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Preface For the sake of expediency, any Argus A- or A2-type camera will henceforth be referred to simply as “an Argus.” The author realizes that Argus manufacturers produced various types of cameras and that, if mentioned in casual conversation, the word Argus will probably conjure the image of the far more popular C3, not an A or A2. He nonetheless considers this compromise necessary in order to prevent the reader from being continuously bludgeoned by such windy phrases as “the Argus
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Edition of 5 June 2004 © Copyright 2004 Hrad Kuzyk All Rights Reserved. Download this book for free at http://www.TheArgusA.com/ 4
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Table of Contents CHAPTER SUBJECT 1 WHY THE ARGUS A/A2 CAMERA? 2 HISTORY 3 MODELS AND VARIATIONS 4 PARTS OF THE CAMERA 5 USER’S GUIDE 6 ACCESSORIES 7 RESTORATION AND REPAIR 8 TRICKS AND MODIFICATIONS 9 FINDING AN ARGUS IN GOOD SHAPE 10 FURTHER READING APPENDIX A ARGUS A PATENT APPENDIX B BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES Download this book for free at http://www.TheArgusA.com/ 5
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1 Why the Argus A/A2 Camera? Why should anyone be interested in a camera whose latest model has been out of production for over 50 years? Certainly not for ease of use. Point-and-shoot cameras made today are far more user-friendly. Not for quality of the lens or accuracy of the shutter. Both were fine for an amateur in their day and age, but are now easily surpassed. Not for the additional features. The Argus doesn’t have double-exposure protection, available on even disposable cam
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May 1937 Download this book for free at http://www.TheArgusA.com/ 7
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2 History The concept of a compact 35mm camera was born in the early 1920s. It was then that Oscar Barnack of E. Leitz, Inc. developed a portable and accurate camera based on readily available 35mm film, then the standard for the movie industry. This camera, the Leica, took the world of amateur photography by storm from the day of its introduction in 1925 at the Leipzig Fair. Encrusted with knobs, dials, levers, and buttons, and not at all resembling any camera that came before it, th
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IRC’s engineers had extensive experience molding Bakelite and took advantage of this knowledge in designing the body of the Argus. Bakelite allowed the camera body to be cheaply decorated with a distinct Art Deco flair. Gustave Fassin, an engineer for IRC, is generally believed to have designed the Argus, though the patent is credited to Verschoor and makes no mention of Fassin. The Argus, priced at only $12.50, was a success from its debut in early 1936; IRC later claimed to have sold 3
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World War II had on American industrial capability, methods, and design. Massive government contracts were awarded to every American industry. Unheard-of sums of government cash were dumped into military-oriented research and development. New materials and techniques of manufacture that would never have been considered before suddenly became popular. As an American manufacturer of optical equipment, the Argus corporation benefited from this economic spurt in many ways. It began to prod
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One can see that the Argus A was very much a product of the times, and it was once those times changed that the age of the Argus A ended. All did not go well with Argus Cameras, Inc. after the demise of the A/A2 line. Higher quality and cheaper cameras from West Germany and Japan began to flood the market, and, as a result, the company started hemorrhaging money. Argus enjoyed only a modest success with the C4/C44, which was intended to become the new workhorse of the Argus line. Succes
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October 1938 Download this book for free at http://www.TheArgusA.com/ 12
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3 Models And Variations This section of the book is neither a detailed list of the various serial numbers, nor a catalog of every minor variation. Rather, it is a brief overview of the various Argus models produced. In the early years of the Argus, several low-production-run variations were manufactured in an effort to further explore the camera market. These included the Military Argus, in olive-drab plastic with painted, green hardware, and the Gold Argus, with brass hardware rathe
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Argus A Focus Type: 2 Position (6ft - 12ft and 12ft - Infinity, later 6ft - 18ft and 18ft - Infinity) Years Manufactured: 1936 - 1941 Introductory Price: $12.50 Approximate Introductory Price in 2003 Dollars: $160.00 Serial Number Range: 1037 - 211589 Shutter Type: Pre-war Ilex Precise Lens Speed: f/4.5 Aperture Settings: f/4.5, 5.6, 8, 11 (later f/4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.7, 18) th Shutter Speeds: 1/200 sec, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, B(ulb), T(ime), (top speed later dropped th to 1/150
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Argus AF Focus Type: Variable from 1¼ to Infinity ft Years Manufactured: 1937 - 1938 Introductory Price: $15.00 Approximate Introductory Price in 2003 Dollars: $190.00 Serial Number Range: 5000 - 70138 Shutter Type: Pre-war Ilex Precise Lens Speed: f/4.5 Aperture Settings: f/4.5, 5.6, 8, 11 th Shutter Speeds: 1/200 sec, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, B(ulb), T(ime) Extinction Meter/Calculator: No Flash Synch Tubes: No Pressure Plate: Fixed The first variant of the original,
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Argus B Year Manufactured: 1937 Introductory Price: $25.00 Approximate Introductory Price in 2003 Dollars: $320.00 Serial Number Range: Middle A Range Shutter Type: Prontor II Lens Speed: f/2.9 Aperture Settings: f/2.9, 3.5, 4.1, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 th Shutter Speeds: 1/175 sec, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, 1/10, 1/5, ½, 1, B(ulb), T(ime) Extinction Meter/Calculator: No Flash Synch Tubes: No This distant cousin was a fancier version of the Argus A, which featured a higher- quality
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Pre-War Argus A2B Focus Type: 2 Position (6ft - 18ft and 18ft - Infinity) Years Manufactured: 1939 - ~1945 Introductory Price: $12.50 Approximate Introductory Price in 2003 Dollars: $165.00 Serial Number Range: ~56215 - 244601 Shutter Type: Pre-war Ilex Precise Lens Speed: f/4.5 Aperture Settings: f/4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.7, 18 th Shutter Speeds: 1/200 sec, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, B(ulb), T(ime) Extinction Meter/Calculator: Yes Flash Synch Tubes: No Pressure Plate: Fixed It
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Argus A2F Focus Type: Variable from 1¼ to Infinity ft Years Manufactured: 1939 - 1941 Introductory Price: $15.00 Approximate Introductory Price in 2003 Dollars: $200.00 Serial Number Range: 22760 - 39031 Shutter Type: Pre-war Ilex Precise Lens Speed: f/4.5 Aperture Settings: f/4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.7, 18 th Shutter Speeds: 1/200 sec, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, B(ulb), T(ime) Extinction Meter/Calculator: Yes Flash Synch Tubes: No Pressure Plate: Fixed The A2F was the most featu
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Argus AA Focus Type: Fixed Focus Years Manufactured: 1940 - 1942 Serial Number Range: 500000 - 513250 Shutter Type: Custom for Argus AA Lens Speed: f/6.3 Aperture Settings: f/6.3 (Dull/Color), 9 (Cloudy), 12.7 (Sun/Bright) Shutter Speeds: Time, Inst. Extinction Meter/Calculator: No Flash Synch Tubes: Yes Pressure Plate: Fixed The entire Shutter and Neck assembly was redesigned to incorporate a flash mechanism, and that flash is the AA’s only truly redeeming feature
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Post-War Argus A2B Focus Type: 2 Position (6ft - 18ft and 18ft - Infinity) Years Manufactured: ~1945 - 1950 Introductory Price: $29.00 (includes carrying case and excise tax) Approximate Introductory Price In 2003 Dollars: $270.00 Serial Number Range: ~56215 - 244601 Shutter Type: Post-war Lens Speed: f/4.5 Aperture Settings: f/4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.7, 18 th Shutter Speeds: 1/150 sec, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, B(ulb), T(ime) Extinction Meter/Calculator: Yes Flash Synch Tubes: No
