Photography has been in my blood since I was ‘infected’ at the tender age of 14. A friend’s father gave me an old camera that he had picked up during the Korean war. It was an ever-trusty, built-like-a-brick (and shaped like one too) Argus C3.
Fifty years old (or more) and still like new.
I found an old Westin light meter at a garage sale, and with the aid of the camera’s simple instruction manual I learned how to take pictures. I figured out ‘f-stops’ and shutter speeds, and ASA, and how to use the dim little rangefinder to focus. It was very confusing at first, and I was sure it wouldn’t work. But when the black and white prints came back from the photo store, I was hooked for life.
Fast-forward 37 years…I’ve owned dozens of cameras since those days and shot thousands of rolls of film, but when I pick up ‘the brick’ the years roll back in an instant.
It’s really sad how we’ve come to accept mediocre workmanship and throw-away design these days. The Argus was cheap and common, but it still takes good pictures after half a century.
Hi, I just seen my father in-law and he showed me a Argus C3 camera. Not realy knowing anything about much I would like to find out out what this camera realy is in value or ability.
Thank you in advance,
Henry van der Horn
Henry – The Argus C3 was an extremely popular camera in its time; millions were sold. I picked up the unit in the photo on eBay for about $20, in perfect condition. Here’s a great site with much information about Argus cameras.