Argus C3 with a Zeiss lens?

Back when Ebay was young, I watched an Argus C3 that supposedly had a Zeiss

lens. I recall that there was an image of the camera and the original box with

the label clearly indicating that the camera had a Zeiss lens. I have searched

for information but I have never found any indication that Argus ever offered a

C3 with a Zeiss lens. I was curious whether anyone had ever heard of such a C3

lens combination.

 

David

There have been Zeika and Geiss (actually Geiss-America, and only for C4 AFAIK) lenses for Argus cameras. Could that have been it?

Oops, clicked too soon. meant to add "you can ask the real experts at the <a href="http://arguscg.tripod.com/id7.html">Argus Collectors Group</a>"

Thanks Rand, but no luck. I started out collecting odd Argus's back then (searching for the elusive K or Argoflex II) and I was familiar with the Argus Collector's Group. However, I sold most of the interesting ones back a few years ago to help finance my current extravagance. Anyway, no luck there. If I'm the only one who ever saw such a beast, then, ..well, err.

I don't know if that particular combination ever really existed, but its entirely possible.

 

The C-3 did have interchangeable lenses, unlike the C-4. The Geiss-modified C-4's are very collectable, but were made obsolete when Argus introduced the C-44, which is basically a C-4 with interchangeable lenses.

 

The C-3 was in production from 1939 to 1966, in various incarnations, but they all took the same lenses, so there were plenty of them out there to create a market for after-market lenses.

 

At one time, it was one of the best selling cameras in the US.

 

I do know for sure that Soligor made at least one lens for the C-3. I've seen a couple of these 135mm lenses on ebay.

 

Argus offered two lenses, in addition to the 50mm lens that came with the camera: a 35mm wide-angle and a 100mm telephoto.

 

All of these facts make it entirely plausible that Zeiss made lenses for the C-3.

 

Paul Noble

Zeiss might also have made something that was close enough to fit on a C3 with an adapter.

No such thing. You must be thinking of Geiss. Actually the Argus C3 standard lens is a close cousin of the Zeiss Tessar. It's a very good performer so don't let the lack of a Zeiss lens put you off using one.

I have a C3, a C4 [Geiss modified with two lenses] and a C44. Maybe it was "Geiss" and not "Zeiss"? But I really am not sure. Maybe Zeiss made a few [rare] lenses for the C3.

 

Raid

I've never heard of a Zeiss lens for the C3, and it's a pretty hard combination for me to imagine.

OK... I think I'll chalk this one up to sleep deprivation resulting from being on ebay until 3AM. (I know it wasn't Geiss because I had a Geiss modified C44R and lenses in the original boxes and sold it about that time.) I had to ask the question, though because "argus, zeiss" have been on my search list for 7 years and it's time to delete.

Thanks to all.

And don't discount the possibility that you DID see what you remember seeing, but some ripoff SOB was selling not a modified camera, but a "modified" box