Sears Auto 35TL

The Sears Auto 35TL is a camera from the American brand Sears. It is an SLR camera with a fixed lens. Technically and functionally, it is based on the Mamiya Sekor 528 TL from the Japanese company Mamiya.

The 35mm camera is equipped with a fixed lens. The focal length of the lens is 48 mm. The widest aperture of the camera is f/2.8, and the lens consists of three lenses in three groups. The camera does not have an autofocus. The focus is adjusted manually. The closest focusing distance is 80 cm for this lens.

The Sears Auto 35TL has a built-in light meter. It is designed for film with a sensitivity of ISO 10 to ISO 400. As with most SLR cameras, exposure metering is done through the lens. The exposure time and aperture can be freely selected. However, there is also an automatic mode. In this mode, you select the shutter speed and the camera sets the appropriate aperture.

The shutter speed can be set between 1/500 second and 1/15 second. A Bulb mode is available for long exposures. In this mode, the shutter is opened as long as the shutter release button is pressed.

An external flash can be used via the hot shoe or the PC flash port. The photo camera has a thread for a tripod and a cable release. The camera does not have a self-timer.

According to the manual, the camera weighs 680 grams without film inserted. The dimensions are 14 x 9 x 8 cm. The camera requires an S76 battery (eBay / Amazon*).

Films for the Sears Auto 35TL

The Sears Auto 35TL requires 35mm films. These are still easy to get today and are still being developed. Great films for the Sears Auto 35TL that are still available today are the Fujifilm Superia 400* for color photos and the Kodak T-Max 400* for black and white photos.

The color film is developed using the C-41 process. The C-41 films are offered by most photo labs. For example, some of the large drugstore chains in Germany offer the development of color films. The B/W film must be processed in a suitable developer according to the instructions.

The exposure area of the 35mm camera has a size of 24 mm x 36 mm. At this size, 36 images will fit on a normal 35mm film. The film in the camera must be rewound manually, as there is no automatic film transport.