All three lenses are Argus Cintar color corrected, anastigmat coated 4 element lenses that use Series VI lens hoods and filters. A 35mm wide angle and a 100mm telephoto were also available. The standard 50mm that came with it, which is normal for a 35mm film camera. The rangefinder on the C33 is fairly large and quite bright with all of the lenses, but like all rangefinders what you see is just an approximation of what you are actually photographing and with it’s minimum range of about 3 feet, you would have to take into consideration the offset and frame the image accordingly. The camera is well designed, attractive and quite nice to use. The front view of the C line film cameras is what defines the m as an Argus. The chrome or nickle plated sides have large surfaces of uninterrupted lines, the biggest exception is the front. Similar to its cousin, the C3, the C33 is nearly a smooth metal brick. The lenses all tie into the split-screen rangefinder which makes focusing like many of the SLRs that would soon dominate the market. Like many other 35mm film cameras of the time, the C33 is a rangefinder, so focusing is independent from the lens.
#Weight of 4 year old argus monitor update
The C33 is a middle child of the C series and was built as an attempt to update the C3 (which was still being made and sold) but was dated compared to the lineup from Nikon, Canon, and others of the time. One of only a few American Camera manufacturers while also being a major contributor to the economy of the Ann Arbor area.
HistoryĪrgus Incorporated was based in Ann Arbor Michigan and was one of the most successful camera companies of its time.
Regardless, the C3 35mm film camera, the third in the “Brick” series was the most popular camera that Argus made selling 2 million or more units during its run from 1939 to 1966. Years ago I read that War Correspondent Ernie Pyle used an Argus C3, which would be a great segue into this post, but I haven’t been able to confirm it.