Argus C-Fourty-Four / C-44
The Argus C-Forty-Four (C-44) won't make many people's lists of top American-made cameras. It may not make any lists at all, but there are those that love these cameras anyway. The Argus line seems to have a special place in the history and heart of photography, maybe due to the prolific production of the preceding Argus C3. The C-44 was one of the last cameras of the Argus line, built between 1956-1962 (if one includes the C-44R). It is noteworthy for its interchangeable lens system, using a bayonet lens mount, offering a selection of four lenses across three different focal lengths. There were two 50mm lenses; one with an f/2.8 max aperture and another with f/1.9. The viewfinder of the C-44 includes a coupled rangefinder and accommodates framing with the 50mm lenses only, an auxiliary finder is necessary for composing while using the 35mm or 100mm lenses. Also, while the early C-44 version used knobs for both film advance and rewind, the later C-44R replaced those knobs with an advance lever and rewind crank.
The camera definitely wins points for its style. It has such a sleek and refined look, especially compared to the boxy design of the earlier Argus rangefinders. Gone are the hard corners, to be replaced by smooth curves. These days, it is considered one of the more beautiful Argus cameras... although its interchangeable lens system is panned for being tedious and slow to use.
za/sd
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