A quick Argus C33 question

Hiya, I'm offered an Argus C33 rangefinder camera, which I am totally unfamiliar

with. It sure is a great-looking camera, but after researching on the internets

one question remains: Everywhere it says that the exposure meter is coupled,

does that mean it is auto-exposure or can I still set shutter speed and aperture

independently of what the vintage light meter recommends?

http://www.cameraquest.com/argc33.htm

 

http://www.arguscg.tripod.com/id94.html

You may know about this page" http://www.cameraquest.com/argc33.htm. The (removable) selenium meter is hooked to the shutter speed dial. Nothing is automatic, and you can choose any f-stop or shutter speed you like.

You may be surprised how good that camera can be!

 

Dave

I have the C4 I inherited from my Uncle. It has no light meter but I have a separate meter.

 

Good camera. I take it with me every where.

So the meter is only an accessory. That's great, because I trust my Sekonic more than any selenium meter.

 

I'm looking forward to this camera, it must definitively be a great conversation piece when shooting it. It's a radically different design than all the other 1950s rangefinders I have (mostly German ones). Too bad that the additional lenses for the C33 are more or less non-existent here in Old Europe.

These cameras were made in a foundry in Pittsburgh. Vanadium steel was poured into brick-sized molds and then allowed to cool. Once cooled, they were sent to a large industrial machine shop were the insides of the casting were hogged out to some kind of tolerance plus or minus about .05 inch. Raw glass was then blown into lens-shaped devices and manually pressed into the small portholes drilled into the casting. The final touch was a manual sharpening of the corners of the casting into almost razor-blade sharpness. The final paint coating was applied by a Fisher Body plant in Detroit where they were hung between various Oldsmobile bodies on coat hangers as they were manually pushed through the paint booth. You find this over the top; but it really is the truth. The Argus is the only camera which I held in my hands that appeared to also have some major potential as a deadly weapon. It is radically different to the point where the Russians made no attempt whatsoever to copy it. They knew better.<div></div>

That wasn't very nice, John!

 

I had a C33 for a short time, I sent it to a friend in Russia (See, they didn't ALL know better!). Its design was a bit unfortunate in terms of handling, but it was certainly distinctive. Functionally it was probably the best camera Argus ever made: its lenses were at least in the C44 league and its shutter was better.

Ya gotta have some humor Richard. BTW how about that lathe head. And..somewhere on photo.net is a RUSSIAN photographer who posted some cool images taken with HIS Argus. Now, about those sharp corners..

John -

 

I'm afraid that your story, while plausible, is an urban myth. It's well documented that Argus cameras are grown in vats. You take a super-saturated solution of Argonium, and suspend a seed crystal for about a week along with a little bit of electricity (preferably 6v from a leaky lead-acid battery). The painting and finishing gets done in the same place where they keep the prototype 95mpg carburettor. Simple, no?

That truly is the Frankencamera. I think the only uglier Argus is the Autronic.

Some day I want to build a garden shed out of C3 bodies....

 

:)=

what was that lathe used for? it looks somewhat bigger than my 1953 craftsman......

Lathes of that size are usually found either in marine shops or larger foundries and of course in the main Argus Plant in Pittsburgh (Or was it a large shipyard on the east coast; no matter right now). Just so you know to save time, often Argus cameras were mounted on one of these chucks, often 30 or more at a time, complete with the lens assemblies. They were then machined slightly to make sure that the beginning of the filter threads in the lens bodies were square with the back end of the camera. This is the reason why the Argus body is so square. It made clamping them onto the chuck much easier.

It figures Arguses were painted in the same shop as Olds... they are about as heavy and may even have more chrome!

You may have all your fun, but I think the Argus cameras are fantastic-looking picture-takers. They may plentifully available to you, but they are very rare (and expensive!) here in Germany. I'd love to get my hand on one (especially a C33 with that quirky light meter), but after I realized their price, I guess I'd have to keep shooting my boring Zeiss Ikons and Voigtländers....

Hey...MY C33 isn't painted...I've been gypped!

I think you can have it cold galvanized....

rich... is that for shooting in the rain?

A really SUPER accessory for the Argus is the UMBRELLA SOCKET. This creates a moisture free zone for the camera and several other people as well, to the benefit of street shooters, They can get their subjects in out of the rain, take some pictures, AND have a nice warm hot dog on a cold day at the same. But, really, The Argus C33 was a great camera and it had a long life span. In terms of styling and having a unique "look" the Argus folks were clever at keeping that look. But I have to admit, I have an Argus (not a C33), and at one time, it came very, very close to being tossed in the trash. Just not a quality product. More than likely it will find a parking spot next to my Kalimar in the hall closet.

You guys crack me up. The C-33's ugliness is only superceded by the Autronic. If any of you ever get to Ann Arbor, I can show you the factory where they were made!

Ashley(? same street as the Blind Pig) and Liberty Ann Arbor, MI?