Argus C3 Brick Rangefinder 35mm Film Camera w/50mm Cintar Lens & Protective Case

Pre-owned in great condition with minimal wear & tear.

The Argus C3 is often referred to as "the Brick", a sobriquet earned largely due to it's, to put it politely, linear styling and significantly reinforced by its weight. Largely conventional in operation it can catch out modern camera users as the shutter needs to be cocked prior to release with what looks like a delayed release winder. This same lever is perfectly positioned to be fouled by the user's fingers during release, wrecking the picture. The construction centers around a "Bakelite" body onto which pressed metal front and back panels are mounted. 

The C3 shares the same sprocket system as the earlier Argus A and like the A series enjoyed a long production run, evolving gradually from 1939 to 1966. This heritage extends to the lack of double exposure prevention. The rangefinder and viewfinder are separate. One side of the rangefinder image is gathered through the middle of the focus wheel and the other from the central window, resulting in a short rangefinder base. This is mitigated to a large extent as the rangefinder image is significantly magnified. The rangefinder is of the superimposed type, but one above the other merging in the middle, the lower one supplied by the middle window is tinted yellow. The viewfinder is slightly offset. 

The 35mm film is wound by a thumb wheel and travels right to left, automatically stopping after one frame has advanced. This is a fairly late example with accessory shoe, coated lens and probably dates from 1956. Cameras earn Classic status for a number of reasons, sometimes because they are exceptional instruments, others for being the first in their series, still others for being the first to introduce a new feature or technology. And some cameras become classics for their quirky appearance.

It comes with camera & case.

The strap is broken.

Please refer to the pictures.

What you see is what you get.