Argus C4 (1951-1957)

The Argus C4 was made in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Argus Cameras from 1951 to 1957. This one was made in 1952. The C4 used the same body style as the earlier model 21 "Markfinder", but with a added coupled coincident rangefinder and an improved lens. Argus sold about 300,000 C4s in seven years, compared to about 2,000,000 C3s in roughly twenty-four years. The list price in June, 1951, was $99.50, equivalent in buying power to about $1,090 in depreciated 2022 dollars. Although retailers such as Sears usually would discount the list price by 10 or 15 percent, this was not a cheap camera.

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Back

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Bottom

Film Chamber

The camera has an f/2.8-f/22, 50mm, coated Cintar lens with three elements in three groups. The closest focus distance is three feet. You can use Series VI drop-in lens filters with a 1-5/16" (33 mm) push-on adapter, a Kodak No. 26 screw-in adapter or a Tiffen No. 640 screw-in adapter. The behind-the-lens shutter has speeds of 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100 and 1/200 second plus B (bulb). Advancing the film cocks the shutter. The viewfinder has a round coincident range finder patch in the center, but has lost the bright frame lines of the model 21. Either Argus' engineers couldn't squeeze the frame lines and the range finder into the space available within cost constraints or there was some patent interference involved. The whole back comes off to load familiar 35 mm film. The picture counter counts down from the number of pictures on the roll of film to zero and needs to be manually set to 36 or whatever length roll of film you have loaded. Rewinding the film requires lifting the film advance knob and rotating it a quarter turn, then turning the rewind knob until the film is rewound into the cassette. The C4 has a hot shoe for the matching Argus flasholder. Flash synchronization is switchable between type M and type F flash bulbs. There aren't any strap lugs. If you want to use a neck strap you need to put the camera inside its leather case or use a strap that attaches to the tripod socket.

The C4 is one of the nicer looking cameras Argus made and is a decent picture taker. The shutter has a noticeable, noisy "snick" when it fires.

[Update] The C4 was updated during its production run to change the fastest shutter speed from 1/200 to 1/300 second, and to change the flash sync switch from M-F for type M or type F flash bulbs to M-X for type M flash bulbs or electronic flash. The winding knobs also were changed to a finer knurling. The last C4, the C4R, had a thumb lever film advance instead of a knob wind advance and a rewind crank instead of a rewind knob.

[Update] The instruction book said that the lens had a resolving power of 120 lines/mm at the center, which is a good specification.

Argus C4 Advertisement from Popular Photography, June, 1951.