Argus RF Which speed film for Argus C-44?

[Washington Bob]

Hey Everybody,
My name is Washington Bob and I am new to this forum. I have been collecting these neat Argus cameras for some time now and want to take this C-44 out and shoot some film through it.

I imagine this question has been asked a million times before but I could not find a good answer for it. Can I shoot 400 speed film in this camera?

It only has shutter speeds up to 300th of a second. Would 100 speed color print film work better at 100th of a second using the "sunny 16" rule?

I would really like to shoot some film through this neat old Argus and see what the lens will do. It has a 50mm f 1.9 coated Cintagon lens on it.

Any ideas or thoughts on films, and use of this Argus are deeply appreciated.

I look forward to participating on this forum as I have a large collection of vintage rangefinders to play with.

Thanks again for the advice.
Washington Bob

 

[Steve Bellayr]

try www.arguscg.tripod.com my argus c-44 has 125th shutter speed which should be sufficient

 

[Austintatious]

I have an Argus "Brick" and it does quite nicely with ISO 400 film in it ! 100 works too.
When I use my vintage cameras i always use a hand held meter. Usually great results!

 

[Al Kaplan]

The sunny 16 rule is over rated for B&W. If you want to get decent shadow detail in contrasty light you'll need another stop exposure. 1/300 at f/16 is only a fraction of a stop over exposed with 400 film. A lot of photographers set their meters for ISO 200 to begin with.

For color negative film a stop of over exposure will actually give you a finer grain negative for some reason. I usually shoot 200 speed color negative film simply because it's the one the chain drugstores have on sale all the time in the four-packs of 24 exposures. Four 24 exposure rolls of film for $5.99 is hard to pass up. Walgreens sells their own brand for $4.99 sometimes. Supposedly it's made by Fuji.

 

[Washington Bob]

Hi Everybody,
Thanks for yoru replies. Looks like I should get a decent light meter and work with that also. The Argus C44 has a very limited selection of speeds...B...10..25...50..100...300. That is all I have to work with. Anybody know of an online chart that would give me some ideas as to f-stops, speeds and film iso? I am going to start a search and see if I can find something but your help is much appreciated.
I am used to autofocus cameras that do it all for me and I am looking forward to learning the real way to expose my films.
Thanks again for all the advice. Please keep it coming as I really want to use this camera.
Washington Bob

 

[wlewisiii]

Sounds to me like you need Fred Parker's page. http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

That will teach you about 80% or so of what you need. The rest needs to be learned from your mistakes... :bang: sorry to say, but we all make them & have to learn those last bits the expensive way.

The Fuji made, Walgreen's branded film is a good cheap way to go. Another way to save money is to have them develop it and skip the prints. Get thier cheap scan cd instead. It will give you "good enough" scans (like a contact print in it's way) to see if there is anything worth spending the money on a print for.

Good luck & good light!

William

 

[Washington Bob]

Thanks William,
Good advice and I will take it. I have heard that Costco also does scan CD's so will try that route also. I am really interested to see if those old lenses have a "different" look to the photos.
Plus...the old cameras are just more fun to use.
Thanks again,
Washington Bob

 

[J.Ed]

Just a couple of things regarding the C44

If the shutter sounds or seems the least bit slow, STOP using the camera. Refer to either Rick Olsen's site or the Argus Collectors Group for help. Failure to heed this warning will leave you with a broken and unrepairable camera.

The 50mm f1.9 lens is a rarity, treat it kindly. The standard issue was an F2.8.

If you need a manual, it is available here: http://www.butkus.org/chinon/argus/argus_c-44/argus_c44.htm

I have used 400 speed film in my Argus, but prefer 100 or 200 as the 400 severely limits your exposure choices. Remember when these cameras were new, 25 speed films (Kodachrome) were considered fast.

 

[Washington Bob]

Hello J.Ed,
Thanks so much for your input. I am going to try to round up some 100 speed film and try that first. Somebody should have a roll or two hidden out somewhere.

I have been collecting my Argus cameras for a while now and this is the only 50mm f1.9 lens that I have seen out there. I am taking great care of this camera and will post some photos when possible.

All the camera speeds seem like they are working...slow to faster. Thanks for the tip and I will check out the web sites you suggest.

all my best,
Washington Bob

 

[Washington Bob]

Hey Everybody,
I just back from my local Kits Camera store with Fuji 100 Color Print film..12 exposure roll for $1.08! Just perfect size to test out my Argus cameras and lenses. This is a small camera store with a big heart .....I like it. Now I can really test out the 50mm f1.9 Cintagon lens on this Argus C44. More later,
Washington Bob