Tower was one of our claims to fame (now renamed The Willis Tower), and where Sears stores used to be scattered throughout malls and plazas in the suburbs (RIP Sears stores).

I don’t know why these camera’s aren’t talked about more often. For the 3 rolls or so that I have put through this camera, I’ve enjoyed every second of shooting with it – weird shutter speed dial and all. Overall – based on my shooting experience with the Sears TLS I would give this camera a few adjectives: rugged, bulky, loud, and god damn beautiful. Check out some photos I made with it!