The Sears TLS is a single lens reflex camera. It was built by Cosina and distributed by Sears. The model was also available under the name "Ricoh Singlex TLS".
The Sears Holdings Corporation is a trading company from the USA. Various cameras and photo accessories were sold under their own brand. In 2005 Sears took over the competitor Kmart, which also sold this model.
The lens of the Sears TLS is interchangeable. It comes with a M42 thread. The M42 thread is a standardized, manufacturer independent lens mount for interchangeable lenses.
The lens thread was developed in the 1930s at Carl Zeiss in Jena, Germany. Zeiss, KMZ, Voigtländer, Pentacon and Pentax were among the manufacturers of M42 interchangeable lenses. The Sears TLS has no autofocus. Therefore you have to focus by hand.
The Sears TLS has a built-in light meter. It was designed for films with a sensitivity of ISO 25 to ISO 1600. Exposure is determined by the SLR when measured through the lens (TTL). Aperture and exposure time can be freely set by the photographer.
The camera comes with a bulb mode. In this mode, the shutter is released as long as the shutter-release button is pressed. An external flash can be used via the PC flash socket. The Sears TLS has a built-in self-timer and a connection for a cable release. There is also a thread for a tripod.
The dimensions of the 35mm camera are 14.8 x 9.2 x 5.3 cm. It weighs 720 grams. The power source of the 35mm camera is a PX675 1.35V mercury battery.
Films for the Sears TLS
The Sears TLS exposes 35mm film. 35mm films are still produced today. They can be developed in most laboratories. Possible films for the Sears TLS are the Kodak Gold 200* for color pictures and the Kodak T-Max 400* for black and white pictures.
