Originally posted by jesssss I've just found myself the proud owner of what seems to be a very smooth and clean Asahiflex iia from Lucky Camera in Toyko. This is same camera that was sold in the States as a Sears Tower 22.
I can figure out well enough how to work it as everything seems pretty straight forward, but I'm wondering if anyone can give me a bit of guidance before I just pop a roll of film into it. Any trips, tips, caveats?
Maybe it's the rough similarity in appearance to an early Zorki that gives me the impression that it will explode if I don't do the proper rain dance before entering the sacred realm of its film compartment.
I can find links to a manual for it circa 2005 (the links, not the manual obviously) but that file now points to a big ol' 404. Is there anywhere else to find this?
You are fortunate! My father bought a IIa in the mid '50s when it was new. It is a delightful little camera! In case you hadn't noticed the top shutter speed dial rotates as the shutter runs, as I recall the shutter must be wound to set speeds. As he was left handed and eyed his nose sometimes fouled the dial, no damage but the exposure was off. I think the top dial must be set to 1/25 to use the front panel slow speed dial, but Mike Butkus' files should tell you that.
While there were some excellent lenses available for the Asahiflex chances of finding any are from slim to none. The lens mount is 37mm so Leica 39mm lenses won't fit, even if they would the register distance, flange to film, is too great. I've never heard of any adaptors for 42mm thread lenses, again an adaptor would probably add to the register distance making infinity focus impossible. Asahi had a pretty full range of lenses from 35mm to I think 400mm, bellows and tubes for close up work, etc.
The two normal lenses I know of were a f3.5 and f2.4, both good. Eric Hendrickson at pentaxs.com is the Pentax go to guy. If you need repairs, he's the guy. I need to send my father's IIa off to him, it is a battle-scarred veteran and I'd like to shoot with it again for old time's sake. BTW your info says you're in Appalachia, my father taught ChemE at WV Tech in Montgomery for many years. Beautiful country....