Sears 2.8 / Easi-Load

Sears 2.8 / Easi-Load Overview

The Sears 2.8 / Easi-Load is a rebranded Ricoh 126-C EE, a fixed-lens viewfinder camera designed for Kodak’s now-obsolete 126 film cartridge. It features a 43mm f/2.8 Rikenon lens with a minimum focus distance of three feet. Like many 126 cameras of this era, the Easi-Load has no integrated flash and must rely on top-mounted flash cubes, plastic rotating cubes that have four single-use flash bulbs good for four exposures. Other notable features include an interesting “atomic” Sears and Roebuck logo next to the viewfinder, nicely recessed film advance lever, and a threaded shutter button to accept a soft release or shutter release cable.

As one of the largest retailers in the United States for the majority of the 20th century, you could find just about anything at Sears and cameras were no exception. For many years, Sears sold rebadged cameras manufactured by notable companies such as Ricoh, Mamiya, Olympus, and Asahi (now known as Pentax) under the Sears and Tower brands.

This remarkably clean 2.8 / Easi-Load came with a simulated leather strap and case as well as a strange rectangular “W10” 15 volt dry cell battery made by Toshiba that I had never seen before. Not a bad deal for $3!