Argus Model C2 camera

 

Going from a rectangular TLR camera to a rectangular range finder camera. This post will be looking at the brick camera, known as the Argus Model C2.

But first a look at the Argus company. It was first founded as the International Radio Corporation in 1931, by William E. Brown, George Burke and Charles Albert Vershoor. The company started out selling radios made from plastic (Bakelite, according to Eckman 2019) at an inexpensive price under the brand Kadette. But the problem was that radios sales weren’t a year round sale, only selling during the winter, but dropping once summer came. So, Vershoor, came up with the idea of selling cheap, but reliable 35mm cameras and produced their first camera in 1936, The Model A. (Argus Museum)

Argus Model A. Image Source: https://theargusa.com/ara02.jpg

This was a big success for the company, leading them to sell their radio patents and making cameras their main business. This led to their company name to change to the International Research Corporation (Argus Museum).

The name Argus came from the Greek god with a thousand eyes. The idea of the Model A came from Vershoor’s idea to produce a camera, similar to Leica, but at a more affordable cost, which lead him to tour and research in Europe. This led to the sale of “30,000 units by Montgomery Ward in the first week…” (AADL 2025). 

According to Eckman (2019), it was Vershoor’s visit to Germany, that lead him to examine the Leica cameras and “thought that with his expertise at making inexpensive items using Bakelite, that he could do for the camera industry, what he did for the radio industry.”

But their inexpensive and reliable cameras put them in competition with Japanese camera companies. To which the International Research Corporation responded by diversifying “its product lines with projectors, optical and specialty equipment for several United States Department of Defense contracts during WWII, and the Korean War, thus saving many local jobs…” (AADL 2025).

But the selling to the military in 1942 lead to the cease of domestic sales and “Argus devoted its production to military optics and radio equipment for the US and allied armed forces. Government loans, which the company eventually repaid in full, enabled the company to expand its production facilities.” Then by 1944, the company went from the International Research Corporation to Argus, Inc. and won the “E” award from the Army and Navy five times! (Argus Museum). 

After the war, Argus went back to civilian sales and filled a gap in the US market and in addition to camera production, Argus also introduced new slide-projectors. Then changed their name again in 1949 to Argus Cameras, Inc. and in the 1950s became the second largest camera (and equipment) seller (Kodak being the first).

But by 1959 the company was bought by Sylvania (due to a “lack of proficient bookkeeping, overgenerous stock dividends, and elaborate corporate spending, caused the company to have a net loss, despite great sales…” Eckman 2019) and then sold by Sylvania in 1969 (Science Museum Group), to “Mansfield, a Chicago-based importer of photographic products…” (Argus Museum). 

Although I should note that, according to Argus Museum, these dates from the Science Museum Group are incorrect and should be 1957 and 1962.

After it was sold for a second time, it went through a few transactions and by 1969 (or 1970 according to Science Museum Group), all camera productions ended. But the brand name Argus, was owned and used by a bunch of other companies to sell cameras (Argus Museum), or in other words: “more recently the Argus brand was re-established used on a variety of inexpensive digital cameras made by the separate manufacturer Argus Camera Company, LLC., located in Inverness, IL.” (Science Museum Group). Like the Argus DC3200 and DC2200 (CollectiBlend 2025).

Argus DC3200. Image Source: https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/images/Argus-DC3200.jpg

Argus DC2200. Image Source: https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/images/Argus-DC2200.jpg

There doesn’t seem to be much more information, but their line-up of cameras is incredible and some of the most interesting looking cameras around, such as the Argus, Argo Seventy-five, Argus Lady Carefree and the Argus M3 Matchmatic (CollectiBlend 2025). Making it easy to believe that “While the business no longer exists, Argus cameras remain much sought-after collectibles...” (AADL).

Argus Argoflex Seventy-Five. Image Source: https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/images/Argus-Argoflex-Seventy-Five.jpg

Argus Lady Carefree. Image Source: https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/images/Argus-Lady-Carefree.jpg

Argus M3 Matchmatic. Image Source: https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/images/Argus-Argus-M3-Matchmatic.jpg

Now let’s look at the camera at hand, the Argus Model C2. This camera was released in 1938-1942 (Eckman 2019) and was a part of Argus’ most famous line of cameras, the C series.

Designed by Gustave Fassin, who saw the potential and need for more cameras that had competitive features at lower costs, came up with a new design patent 110,516. This design is a bit different from the product released but still has the basics (Eckman 2019).

Patent 110,516 by Fassin. Image Source: https://mikeeckman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ArgusPatentDrawing-2-512x776.jpg

The C camera was introduced as an updated version of the Model A series (Argus Museum), “Featuring a distinct brick-shaped Bakelite body with polished metal front and back panels, an interchangeable lens mount, and an uncoupled split image rangefinder, the Argus C was quite a step up from the Model A…” (Eckman 2019).

The first in the series was the Model C, which had two variations (Eckman 2019), “The Earliest of these had a ‘dual range’ switch for 2 range (fast & slow) shutter speeds…” (ACG). But this camera had one flaw: “the lack of the coupling gear between the lens and rangefinder window.  This means that the rangefinder and lens could be turned independently of each other.  In order to take a reading, you’d need to look through the rangefinder window and get your images to line up, then look at the rangefinder wheel and see what distance is indicated, and then turn the lens to match the same distance and take your photo…” (Eckman 2019).

Argus Model C. Image Source: https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/images/Argus-Argus-C-black.jpg

But this was fixed with the introduction of the C2, this camera. The C2 is the same as the model C but came with a gear that connected the lens with the range finder (ACG) for “simultaneous adjustment of the focus distance while seeing distance changes in the rangefinder.  By 1938, coupled rangefinders had become the norm in more expensive German cameras like the Leica II and Kodak Retina II, so to have this feature in an inexpensive American camera was a big deal…” (Eckman 2019).

Then, came the most popular camera of the C models, the C3, which was the same as the C2, except that the C3 came with two holes that allowed for a flash to be attached (ACG). But this also means that the C3 had change applied to its shutter to accommodate the flash synchronization (Eckman 2019).

Argus Model C3 add. Image Source: https://lirp.cdn-website.com/08bca7ea/dms3rep/multi/opt/Argus_C3-1920w.jpg

Argus C2 (left) and C3 (right). Image Source: https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/3087343057_8b66691092.jpg

The C3 was also later had other variants: the C3 Standard, equipped with an accessory shoe (ACG), the C3 colormatic which referred to the colour “coded numbers on the shutter speed dial, lens, and focusing scale that was there to help novice photographers get accurate snapshots in average lighting…” (Eckman 2019), the C3 Match-Matic a "’Simplified’ exposure system, to work only with Accessory Meter…” (ACG).

Argus C3 Standard. Image Source: https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/images/Argus-Argus-C3.jpg

Argus C3 Colormatic. Image Source: https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2795/4385025384_7161817dde.jpg

Argus C3 Match-Matic. Image Source: https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1398/881564952_37a461c389.jpg

Then came the C3 Gold Shield, when Sylvania bought Argus and merged with General Telephone, and was only sold in jewellery stores due to it having a “gold trim and a fancy name plate…” (Eckman 2019). 

Argus C3 Gold Shield. Image Source: https://mikeeckman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ArgusGoldenShield-1-512x341.jpg

Then came the C33, a "’Automated’ C Model, used in conjunction with coupled, slip-on meter...” (ACG).  But this would see the down fall of the C series, because as Gandy (2016) points out: “…the C3 had already stretched the limits of its market audience beyond reason.  By adding Leica like features, the C33 unfortunately went on to the next level of photo awareness, only to quickly sink like the proverbial bad Hollywood remake into the bottomless black abyss of a Hollywood executive's non-existent conscious…”

Argus Model C33. Image Source: https://mikeeckman.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ArgusC33-6-512x334.jpg

Gandy (2016), goes on further, by writing that the C33 was an improved version of the C3, but that the owners of the C3, didn’t want an improved version. For the C series and the A series, were cameras that (like Kodak) allowed anyone to use a camera no matter how un/skilled the user was or as Eckman (2016) states: “It was used by amateurs, professionals, students, the military, and countless other people in nearly every profession.”

Gandy (2016) writes: “The only problem was that most C-3 owners were already in far over their heads photographically.  The intended immense waiting market of C-3 owners lustfully wanting an improved C-3 didn't exist, they had a hard enough time already trying to figure out the mysteries of the C-3.”

This is sort of the reverse of what happened to the Minolta company (see the Minolta 110 Zoom SLR film camera post).

But now let’s have a look at the C2. The body seems to be a combination of plastic and metal. The C2 was produced during 1938-1942 (ACG), but according to Sterritt (2023), the serial number of this camera suggests that it was manufactured in 1940. 

It has a size of 140 x 85 x 75 mm (Museum Victoria Collections) and a hefty weight of 1kg (MW Classic)!

Now starting with the front.

 First let’s see the lens.

The lens is an Argus Cintar lens. It has a focal length of 50mm and a maximum f/stop of 3.5. The Cintar is the standard lens that came with all the C models and was the only lens made by Argus and is a “Cooke Triplet with three lens elements in three groups.  Many sites refer to the Cintar as a Leitz Elmar copy, but it is not as the Elmar is a four element in three groups design.  They may have both derived from an earlier Cooke design, but the Cintar is not a copy of the Elmar. Like the Elmar though, the Cintar’s simplicity works in its favour as it’s a surprisingly capable lens that delivers sharp and contrasty images with very little undesirable qualities like aberrations, coma, or vignetting which is characteristic of lesser lenses…” (Ecman 2019).

Now a Cooke triplet lens is similar to the Anastigmat lens (see Agfa Billy Record 7.7 Pocket Camera post), but is still different. The Cooke lens was invented by H. Dennis Taylor, whose design “changed the direction of popular lenses. He was able to minimize chromatic aberrations and improve sharpness, specifically at the outer edge of optics. With only two biconvex lenses (or positive) on the outer and a biconcave lens in the middle (or negative) he came closer than anyone had managed at the time to optical perfection…” (Eparrino 2023).

Cooke Triplet patent. Image Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Cooke_triplet.JPG

Basically the Anastigmat only corrects: “spherical aberration, coma, and astigmatism” (Wikipedia) and was invented in 1890. Now the Cooke lens came out in 1894 (Eparrino 2023) and was an improvement on the Anastigmat, by correcting Five Seidel aberrations (Wikipedia), which are: spherical aberration, coma aberration, off-axial astigmatism, curvature of image field and distortion (Jeol). The lens is also interchangeable. Argus brought out other lenses that the C series could use.

Page 16 & 17 from the manual.

Other lenses that the Argus C series could use. Image Source: https://mikeeckman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ArgusLenses-1024x683.jpg

The lens is also where the f/stop settings are on. The settings are found on the outer ring surrounding the lens opening. The F/stop settings are 3.5, 4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.7 and 18. And because the lens is interchangeable, the aperture petals are (unlike the other Argus and early cameras) are in front of the shutter.

Attached to the lens is a gear system (similar to the Ricohflex IIII) that connects the lens to a coupling unit and the range finder (with a base of 44mm, Eckman 2019).

A range finder is similar to a TLR, in that it is a separate lens and can be used to get an idea of what the taking lens sees or in other words:

“Rangefinders have a larger viewfinder that is separate from the lens which allows a greater field of vision and, in turn, enhances your ability to see your subject enter the frame, helping anticipate your shot.” (Lee & Lush 2020)

Range Finder diagram. Image Source: https://thedarkroom.com/app/uploads/2020/07/Rangefinder-Camera-Illustrated.svg

But a range finder has the drawback of:

“Since you aren’t looking through the lens itself, you are more apt to cover it with your finger, forget your lens cap, etc. The viewfinder also makes a rangefinder not an ideal portrait camera because you aren’t composing or focusing through the lens. Rangefinders are also harder to focus in low light.” (Lee & Lush 2020)

The range finder is also where the user will find the focus settings, which go from three to a hundred feet and infinity.

Underneath that is the shutter set lever, that cocks and readies the shutter. Which is used to stop any accidental double exposure.

 

Above the lens are the viewfinder and range finder opening. The C2 has two viewfinders. The first one is for the range finder, which is a split window from the top and bottom.

 The split window and is used as follows:

Page 8 & 9 from the manual.

Then next to that is just a normal viewfinder.

Next to those two windows is the shutter speed settings. This camera came with ten different settings, but according to Eckman (2019), this was brought down to five for later models.

These shutter speeds are: 1/5, 1/10, 1/20, 1/30, 1/50, 1/75, 1/100, 1/150, 1/200 and 1/300 of a second!

Then on top…

Is where the shutter release is. The early models of the C2 came with the “mushroom” release, but after 1939, they came with the cylindrical release (Sterritt 2023). The shutter is a “fairly stout leaf shutter” (Eckman 2019).

Mushroom shutter release. Image Source: https://mikeeckman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ArgusCMushroomButton-512x341.jpg 

The shutter is also where the user can find the remote shutter release thread, as well as the I and B shutter settings. These settings are on a ring that is around the shutter release.

Next to the shutter is the film counter dial and under that is the counter dial release button, to help count and move the film to the next frame. And next to that is “The large chrome circle with the two divots in it is a port for accessing a rangefinder adjustment screw…” (Eckman 2019).

And finally next to that is the film advance knob.

Under the camera…

Is the stand to balance the camera, the tripod and wristband socket. There is also the rewind knob.

Now for the back…

Here is the film compartment and the film compartment cover.

On the cover is a wheel known as the film speed dial. It is as Schuster (2012) writes: “is simply a reminder of what film you have loaded -- it serves no mechanical function, since this camera has no light meter.”

Above that are the viewfinder and range finder windows.

To open the film compartment cover, the user presses down on the pressure plate or lock clip, located on the right side.

The film compartment is a right to left feed, instead of the usual left to right. This camera takes 35mm film (see the Kodak 200 Color Plus Film post).

Loading the film is quite the process, so to keep it simple here is the manual’s explanation:

Page 4 & 5 from the manual.

Page 6 & 7 from the manual.

Page 15 from the manual.

This camera also came with a leather carrier and a lens accessory kit.

Page 18 & 19 from the manual.

Argus also sold an optional Electormatic speed printer to help print out film negatives and pictures.

Page 10 (C) from the manual.

And there it is, the brick of the camera world. With its size and shape, this camera can also possibly be used as a weapon (and with a chunk missing in the corner, something tells me that it might have been used as one!).

The camera is simple to use, and it is easy to see why people compared it to the Leica and why it sold so well. The only drawbacks are the weight, and size makes it difficult to pack. But at the end it is still an amazing piece of engineering, and it has a unique look that just mesmerizes and draws people towards it.

It is a real must have for camera collectors and vintage collectors alike.

Anyway, thank you for making it to the end and as always, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did researching it. 

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List of sources:

AADL. The Story of Argus Camera. https://aadl.org/arguscamera

ACG. Argus "C" Series Cameras. https://www.arguscg.org/reference/c.shtml

Argus Museum. History of Argus. https://www.argusmuseum.org/history-of-argus

CollectiBlend. 2025. Argus Price guide. https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Argus/thumbnails/

Eckman, M. 2019. Argus C-Series Part I – History. https://mikeeckman.com/2019/08/argus-c-series-part-i-history/

Eckman, M. 2019. Argus C-Series Part II – Repairs. https://mikeeckman.com/2019/08/argus-c-series-part-ii-repairs/

Eckman, M. 2019. Argus C-Series Part III – Identification. https://mikeeckman.com/2019/08/argus-c-series-part-iii-identification/

Eckman, M. 2019. Argus C-Series Part IV – Lenses and Use. https://mikeeckman.com/2019/08/argus-c-series-part-iv-lenses-use/

Eparrino. 2023. A Revolutionary Lens: The Story Of The Cooke Triplet. https://www.lomography.com/magazine/351477-a-revolutionary-lens-the-story-of-the-cooke-triplet

Gandy, S. 2016. Argus C-33 aka Brick 33 aka Walter Mitty. https://cameraquest.com/argc33.htm

Jeol. Five Seidel aberrations. https://www.jeol.com/words/emterms/20121023.035259.php#gsc.tab=0

Lee, T & Lush, h. 2020. Rangefinder vs SLR. https://thedarkroom.com/rangefinder-vs-slr/#:~:text=Rangefinders%20have%20a%20larger%20viewfinder,frame%2C%20helping%20anticipate%20your%20shot.

Mike. Argus C2 Manual. https://butkus.org/chinon/argus/argus_c-2/argus_c-2.htm

Museum Victoria Collections. Camera - Argus, 'C 2 Range-Finder', Michigan, U.S.A., circa 1940. https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/378560#:~:text=Model%20Name%20or%20Number,Products%2C%20Chrome%20Steel%2C%20Leather%20Products

MW Classic. Argus C2 “Brick” 35mm coupled rangefinder camera with 50mm f3.5 Cintar lens. As featured in the Harry Potter “Chamber of Secrets” film. https://mwclassic.com/product/argus-c2-brick-35mm-coupled-rangefinder-camera-with-50mm-f3-5-cintar-lens-as-featured-in-the-harry-potter-chambre-of-secrets-film/

Schuster, R. 2012. Argus C3 (the brick) Review. https://shotonfilm.wordpress.com/the-cameras-2/argus-c3-the-brick/#:~:text=The%20viewfinder%20window%20is%20extremely,of%20the%20rangefinder%20dial%20gears.

Science Museum Group. Argus Camera Company 1936. https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp68129/argus-camera-company

Sterritt, P. 2023. When was my Argus camera made? A guide to estimating the date of production for Argus cameras made between 1936 and 1966. https://argusinfo.net/DatingGuide/DatingYourArgus.htm#C3A

Wikipedia. Anastigmat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastigmat#:~:text=The%20first%20Anastigmat%20was%20designed,in%201891%2C%20substituting%20a%20cemented

Wikipedia. Cooke Triplet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooke_triplet#:~:text=The%20Cooke%20triplet%20is%20noted,negative)%20lens%20in%20the%20middle.