Know anything about Argus Wide Video converters?

[waynecrider]

I inherited a Argus wide (must be video) converter 1:1.8 6.5~26mm. I'm wondering about the "X" factor. I'm thinking it's a .75x multiplier, but I don't know and I can't find anything thru Google. Any ideas?

 

[ic-racer]

Picture! picture!
I think the Argus brand predated video by a few decades

It is probably to extent the zoom range on a super 8 or regular 8 camera.
I use a modern Tokina converter on my Bolex to get to 4mm-18mm range (from 8mm-36mm)

 

[waynecrider]

Here's a picture. The converter has 49mm female threads on the back and is made in Japan. 6 glass surfaces from what I see by way of reflections.

 

[yulia_s_rey]

sounds like an attachment to R8 or S8 for argus brand consumer film cameras. what type of mount does it have, any pics?

 

[yulia_s_rey]

not 8mm for sure!!! that looks like a wide converter maybe argus-cossina slrs, 70s? could be wrong...

 

[waynecrider]

It's a 49mm female screw mount.

 

[yulia_s_rey]

argus-cossina wasn't the only one with 49mm screw mounts for 35mm SLRs there were various other models by other brands, Sears etc; it converts a medium lens down to a wide angle. in which case you divide by the given ratio on the lens: 1:1.8. Thus on your 50mm camera lens if your focus rings says 20' its really 11' with the converter on (20/11=~1.8) or on the opposite end 4/1.8=2.222 etc; which is rounded up to 2.3'.
initially, i was thrown off by the "video" part.

 

[waynecrider]

I to was confused as I could not find anything as to it's use whether as a camera OR video converter.

The inside cap of the converter has a chart which gives the focus distance as explained by you. I'm confused tho as to how that translates to field of view.

 

[yulia_s_rey]

you'll get a more macro fov. it nearly doubles your field of view but changes your dof as well.

 

[ic-racer]

you'll get a more macro fov. it nearly doubles your field of view but changes your dof as well.

Ok thanks for posting the picture. Looks like it is to go on a normal lens for a 35mm camera as a wide angle conversion. The fixed lens 35mm rangefinders (Konica, Yashica etc) usually had these as add-ons. The one you have may work on other formats also*.
If you don't have a camera with a 49mm thread, can't you just hold it up to the front of the lens and see what it does?

(*That one I'm using on the Bolex also has a 49mm thread.)

 

[waynecrider]

Ok thanks for posting the picture. Looks like it is to go on a normal lens for a 35mm camera as a wide angle conversion. The fixed lens 35mm rangefinders (Konica, Yashica etc) usually had these as add-ons. The one you have may work on other formats also*.
If you don't have a camera with a 49mm thread, can't you just hold it up to the front of the lens and see what it does?

(*That one I'm using on the Bolex also has a 49mm thread.)

I've actually had it on a lens and on a D camera to see what was up with it. I'm thinking, and have yet to prove, that it's giving me a 42mm fov, but I don't know if I'm figuring that out correctly. I'll have to compare it to my 35mm Nikon lens today I guess and see. I was just really wondering how you figure the fov out mathematically.

 

[yulia_s_rey]

i'm not too familiar with D cameras, from what I gather from camerapedia they usually have a 68mm equivalent lens, so 68/1.8 is ~37.777. If so for 120mm format you'd get almost twice the field of view as you'd normally would get, for example my Kiev uses a 30mm Zodiak 8 wide-angle lens attachment. They [Dianas] do accept 49 fem adapters don't they?

 

[ic-racer]

I was just really wondering how you figure the fov out mathematically.

1) Point at wall
2) Mark FOV
3) Measure distance to wall
4) Measure FOV
3) Consult Pythagoras