Legendary Argus C3

The Argus C3 Is one of the most popular 35mm cameras In american history. This Is a post-war model manufactured between 1946 - 1954. The Argus C3 was produced In Ann Arbor, Michigan, from 1939 to 1966. It Is famoulsy nicknamed "The Brick" due to It's Boxy and heavy body and industrial apperance. The C3 Is a 35mm Rangefinder.

Coupled Rangefinder :

The large gear on the front Is the focus wheel. It Is "coupled" to the lens, meaning as you turn It, the lens moves In and out. Unlike modern cameras, you look through a small window on the back to align two images ; when they merge, your subject Is In focus.

The "Cintar" 50mm f/3.5 Lens :

The standard lens Is a 50mm f/3.5 Cintar triplet. It Is suprisingly sharp for It's age. One of the C3's standout features at the time was It's interchangeable lens system - you could actually unscrew this lens and replace It with a wide-angle or telephoto lens, a rarity for a budget camera's In the 1940's.

Built - In Flash Sync :

The "3" In C3 stands for the third iteration of the C-series, which added built-In flash synchronization. On the left side of the camera, there are two holes where a "side - mount" bulb flash unit would plug In.

Manual Shutter Cocking :

Unlike modern film camera's where winding the film also readies the shutter, the C3 requires a two - step process :

• Winding : Turn the knob on top to advance the film
• Cocking : You must manually push down the small silver lever on the front of the camera before every shot.

Simple Leaf Shutter :

The shutter Is built into the body rather than the lens. Rhe dial on the top right allows you to select speeds from 1/10th to 1/300th of a second, plus a "B" (Bulb) setting for long exposures.