Argus C3 Accessories

[yomismo]

Hello everybody,
I am a new member of this comunity, I heard about it when I recently bought my first "serius" analog camera: an Argus C3 from 1940 or so.

I have to say that I am honestly pleased about this technical marvel, I find amazing what the simplicity of the mechanics can do (that's why I decided to be an engineer ).

Well, going into the subject, I have found lots of accessories for my camera, and I would like to know if there is a data base or at least a list with the accessories compatible with it (flashes, light meters, tele-photo and wide angle lenses etc.).

I will thank for any information you can give me.
Thank you.

P.D. Sorry about my poor English, but here in Spain we speaka very different language .

 

[Ian Grant]

Boy you have courage an Argus C3

European and Japanese cameras are one thing but an Argus is the highlight of American camera design and manufacture and a good indication of why it died out . . .

BTW your written English is excellent.

Ian

 

[DWThomas]

Hello and welcome to APUG. You might want to start by checking out the information at the Argus Collectors Group. I have a C3 I bought new around the end of 1957, but I never accumulated any significant accessories for it. The original came with a flashbulb type of flash gun that plugged into two "holes" in the one end. (As you can see here.) I believe there was a telephoto and a wide-angle lens from Argus available back when they were in production, (they were a screw mount with the gear teeth to tie into the rangefinder coupling).

Believe it or not, today is/was "Argust 7th", Argus Day and I had my C3 out this very day. I shot C-41 color and should get the pictures back tomorrow.

Anyway, have fun with your new toy. And do not worry about your English -- it is better than that of many chat room impaired Americans!

Just about any hand-held light meter should work. Here I currently have a brand new Gossen Digisix that appears to work well.

DaveT

 

[DWThomas]

Boy you have courage an Argus C3

European and Japanese cameras are one thing but an Argus is the highlight of American camera design and manufacture and a good indication of why it died out . . .

Ian

Ian, you're being cruel! How many 35mm cameras can you take apart with a screwdriver and a pair of needle-nose pliers and get working again.

I freely admit they are almost as manual as a LF. I get forgetful and either double expose or skip a frame now and then because I can't remember if I wound it. Semi-automatic cameras create bad habits! Also, the viewfinder and rangefinder windows now seem to have shrunk since when I was 17.

We'll see how it did this year. Last year, on Argust 6th, I ran a roll of Plus-X through it pretty successfully -- after it sat about 35 years in a closet!

DaveT

 

[DWThomas]

Argust 7th results - ARgus C3

OK, this afternoon I got back the prints and a CD of scans straight from the Noritsu processor. I am actually impressed. No it will not beat a Leica, but it did a decent job. And for those who argue for starting without automatic stuff -- this is perfect!

One other C3 tip -- when actually shooting pictures, keep your fingers away from that little shutter cocking lever on the front. It moves when the shutter fires and if a finger is in the way, it can hold the shutter open.

DaveT

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Hello everybody,
I am a new member of this comunity, I heard about it when I recently bought my first "serius" analog camera: an Argus C3 from 1940 or so.

I have to say that I am honestly pleased about this technical marvel, I find amazing what the simplicity of the mechanics can do (that's why I decided to be an engineer ).

Well, going into the subject, I have found lots of accessories for my camera, and I would like to know if there is a data base or at least a list with the accessories compatible with it (flashes, light meters, tele-photo and wide angle lenses etc.).

I will thank for any information you can give me.
Thank you.

P.D. Sorry about my poor English, but here in Spain we speaka very different language .

Buenos días y bienvenidos a APUG! Tu ingles es muy bien, no te preocupes. Hay unos fotografos de España aqui - quizas vas a encontrarles. No sé mucho de los cameras Argus, pero si necesitas preguntar algo en español, puedo atentar a ayudarte.

 

[yomismo]

Thanks

Thank you everybody for your attention, I am impressed by the amount received answers in such a little time. The web of the collectors group has helped me a lot (in fact, it has a whole section dedicatded to my question).

Nice pics, Dave, I think they are a great example of what this nice toy can do. As you have said this camera has the unic feature of being done for donkeys, I mean, even if you have the bad luck of breaking something if theme you just need a screwdriver and a couple of pliers to repair it.

I agree with Ian that it is not the best camera of the history, but taking photos with it has that "romanticism" that any other camera can give. In addition to that, if the pics are good the sensation of having done a great job manipulating the camera with YOUR OWN HANDS. Th take nice pics without that effort I can use the familiar reflex camera that has proved its value.

Just another thing, Dave: you are right, semiautomatic cameras create bad habits; in the first roll of film used in my camera i have double exposed a frame, and skiped another one. Thanks god one of the double exposed pics was not good because... my finger was in the way of the shutter cocking lever!! (I think I can't make more errors).

Thank you again and good morning
Unai

 

[Ian Grant]

Unai, you're right sometimes its fun to use older more challenging camera.

I have occasionally used my old Leica IIIa with its quirky but good f2 Summar and its interesting to think of how many well known european photographers made such great images with similar equipment before WWII

Ian

 

[Murray@uptowngallery]

Unai, you're lucky I guess to have found accessories.

I didn't look very hard, but the cost of other lenses etc were far more than the camera market price when I have looked.

The shutter lever hurts too.

You can loosen the 'jam nut' behind the lever and reposition it so the lever is roughly 180 degrees rotated, then no hanging open or wacking one's finger.

That camera (Matchmatic version) is what got me curious about EV, and I only think EV now.