A Sears, Roebuck Tower 26 camera and its original Takumar 58mm f/2.4 lens.

In 1957, Asahi Optical replaced the Asahiflex camera with their first Pentax. This landmark camera was marketed in the United States by Sears, Roebuck and Co. as the Tower 26. Only about 19,600 Pentax and Tower 26 cameras were made. A significant advancement in camera design, the Pentax set a standard that has continued to the present.

The camera featured unreversed eye-level pentaprism viewing, as well as a rapid film advance lever and folding film rewind crank. It adopted the 42mm screw-thread lens mount introduced with the East German Contax-S in 1949.

There is some arguement about the origin of the the name "Pentax". But most agree it originated with the Dresden based camera maker VEB Zeiss Ikon, and Asahi Optical purchased the rights to its use.

It is shown with the standard Takumar 58mm f/2.4 lens made by Asahi Optical.