Good morning;
While I do not have the C44, I do have three samples of the C3; one standard C3 and two Match-Matic C3. No, it is not a Leica or a Nikon SP or a Canon 7, but it is a good functional 35 mm camera that served over a generation of family photographers very well. I like mine. I am still happy with the quality of the prints that are produced, considering that I am not using the C3 for any critical work.
There were two other "Coated Cintar" lenses commonly available to replace the 50 mm standard lens, a 35 mm wide angle and a 100 mm short telephoto lens. They just screwed into the front of the camera and the behind-the-lens shutter still did its job. The Cintar lenses are not bad. It might be fun to set up the lens target board to see how it does. By the way, I think that the C44 used a bayonet mount lens system. The C44 also had many other features and improvements in an attempt to keep up with the growing competition from "overseas."
There are many people who can say; "My dad had a C3." They made over 2 million of them. They must have had something going for them to have lasted for 27 years of production. That camera served to establish 35 mm as the film format of choice in America more than any other camera. The main problem they ran into was the growing Japanese camera marketing in the USA in the 1960's.
Go ahead and get the "Brick" and enjoy taking photographs with a significant piece of American photographic history.
