Difference between revisions of "Argus C4"
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[[Argus]] sold over 300,000 '''Argus C4''' [[35mm]] [[rangefinder camera]]s in the 1950s. It had one of the best implementations of a viewfinder with superimposed [[rangefinder (device)|rangefinder]], an easy film load concept and a [[hot shoe]] for attaching and connecting a flash without cable. It had a modern design, but no interchangeable lenses. | [[Argus]] sold over 300,000 '''Argus C4''' [[35mm]] [[rangefinder camera]]s in the 1950s. It had one of the best implementations of a viewfinder with superimposed [[rangefinder (device)|rangefinder]], an easy film load concept and a [[hot shoe]] for attaching and connecting a flash without cable. It had a modern design, but no interchangeable lenses. | ||
| − | There are several versions of the C4, with the earliest (Version 1) sharing main body elements of its precursor, the [[Argus 21]], | + | There are several versions of the C4, with the earliest (Version 1) sharing main body elements of its precursor, the [[Argus 21]], or Markfinder. The initial maximum shutter speed was 1/200, but the latter versions featured 1/300 sec maximum shutter speed, and X-synch on the hot shoe. An all-black version - highly prized and rare, with less than 10 known examples was most likely done to attract US Government interest, but by then, the Korean War was over and the days of fat optics contracts were gone. Although the C4 did not have interchangeable lenses, the [[Geiss]] company of Chicago customized C4 cameras for interchangeable lenses which were made by [[Enna]] in Munich, Germany.{{br}} |
Revision as of 19:30, 29 April 2011
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| Argus C4 outfit, with fixed lens |
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| customized for exchangeable lenses |
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| with Enna 45mm f1.9 |
Argus sold over 300,000 Argus C4 35mm rangefinder cameras in the 1950s. It had one of the best implementations of a viewfinder with superimposed rangefinder, an easy film load concept and a hot shoe for attaching and connecting a flash without cable. It had a modern design, but no interchangeable lenses.
There are several versions of the C4, with the earliest (Version 1) sharing main body elements of its precursor, the Argus 21, or Markfinder. The initial maximum shutter speed was 1/200, but the latter versions featured 1/300 sec maximum shutter speed, and X-synch on the hot shoe. An all-black version - highly prized and rare, with less than 10 known examples was most likely done to attract US Government interest, but by then, the Korean War was over and the days of fat optics contracts were gone. Although the C4 did not have interchangeable lenses, the Geiss company of Chicago customized C4 cameras for interchangeable lenses which were made by Enna in Munich, Germany.
Links
- Manual available on the Favorite Classics section of .kyphoto.com
- How it Works: The Argus C4 Shutter
- C4 Repair notes
- Argus 4 at www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
- Geiss modified C4 at cameraquest.com [1]
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| Extremely rare black C4 image by Mark O'Brien (Image rights) |
