Thinking of Argus C44

[JRieke]

I've been thinking of buying an Argus C44 for some time now and recently a friend offered one at a very reasonable price that includes three lens the variable view finder and a bag. It looks to be in good condition.

I know that people hate the lens mounting system but I think that very ire is part of what draws me to this camera.

Other than the functional aspects of the C44 what does anyone on here think of them? How good is the glass? I've seen photos posted on flikr that look really good but then it's hard to tell how much retouching has been done.

Thanks for your input

Jeremiah

 

[mfophotos]

You may want to check out the Argus group on flickr. I've used the C-44, but like the C-4 better. Lenses are fine, and certainly capable of producing good results.

 

[ic-racer]

I have a C44 with 2.8 Cintagon and a Zorki-4 with 2.0 Jupiter-8 in front of me now (both free). Except for the viewfinder I prefer the Zorki. I am not set up to do resolution testing, but my opinion from general use is that the Jupiter-8 is closer in resolution to mainstream/contemporary 35mm lenses, where the Cintagon is not as good.

But, by all means, the C44 is a neat camera and if you can get a nice one for cheap, do it and use it. If you are getting the 3 dedicated Argus lenses, go for it and give us a report on how they perform. About 20 years ago I was looking for the wide angle lens in Shutterbug but never came across one.

 

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning, Jeremiah;

You will probably find the Argus C44 to be an interesting camera, if you decide to purchase it. Having the accessories for it make it an even nicer temptation.

I have some earlier models, the C3 and the Match-Matic C3, and some later ones (I think), an Autronic 35 and an Autronic II. I prefer the C3's.

While the testing of the Cintar lenses will show that they are not the equal of a Leitz 50mm f-2.0 Summicron, they certainly are useable lenses. Over 2 million of the C3's were made and used by many. For the prints that were made, the lenses are working. There are millions of people who can say; "My dad had a C3." If they were clearly bad, this would not be true. To make a modern comparison, the Argus C Series of cameras is not an older version of the Holga.

Getting all three of the common lenses for this camera is very nice. I do have the 35 mm wide angle Cintar lens, but I have not yet been able to get one of the 100 mm f-3.5 Enna-Werk lenses.

 

[JRieke]

my dad had the clap from a hooker in vietnam but that doesn't mean I want it...