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Post by Just Plain Curt on Jul 5, 2008 7:57:14 GMT -5
Just a quick photo of my new Argus SLR. Heavy as heck and made by Mamiya as the Prismat, but with a unique to Argus bayonet mount. Works like new and I can hardly wait to run a roll of film thru it:  |
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Post by Randy on Jul 5, 2008 9:20:52 GMT -5
Hey, that's one I don't have. Pretty nice Curt!
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casualcollector
Lifetime Member
In Search of "R" Serial Soligors
Posts: 619
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Post by casualcollector on Jul 5, 2008 10:00:44 GMT -5
You're a lucky collector. Mine doesn't work like new but does work. Did it come with an M-42 adapter?
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Post by Just Plain Curt on Jul 5, 2008 16:49:11 GMT -5
Nope, wish it did have the M42 adapter. Now I've gotta add one more thing to my "must search for" list. I have film in 4 SLR's at the moment so hopefully in the next week or so I'll get to run a roll thru it. Thanks Randy, sometimes even I get lucky.
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Post by alexkerhead on Jul 31, 2008 23:54:05 GMT -5
That is cool!
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Post by Randy on Aug 1, 2008 8:52:50 GMT -5
This ARGUS is a CR-1 made by CHINON.  |
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Post by cyclops on Sept 27, 2008 14:12:10 GMT -5
Hmmm never heard of Argus before. How long did they reign for?
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Post by herron on Sept 27, 2008 22:00:38 GMT -5
Curt's Argus is one made by Mamiya, based on the early Mamiya Prismat with a bayonet mount, and sold with the Argus nameplate. Unfortunately, I don't believe there was an M42 adapter for it. ---------- Argus was originally founded in 1936 as the International Research Company, and they were practically in my backyard in Ann Arbor, Michigan! The company changed its name to Argus in 1944, after its very popular camera line. There's an interesting story about one of their more famous models, the C3 "brick." It seems the President of Argus decided to refurbish hundreds of the classic "bricks" as a promotion for Argus 60th Anniversary, in 1996. He bought back hundreds of C3's and had them refurbished and recalibrated. However, due to some management changes, the original catalog company backed out of the deal, and the cameras were not sold in the anniversary year of 1996. In 1998, through a Neiman-Marcus catalog, a couple hundred of the cameras were offered for $275 ... and NM oversold them! The remaining stock was made available to the public in 1999 for $129.95 postpaid. In August 2004, the remaining refurbished Argus C3's were being cleared out ... for $29.95. So, today, according to McKeown's (the bible of camera collectors) what is the market value of an Argus C3? Somewhere between a $1 brick and a $275 heirloom ... but closer to the brick.  |
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Post by Randy on Sept 27, 2008 23:57:15 GMT -5
Argus cameras were also made by: Cosina, Chinon, Petri, and Mamiya.   |
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Post by cyclops on Sept 28, 2008 9:21:30 GMT -5
I can never understand how one camera brand can be made by different brands! Would the third party,i.e. cosina have to pay the parent company for the right to use the name Argus?
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Post by Randy on Sept 28, 2008 10:16:27 GMT -5
I can never understand how one camera brand can be made by different brands! Would the third party,i.e. cosina have to pay the parent company for the right to use the name Argus? Duh, Argus paid the other companies to make cameras for them! |
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casualcollector
Lifetime Member
In Search of "R" Serial Soligors
Posts: 619
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Post by casualcollector on Sept 28, 2008 10:23:28 GMT -5
It is a case of Argus wanting a piece of the 35mm SLR market but not wanting to design, tool and manufacture their own. The reverse can also be true. A manufacturer with little market share and plenty of manufacturing capacity will seek a distributor for their product so that they don't incur the expense of establishing sales and distribution networks and the cost of advertising. An adapter for using M42 lenses on the Argus/Mamiya exists. I illustrated it on the first page I made for my website, The Casual Collector. www.vermontel.net/~wsalati/CasualCollector/argus%20slr5.htm |
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Post by cyclops on Sept 28, 2008 10:43:56 GMT -5
I can never understand how one camera brand can be made by different brands! Would the third party,i.e. cosina have to pay the parent company for the right to use the name Argus? Duh, Argus paid the other companies to make cameras for them! Randy,I know nothing about economics! So thats where Cosina made all their money eh to become the world player they are now. You think they'll ever make a DSLR? |
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Post by herron on Sept 28, 2008 14:27:12 GMT -5
Funny ... that adapter does not seem to show up in any of the Mamiya literature ... and the bayonet mount for the Argus version was supposed to be an Exacta-type mount ... so does that mean your adapter would work for mounting M42 lenses on the Exacta? |
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Post by aceroadholder on Sept 28, 2008 21:14:01 GMT -5
Ron, the Argus Prismat mount is unique to this camera. The mount is different to the Exata. I have an adapter for my Argus Prismat and have made the drawing to make a few for those that need them (all I need now is some free time.. maybe after Christmas).
The Argus Prismat bayonet is large and has a 1.0 mm shorter film plane distance than the M42. Any number of adapters are possible for this camera. The only problem with that is that all the people in the world who still use this camera could fit in my living room!
As may be seen from the Casual Collector web site, the Argus 250 is a very pleasing camera to look at, even with the clip-on light meter attached. The typically good Mamiya optics enable the camera to take very good photographs.
Orlin in SC/USA
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