Argus CR-1

[galenk]

I picked this up at the antique mall the other day and have not been able to find any information on it on the internet except that it was possibly made by Chinon. cost with tax $15.00 USD

Any information anyone?
The lens was in pieces but everything else works great. It is now sporting my auto chinon 50 mm lens

[daveh]

Galen,

Nice. With a distinctive pentaprism shape like that one would expect it to be instantly recognisable. I can't think of having seen it before.

Dave

[mickeyobe]

Galenk.

I am getting this information from "Argomania" by Henry J. Gambino.

Mfg. by Chinon.
Distributed by IMC Division of Interphoto Corporation.
Came on market in 1975.
Uses 42mm Pentax/Praktica lens mount.
Top flash sync speed is 1/125 sec.
"CR1" designation was decal on some cameras and engraved on others.
Sold for $279.95.
Also sold as "Chinon CM" and GAF l-CM.

I think all the other details may be seen on the camera.
Ask if you need any more info.

Mickey

[galenk]

exept for the pentaprism housing everything else looks alot like my Chinon CS as in the light meater and markings on the dials thanks Mickey

[Randy]

Galen, I have one exactly like yours!

[Just Plain Curt]

I have both a black one and a silver one. Unique prism cover only on Argus. I have several GAF including 3 L-CM. Bulletproof M42 goodness.

[daveh]

I woke up in the middle of the night and thought I would have a quick look on here. All the talk of this camera reminded me of the deservedly famous Cosina thread.

I was set wondering if this model was sold in the UK under any name. I don't remember the Argus name being overly visible in Britain. Chinon was a well known name in the 1970s. As far as I can recall it was only marketed by the Dixons chain of shops. I have a Chinon Super 8 sound cine camera - separate tape unit for the sound - bought around that time. Dixons certainly had its own brand under the Prinz name. This included cameras, film and accessories. Certainly some of the cameras were re-badged Russian such as the Prinzflex which was a Zenith. Others presumably were from Japanese manufacturers, which must have included Cosina.

Anyway I spent a little time doing various searches and found an entry that looked as though it might answer the question. You know, of course, where I ended up. Yes, the Cosina thread on here.

If my son hasn't thrown them out I have a big stack of (mainly) 1970s Amateur Photographers. I must retrieve them and see just what the likes of Dixons were offering.

[galenk]

It is a big heavy brute with an all metal vertical travel shutter and yes it is built like a tank. I do need to get another lens for it. I so hate to have a naked camera sitting sitting on the shelf.

[Randy]

The leatherette on mine is peeling and curling, so I have another reskin waiting in the wings.

[galenk]

the top of the back cover has started to curl a little, but Ill have to wait and see on the skin job. It would be a nice project for my first try though. Randy, I know you've posted it before but where do you get your skins, I'd like to check it out

thanks
Galen

[casualcollector]

IMHO, the big-fat-hairy-butt ugliest Chinon ever made. I have a soft spot for the many brands of the big, honkin, Chinon M-42 cameras but this one makes me run away screaming! As the disclaimer goes, my taste may vary.

I've used a thrift store purse for leatherette in a past recovering project. You can get some interesting colors and textures.

[vaviking1]

Jan 26, 2011 15:36:26 GMT -5 mickeyobe said:

Galenk.

I am getting this information from "Argomania" by Henry J. Gambino.

Mfg. by Chinon.
Distributed by IMC Division of Interphoto Corporation.
Came on market in 1975.
Uses 42mm Pentax/Praktica lens mount.
Top flash sync speed is 1/125 sec.
"CR1" designation was decal on some cameras and engraved on others.
Sold for $279.95.
Also sold as "Chinon CM" and GAF l-CM.

I think all the other details may be seen on the camera.
Ask if you need any more info.

Mickey

[vaviking1]

I see that someone posted a retail price of $279.  A friend and I both purchased this camera brand new in 1979 from Woolco's department store for $35.00 each.
I wish I still had the camera but I stopped using it because it was to costly for me at the time to keep having the film developed.  It got put away and I've moved a number of times and now it's just a memory.

[Stephen]

Maybe the low cost from Woolco was a clearout, as it discontinued by then. It had not poved popular in it's US home market, due to the strange styling of the Pentapism.
At the time Modern Photograhy claimed the shape was due to a differently ground shape to the pentaprism glass, compared to the Chinon equivalent chassis. It was claimed to be cheaper to make in a larger block, this claim is a bit odd as althoough you can vary the design a bit in size, like Olympus, by clever design making it smaller, making the prism larger does not make it cheaper.

A camera model never imported to Europe or the UK, even by Dixons who always went for lower cost cameras to import. But there were several Chinon equivalents on the market anyway under vaious brands, but more convemtionally styled.

Usually they are well made camera with good lenses, but heavy!
Stephen.

[philbirch]

re-skinning


If you want to re-skin it, take a look at my post (link above). As casualcollector says you can get cheap leatherette from purses and handbags (in uk they are different items)