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| Argus C3 (1938-1966) |
#208
Esta fotografia é do exemplar que possuoCaracterísticas
The Argus C3 rangefinder camera was introduced by Argus in 1939. It was a minor revision of the Argus C2, adding flash sync sockets to the side of the camera. However this model became Argus's runaway success story, staying in production through 1966 with only minor changes. Fondly known as "the Brick," the camera brought 35mm rangefinder photography down to a price affordable by amateurs who could not dream of owning a Leica or Contax.
Fonte: Camera-wiki.org
This camera was designed by Gustave Fassin, a Belgian optics designer moved to the US in the 1920s. He worked for Kodak and Bausch & Lomb in Rochester. He started working for Charles A. Verschoor, president of the International Radio Corporation (later known as International Research Corporation and later Argus). In 1936 he designed the Argus A, Argus' first photographic camera and first sales success. Later, Fassin designed the Argus C as well as an enlarger, a printing easel and a slide projector.
Gustave Fassin made such a good design that the C-series cameras remained almost unchanged during their entire lifespan. It should have been quite shocking to find a prewar designed camera in the retail stores of the mid-1960s. Camera technology changed a lot in the 1960s, but the Argus C3 kept being the same camera. In fact, it was covered by a lifetime guarantee! They did know how to make cameras, didn't they?
Later Argus cameras were improved with brightline viewfinders (Argus 21) or combined view/rangefinders (Argus C4), but none of these new features were added to the C3.
The original Argus C of 1938 had a rangefinder not coupled to the lens. The very first version had a lever to switch between fast and slow shutter speeds, but it was soon replaced by a second version with a more simple and reliable shutter without any switch. The Argus C2 was born also in 1938 adding just an idler gear between the rangefinder dial and the lens. Adding internal flash synchronization turned an Argus C2 into an Argus C3, and that's how it was born in 1939.
The first Argus C3 had ten shutter speeds (between 1/5 second and 1/300 second), a Weston film speed reminder and chromed pieces.
Over the years the Argus C3 remained almost unchanged, but there were several small changes concerning internal mechanisms, shutter speeds, lens apertures and external design.
Some of the internal changes can be seen in this Phillip G. Sterritt's website. It seems that the main body was made of molded bakelite (phenolic resin) and the rest of the pieces were made of metal. The shutter became progressively simpler, from ten to just five speeds in the latest versions.
In 1942 Argus ceased civilian production and contributed to the war effort by making military equipment. There wasn't any special military Argus C3 version, although a service manual seems to have been provided to the US Army. Some soldiers, such as Tony Vaccaro, managed to use an Argus C3 after the Normandy landings.
The production of the Argus C3 was resumed in 1946, adding a coated lens and a standardized ƒ-stop scale. Previous versions had bizarre apertures, such as ƒ/3.5, 4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.7 and 18, but they got standardized to modern ƒ/ stops (3.5, 4, 5.6, 8, 11 and 16).
Some chromed pieces were eventually replaced with black plastic ones, probably to cut expenses. Some other minor pieces (film catch, shutter release, coupling gear...) had also different designs.
The Weston film speed reminder dial on the back was changed to the ASA standard around 1948, but sadly this beautiful piece was removed in 1955. The back itself had different designs: with two chromed lines or just plain.
By 1950 a very beautiful Argus nameplate was added in the bottom left corner. Around 1955 the Color-Matic setting system was added. This was just a color coded system to suggest shutter speed, aperture and distance combinations. For example, you should match the yellow values (1/50s, ƒ/6.7, <15 ft) for outdoors with color film and the red values (1/100s, ƒ/8, >15 ft) for b/w film. The green value (1/25s) was intended for flash synchro.
In 1957 an accessory shoe was added. There are some previous versions that actually have an accessory shoe, but they seem to have been added later on request.
History
This camera was designed by Gustave Fassin, a Belgian optics designer moved to the US in the 1920s. He worked for Kodak and Bausch & Lomb in Rochester. He started working for Charles A. Verschoor, president of the International Radio Corporation (later known as International Research Corporation and later Argus). In 1936 he designed the Argus A, Argus' first photographic camera and first sales success. Later, Fassin designed the Argus C as well as an enlarger, a printing easel and a slide projector.
Gustave Fassin made such a good design that the C-series cameras remained almost unchanged during their entire lifespan. It should have been quite shocking to find a prewar designed camera in the retail stores of the mid-1960s. Camera technology changed a lot in the 1960s, but the Argus C3 kept being the same camera. In fact, it was covered by a lifetime guarantee! They did know how to make cameras, didn't they?
Later Argus cameras were improved with brightline viewfinders (Argus 21) or combined view/rangefinders (Argus C4), but none of these new features were added to the C3.
The original Argus C of 1938 had a rangefinder not coupled to the lens. The very first version had a lever to switch between fast and slow shutter speeds, but it was soon replaced by a second version with a more simple and reliable shutter without any switch. The Argus C2 was born also in 1938 adding just an idler gear between the rangefinder dial and the lens. Adding internal flash synchronization turned an Argus C2 into an Argus C3, and that's how it was born in 1939.
The first Argus C3 had ten shutter speeds (between 1/5 second and 1/300 second), a Weston film speed reminder and chromed pieces.
Over the years the Argus C3 remained almost unchanged, but there were several small changes concerning internal mechanisms, shutter speeds, lens apertures and external design.
Some of the internal changes can be seen in this Phillip G. Sterritt's website. It seems that the main body was made of molded bakelite (phenolic resin) and the rest of the pieces were made of metal. The shutter became progressively simpler, from ten to just five speeds in the latest versions.
In 1942 Argus ceased civilian production and contributed to the war effort by making military equipment. There wasn't any special military Argus C3 version, although a service manual seems to have been provided to the US Army. Some soldiers, such as Tony Vaccaro, managed to use an Argus C3 after the Normandy landings.
The production of the Argus C3 was resumed in 1946, adding a coated lens and a standardized ƒ-stop scale. Previous versions had bizarre apertures, such as ƒ/3.5, 4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.7 and 18, but they got standardized to modern ƒ/ stops (3.5, 4, 5.6, 8, 11 and 16).
Some chromed pieces were eventually replaced with black plastic ones, probably to cut expenses. Some other minor pieces (film catch, shutter release, coupling gear...) had also different designs.
The Weston film speed reminder dial on the back was changed to the ASA standard around 1948, but sadly this beautiful piece was removed in 1955. The back itself had different designs: with two chromed lines or just plain.
By 1950 a very beautiful Argus nameplate was added in the bottom left corner. Around 1955 the Color-Matic setting system was added. This was just a color coded system to suggest shutter speed, aperture and distance combinations. For example, you should match the yellow values (1/50s, ƒ/6.7, <15 ft) for outdoors with color film and the red values (1/100s, ƒ/8, >15 ft) for b/w film. The green value (1/25s) was intended for flash synchro.
In 1957 an accessory shoe was added. There are some previous versions that actually have an accessory shoe, but they seem to have been added later on request.
In 1958 was introduced the Argus C3 Standard. Apart from some redesigned knobs and dials, the main change of the Standard version was the lens barrel, completely redesigned. According to Gambino [1], by that time Argus had been taken over by Silvania Electric and the new management probably wanted to give a new look to their long-lived camera.
Along with the C3 Standard, in 1958 also appeared the Argus C3 Match-Matic, very similar to the Standard, but with a beige and black finish and a selenium LC3 exposure meter. Besides, instead of the common ƒ/ stops and shutter speeds scale, the values of the C3 Match-Matic were coded in a EV scale. There was also a quite rare version with a silver Mylar finish, the Argus C3 Golden Shield. This deluxe version was produced for the Golden Shield Corporation to be sold in jewelries.
When the Argus C3 was discontinued in 1966 it was the only Argus camera that remained in production. It never got superseded by any other Argus camera. The Argus C4, “arguably the best camera that Argus ever built”, was made in lower quantities and discontinued in 1962 in the form of the C44R. The Argus C33 and the Autronic series, both different attempts to modernize the C3, never became popular with the public and were also discontinued.
According to Lahue and Bailey, there had been several attempts to discontinue the Argus C3: “The sales curves of the C-3 were like a Coney Island roller coaster. Sales would dip to an almost-zero level, and Argus would announce the camera's demise. Panicky dealers would then stock up with the remaining supply to ensure stock of a slow but certain seller. To fill these orders Argus would have to schedule another production run, and so it went for years”.
According to Argus specialist Phillip G. Sterritt, Argus built between 2,220,500 and 2,296,000 C-series cameras. About 1,829,000 of the total were Argus C3 models, most of them (+1,6 million) made between 1945 and 1957.
Fonte: fromthefocalplanetoinfinity
The C3 is made of bakelite and metal framings and is of simple design. It has a diaphragm shutter built into the body of the camera so that it could utilize interchangeable lenses without the need for a regular, and more complex, focal plane shutter.
Fonte: Camera-wiki.org
camera Argus C3
type rangefinder
film 35mm, 24×36mm
producer Argus, Inc. / IRC
place Ann Arbor, Michigan
country USA
date 1939-1966
units +2 million approx.
shutter Ilex leaf shutter
speeds 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, B
lens Argus Coated Cintar 50mm ƒ/3.5
mount Argus C screw
rangefinder coupled, separate window
Fonte: fromthefocalplanetoinfinity
Modelo
A minha é do modelo C3 (1939-1957). Provavelmente construída em 1947. Ver aqui.
Fonte: arguscg.org
Tem o n.º de série 171444.
Sítios de referência
arguscg.org
argusinfo.net
Camera-wiki.org
fromthefocalplanetoinfinity
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