Ilott Vintage Ilott Vintage
  • Cameras
    • Argus C3
    • Canonet
    • Canonet QL17
    • Canonet QL17 G-III
    • Canon Demi EE17
    • Fujica 35SE
    • Fujica V2
    • Konica Auto S
    • Konica Auto S2
    • Konica SII
    • Minolta AL
    • Minolta Hi-Matic 7/7s
    • Minolta Hi-Matic 9
    • Minolta V2
    • Minoltina AL-s
    • Minolta Repo-S
    • Zorki 10
  • Gallery
  • Glossary
  • Publications
  • Portfolio
  • Cameras
  • Gallery
  • Glossary
  • Publications
  • Portfolio

Argus C3

The Brick

Argus C3 vintage rangefinder
Argus C3 vintage rangefinder
Argus C3 vintage rangefinder
Argus C3 vintage rangefinder
Argus C3 vintage rangefinder
  • Overview
  • Specs
  • Photos

The only American camera in this collection is entirely manual and was built to “provide you with a lifetime of picture-making pleasure”. The shutter is more primitive than the ones found on the other cameras but is reliable at faster speeds. The coated Cintar lens has a distinguished character with good contrast, and the lenses on the C3 are interchangeable. There is the chance of multiple exposure as the film winding knob isn’t coupled to the shutter cocking lever, so you have to remember to wind the film on after each shot. (American photographer Duane Michals used his C3 especially to make double exposures).

The Argus C3 is equipped with a built-in rangefinder which is coupled to the lens, but has two eye pieces where other cameras have one. The eye piece on the right is used to focus the image, the eye piece on the left is for framing the image. They are both very small but the rangefinder is actually one of the easiest to focus with the focussing screen split horizontally rather than using a central patch. The viewfinder is free from framing lines and meter readings so gives the clearest view possible of the image you are making. Compared to other rangefinders the lens isn’t as fast at only f3.5 and shutter speeds are limited on a stepless scale from 1/10 to 1/300. The externally geared rangefinder is solid and stiff so it can be slow to turn, but once you have the image in focus it’s firmly set.

The beauty of this camera is its simplicity which is reflected equally in the aesthetic design, usability and mechanics. It was the best-selling 35mm camera in the world for nearly three decades, and is said is to be responsible for popularizing the use of 35mm film. Tony Vaccaro, soldier and photojournalist, took most of his images of World War II with his Argus C3.

Lens:Cintar 50mm f3.5
Elements/groups:3 elements
AOV:50°
Aperture:f3.5-f16
Shutter:Diaphragm shutter built into the camera body
Shutter speeds:B, 1/10 - 1/300
Viewfinder:Separate with no frames or markings
Focusing:Externally geared coupled rangefinder with separate eyepiece
Focal range:3ft-∞
Exposure modes:Manual
Exposure meter:N/A
Battery:N/A
ASA:N/A
Filter mount:41mm threaded
Winding method:Winding knob with film catch
Winding distance:Quarter of a turn
Dimensions WxHxD:133x70x51mm
Weight:769g / 1.7lb
Year:1939

Download the manual (PDF)

Argus C3

Argus C3

Argus C3

More Argus C3 photos

About Ilott Vintage

A valuable reference for anyone wanting to learn more about rangefinder cameras, manual film photography, or both, this website is intended to serve not only as a resource to discover some amazing objects but also as a place to learn more about them, to understand exactly what they are capable of, and why. Read More

See Also
  • Minolta Hi-Matic 7s
    Minolta Hi-Matic 7/7s A feature rich classic, manual and semi-automatic shooting down to f22
  • Canon Demi EE17 A fully manual half-frame classic
  • Konica SII
Contact

info@ilottvintage.com

Follow us on Instagram
    © 2017 Ilott Vintage. Website by Bellamy Studio
    Wednesday 22nd March 2023