The Argus C Series (1938-1966)

Left-Right: Argus C, C2 and C3

Left-Right: Argus C, C2 and C3

Argus C2 (Left) and C3 (Right)

International Radio Corp. had created a best-seller in 1936 when it brought out the Argus A camera and two years later followed up with what developed into one of the longest selling 35 mm cameras.

The 1938 Argus C was a bakelite and metal "brick" with a 50mm f/3.5 three element lens, a behind-the-lens leaf shutter, and a built-in range finder.  Designed by the Belgian-American designer Gustave Fassin, it bore a slight resemblance to the Zeiss Ikon Contax, which had an all-black, squared-off body of similar dimensions.  The lens on the Argus C was a classic Cooke Triplet design in a helical focusing mount and could focus as close as three feet.  The lens was not removable.  The shutter was a set-and-release leaf shutter located behind the lens, and had speeds from 1/5 to 1/300 second.

The film advance and rewind was the same as on the Argus A series.  The film moved from right to left.  To advance the film you pressed the film advance catch, turned the film advance knob about a quarter turn, released the film advance catch, and wound the knob until it stopped.  To rewind the film you just turned the film rewind knob until the film was back inside the cassette.  The hinged back has a latch like the one on the model A. 

Shortly after the C came out, Argus produced the improved C2 model.  A gear was added to couple the range finder to the lens.

In 1939 the Argus C3 added a synchronized flash attachment and there things stood for the next 27 years.  Some cosmetic and mechanical changes were made over the years, but fundamentally the Argus C3 remained the same.  The post-war cameras did have coated lenses and the f/stops were changed from the continental system (f/18, f/12.7,  f/9, f/6.3, f/4.5, f/3.5) to the domestic system (f/16, f/11, f/8, f/5.6, f/4, f/3.5).  About 2 million C3s were sold.

Argus C advertisement in Popular Photography, April, 1938