Argus/Cosina STL 1000
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This was a line of 35mm SLRs made in Japan by Cosina but using the Argus brand name, beginning about 1970. The argus/cosina STL 1000 (styled in lowercase on the nameplate) accepts M42 lenses.
There are a number of minor model variations: One lacks a hot shoe and has strap lugs on the front of the body (and this version is sometimes just marked STL[1]). There are black and silver versions, and examples including a hot shoe (rather than a clip-on cold shoe) have a flatter design to the pentaprism cover.
This camera uses stop down metering with a needle indicator in brackets at the side of the viewfinder. The meter circuit is designed to get power from a PX 625 mercury battery, unfortunately no longer available.
Argus had also offered other STL 1000 models without the Cosina name attached: these were different rebadged models than the ones considered here.
Notes
- ↑ eBay auction #264694925182 of an "STL" (archived at the Wayback Machine) shows several photos of such a model, with the unusual serial number 0200888.
Links
- Argus advertisement announcing Argus/Cosina cameras in the November 1970 Popular Photography, pg. 61, scan courtesy Jerry Vaci on Flickr
- Argus/Cosina STL 1000 (hot-shoe) manual and "STL" manual (PDFs) from Mike Butkus' OrphanCameras.com
- Additional views of the hot shoe version from Francois Massin on Flickr
- Object record for a black "STL" and a hot-shoe "STL 1000" at the Argus Museum online collections database
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| With different strap lugs, self-timer lever image by Firda Beka (Image rights) |
