Argus C3

[kamera]

Mickey,

Hmm...I am totally impressed with the workings of the old 'brick' and its Cintar lens.

May I suggest you play with it a little longer.

I had made some suggestions previously to Gene as to operating the film advance, but had somehow neglected to mention one important thing to pay attention to, as you found out.

The shutter lever is in a most stupid place, and if one is not careful your finger does get in the way of it when releasing the shutter. When this happens...one inavertantly screws up the shutter speed.

I tolk mine off and repostioned it downward toward the bottom plate of the camera. This helped extensively in keeping your finger away from it.

As I suggested, Mickey, don't give up on it yet...it really is a fun camera to shoot, takes great pics and elicits a lot of comments from observing passerbys.

Ron Head
Kalamazoo, MI

[paulmysterioso]

I have a C3 ten speed which I picked up in a local antique store for $20. It's an amazing camera with an incredibly sharp lens. The film advance and the shutter lever are a bit odd, but once you get used to their eccentric nature using the C3 is a snap.

[kiev4a]

Never had a C3. But I have an A3 which I have never shot but love for its art deco styling.

[PeterW]

My model A Argus is one of the originals from 1936 or thereabouts. I love it for the uncompromising way a radio company set about boosting summer sales by designing a cheap Bakelite bodied 35mm camera for Everyman and his wife without copying, or even looking it seems, at European design. Some of the production engineering features are beautifully simple, even crude by some standards, but hey, they work!

I understand that at the time IRC bought its lenses and shutters as package deals very cheaply and that some of the early ones were good and some not so good. Mine is one of the not so good ones - either that or the infinity focus is way out. One day I might get around to checking it.

PeterW