Argus C44
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| the Argus camera with the very special lens mount by Voxphoto (Image rights) |
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| Argus C44 accessories image by RaúlM. (Image rights) |
After the Geiss company produced a modification of the Argus C4 which permitted interchangeable lenses, Argus followed suit with the C44 (spelled out as "c-forty-four" on the camera itself).
The camera shared the same body as the C4, including that model's improved rangefinder/viewfinder. The only real difference was in the lenses.
The standard Cintagon 50mm f/2.8 was the first 4-element lens (Tessar-type) that the Ann Arbor factory produced. The design was said to have been computed with the help of a punch-card mainframe computer belonging to the University of Michigan.
Three other focal lengths were offered as well: 50mm f/1.9; 35mm f/4.5 and 100mm f/3.5. These were manufactured by Steinheil in Germany, to a somewhat higher standard of finish, but also branded Cintagon. However the C44 bayonet is clumsy to use, as a lens can not be mounted until pairs of small red guide marks inside the mount throat and lens bayonet are aligned.
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| Steinheil München Cintagon 35mm f/4.5 by Voxphoto (Image rights) |
Links
- comprehensive critical review at cameraquest.com [1]
- argus c44 at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr
