ChrisPlatt
Thread Killer
I liked my C4, though the shutter was quite loud.
Chris
Chris
Argus, is it America's Leica? or America's FED?
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Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I think this:
is right up there with this:
😀 😀 😀
To me the Argus has a rather home made look which I like ... I can see some kid arriving home from school, plonking it on the table in front of his parents and proclaiming with delight ... " Mom, Dad, look what we made in 'shop' today!"
(hmmm ... Raid must have posted some images in this thread ... I seem to be having to scroll across the page as I type!)
is right up there with this:
😀 😀 😀
To me the Argus has a rather home made look which I like ... I can see some kid arriving home from school, plonking it on the table in front of his parents and proclaiming with delight ... " Mom, Dad, look what we made in 'shop' today!"
(hmmm ... Raid must have posted some images in this thread ... I seem to be having to scroll across the page as I type!)
Last edited:
raid
Dad Photographer
Sorry, Keith.It was me again.
-doomed-
film is exciting
Keith, that Pontiac is a lovely specimen of a customized woody, maybe 40's American cars aren't your thing. That car comes from a time when America built cool cars with style ,rather than importing holdens and rebranding them as gto's. The argus may be ugly but nowhere near being associated with the Pontiac outside of being relativley close by date of manufacture.
pakeha
Well-known
Sorry, Keith.It was me again.
ah , so thats the cause, i was just about to look for a super wide screen😀
ah , so thats the cause, i was just about to look for a super wide screen😀
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
That 'woodie' is just the coolest looking vehicle I agree ... and the only thing that would make it better would be an Argus in the glovebox!
I have been very tempted to get a 'brick' over the last couple of years and just may do so now! 😀
-doomed-
film is exciting
Saw one recently at my local camera shop it truly resembles an actual brick with chromed corners, to fit that Pontiac I'd like to see the brick engine turned on all sides, or pinstriped Von dutch style. Low price and large amounts of surface area make one think of all manners of ridiculous embelishment.
furcafe
Veteran
Yes, in the sense that the Kardon was a straight-up Leica copy, originally intended to fill the gap left by WWII, but per my earlier post, I would still consider the Ektra & Foton to be true holders of the title as they were the only serious American efforts to compete head-to-head w/Leitz & Zeiss Ikon.
FPjohn
Well-known
Used by Polly Perkins
Used by Polly Perkins
🙂 Argus,the preferred camera of "girl" reporters such as Polly Perkins.
yours
FPJ
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346156/
Used by Polly Perkins
🙂 Argus,the preferred camera of "girl" reporters such as Polly Perkins.
yours
FPJ
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346156/
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spystyle
Established
spystyle
Established
I have a Leica question -
While I have never handled a Leica, I was very impressed when handling my mint condition Argus C-four. Is a Leica really 1000 dollars nicer? If I handled a Leica would it be so nice that I'd find the Argus to be a toy?
I've got to try one of these mystical "Leicas" - however, when people refer to "magical Leicas" they aren't really talking about just any old "Leica" brand cameras - they are specifically referring to the "M" series right?
I must try a "Leica M" ... I must know why Leica has such a cult following ...
While I have never handled a Leica, I was very impressed when handling my mint condition Argus C-four. Is a Leica really 1000 dollars nicer? If I handled a Leica would it be so nice that I'd find the Argus to be a toy?
I've got to try one of these mystical "Leicas" - however, when people refer to "magical Leicas" they aren't really talking about just any old "Leica" brand cameras - they are specifically referring to the "M" series right?
I must try a "Leica M" ... I must know why Leica has such a cult following ...
FPjohn
Well-known
Hello:
LTM or Leica Thread Mount cameras, known as Barnack Leicas, are the original Leicas. They are considered more elegant, by some, than the larger, successor, M - series bayonet lens mount Leicas. Both have a cult following. Leitz lenses are held to be special and both LTM and M series cameras can share the same lenses (LTM lenses fit the M cameras with adapters).
If you wish to check out the Leica mystique, purchase a summicron and a leica to mount it.
yours
FPJ
LTM or Leica Thread Mount cameras, known as Barnack Leicas, are the original Leicas. They are considered more elegant, by some, than the larger, successor, M - series bayonet lens mount Leicas. Both have a cult following. Leitz lenses are held to be special and both LTM and M series cameras can share the same lenses (LTM lenses fit the M cameras with adapters).
If you wish to check out the Leica mystique, purchase a summicron and a leica to mount it.
yours
FPJ
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Papa Smurf
Established
Hey, do not knock the Edsel. I believe that the other day on the Military Chanel, I saw a film clip of Anwar Sadat traveling in an Edsel. He was a cool dude, like so many great men in history, just out of step with the times. :bang:
goamules
Well-known
I bought my son an Argus brick for his birthday about a year ago. He didn't use it until I started shooting my Canon IVSB ("leica type"). I gave him a roll of color 200 speed and we were both surprised when the roll was developed at how nice the camera shot.
It's not ergonomic, it looks klunky, and the aperture control is difficult to set. The shutter must be cocked each shot, and if you let the cocker remain under your finger you can mess up the release. To wind you have to press a silly release button first.
But know what? Every shot came out fine from a camera I paid $9 for. So that's what the Argus is; a cheap camera that worked well then, and can still work well. Without having to "...budget in a CLA..." that Leicas AND Feds seem to need most of the time.
It's not ergonomic, it looks klunky, and the aperture control is difficult to set. The shutter must be cocked each shot, and if you let the cocker remain under your finger you can mess up the release. To wind you have to press a silly release button first.
But know what? Every shot came out fine from a camera I paid $9 for. So that's what the Argus is; a cheap camera that worked well then, and can still work well. Without having to "...budget in a CLA..." that Leicas AND Feds seem to need most of the time.
pakeha
Well-known
Hey, do not knock the Edsel
OK, it looks like a very small IRS building then😛
OK, it looks like a very small IRS building then😛
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Depends upon what you want to do. If you're talking about a camera you can slip into your pocket, yup and old IIIa will do that. You can find an old Leica with a quite acceptable lens for well under $1000 USD. Heck, you can get a fine M with a used CV lens for under that too. With a bit of focus (pardon the pun) you can take great pictures with an Argus.
I would not use the term toy, but definitely lesser quality. While they feel very different, the Barnack and the Ms both blend into my hand very nicely. So does a Nikon S2/3/P so it's not just Leica Lust, I can adapt to many cameras, never have the few times I've held an Argus.
It is a slippery slope, beware. There are hundreds of good camera models out there, dozens of great ones. Thousands of different lenses and hundreds of world class ones too. Don't get tied up in the finding the best in the world. Find what works for you. You might find it's a Leica, perhaps a Canon, a Nikon, an Olympus or maybe even an Argus.
My father always said that a good photographer could take great pictures with any camera. But a good camera made it a lot easier.
B2 (;->
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Great shot, though it's backwards.........
Perhaps Polly got the only left handed Argus ever made?
B2 (;->
Jonnyfez
Established
Hello (also from Maine),
I'm a Leica M shooter who enjoys devolving (are we not men?) from time to time. Last year it was Kodak Hawkeye Brownies. Recently I rummaged through Mom's attic and dug out the C3 that my father gave her in the 1950s. It's been sitting on my desk for a month or so. Shutter speeds were wonky. Got the itch to put it back into service so I followed the procedures at this site:
http://www.arguscg.org/manuals/c3/gaon-repair/
Very simple and a lot of fun. Fascinating to learn how these work. Satisfying as well. Wouldn't try this on my M6 but happy to give it a go on my Argus. Now to load it up and shoot with it.
As for analogies...how 'bout Leica is to Martin guitars what Argus is to a Harmony? Country of origin doesn't work. Hmmm...Leica is to Omega Speedmaster as Argus is to a Timex.
Doesn't matter to me actually. They all have their own merits.
Luddite Frank
Well-known
All this talk has caused me to go off in search of an Argus "A".
Found a decent one today, in a well-worn eveready case; still had a roll of Tri-X - 20 exposure in it !
" Is it America's Leica ? "
Well, yes and no...
In terms of sophistication of design & material, "no"... it's no where near a Leica.
In terms of introducing "miniature photography" to large numbers of people, "yes", it's very much like Oscar Barnack's cameras.
The Argus A was the first 35mm camera offered by the International Radio Company, of Ann-Arbor, Michigan. It was a sturdy bakelite camera that looked very similar to a Leica Standard, A or B. It featured a fixed-mount collapsible lens ( 50 mm f:4,5), mounted in a leaf-type self-cocking shutter, with speeds of T-B-25-50-100-150, and apertures of 4.5 - 6.3 - 9 - 12.7 - 18.
It used daylight-loading cassettes, had a top-mounted exposure counter, knob-advance with automatic stop. Oh, and it had a removeable back, and did not require special trimming of the leader.
In terms of appearance and function, it was quite similar to the Leica B, which was a "Standard" fitted with a Compur leaf-shutter.
The Argus A was small, light, very affordable, and produced decent pictures for the price.
The Leica is a much more sophisticated machine, offering higher quality optics, more shutter speeds, and eventually interchangable lenses and a rangefinder.
It was also ten times the price of the Argus A.
I have spent the evening cleaning my Argus A, and look forward to shooting a test roll. I can't see it replacing my Leica III as an everyday shooter, but if it produces decent images, I will use it occasionally.
Argus after the A looked less and less like the screw-mount Leica, but also evolved into more sophisticated cameras in their own right.
It's kind of like comparing an entry-level Chevrolet to a fully-loaded Mercedes: both will get you from point A to point B; the difference is in the ammenties.
I will post some test shots from my Argus A when they come back from Wally-World.
Regards,
Luddite Frank
Found a decent one today, in a well-worn eveready case; still had a roll of Tri-X - 20 exposure in it !
" Is it America's Leica ? "
Well, yes and no...
In terms of sophistication of design & material, "no"... it's no where near a Leica.
In terms of introducing "miniature photography" to large numbers of people, "yes", it's very much like Oscar Barnack's cameras.
The Argus A was the first 35mm camera offered by the International Radio Company, of Ann-Arbor, Michigan. It was a sturdy bakelite camera that looked very similar to a Leica Standard, A or B. It featured a fixed-mount collapsible lens ( 50 mm f:4,5), mounted in a leaf-type self-cocking shutter, with speeds of T-B-25-50-100-150, and apertures of 4.5 - 6.3 - 9 - 12.7 - 18.
It used daylight-loading cassettes, had a top-mounted exposure counter, knob-advance with automatic stop. Oh, and it had a removeable back, and did not require special trimming of the leader.
In terms of appearance and function, it was quite similar to the Leica B, which was a "Standard" fitted with a Compur leaf-shutter.
The Argus A was small, light, very affordable, and produced decent pictures for the price.
The Leica is a much more sophisticated machine, offering higher quality optics, more shutter speeds, and eventually interchangable lenses and a rangefinder.
It was also ten times the price of the Argus A.
I have spent the evening cleaning my Argus A, and look forward to shooting a test roll. I can't see it replacing my Leica III as an everyday shooter, but if it produces decent images, I will use it occasionally.
Argus after the A looked less and less like the screw-mount Leica, but also evolved into more sophisticated cameras in their own right.
It's kind of like comparing an entry-level Chevrolet to a fully-loaded Mercedes: both will get you from point A to point B; the difference is in the ammenties.
I will post some test shots from my Argus A when they come back from Wally-World.
Regards,
Luddite Frank
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