Just Another Brick...

In the camera bag.

I usually don’t need to wait too long for new, and interesting, cameras to come into the shop.

Argus C3

This Camera, an Argus C-3, was a bit of a surprise to me; a surprise, because I had never heard of this camera. Argus, was an American camera company based out Ann Arbor, Michigan. Argus produced this camera from 1938-1966 (the camera you see here was made in 1941), and 2.2 million were sold. You read that correctly, 2.2 million. It is one of the best selling single (American) camera models ever produced… and I have never heard of it. I have heard of Argus, though. I have an Aurgus A2-B, which is sometimes known as the “Art Deco” model. I don’t have pictures of it, so I will need to take it to work and shoot some, I’ll post on that camera soon.

The Argus C-3 was also known as, “The Brick”. It is an appropriate name, you could use this camera in place of a brick, without loss of structural integrity. You could also use it as a door stop, a boat anchor, and a self-defense cudgel (it’s all sharp corners, good for scalp wounding).

It’s a range-finder, so I am sure that it had its adherents. It must had had plenty of them, having sold 2.2 million cameras. To be honest, when comparing this camera with my A2B, it does not seem that much effort went into the design, and its build quality is rough. Granted, it’s a 1941 vintage, so you would hope that the rough edges would have been removed I the ensuing years. My A2B, was made in the same time-frame, and it is not the best camera that I have ever held in my hands, but it is more refined than this camera.

The leather case is very typical of the period, though it does seem to restrict easy operation of the camera. The damned camera is so heavy, it’s a wonder that those thin leather straps are still unbroken.

I don’t think that this specific camera is functional, but the design has intrigued me (that, and the fact that 2.2 mil were sold!). I am going to keep my eye out for this model, looking for both earlier and later vintages, just to see if there was any refinement in its manufacture.