Published ranges are inaccurate. Empirical data suggest nnnnnn is between roughly and Serial number: on a label inside above the film rails in the format "A2F nnnnn". Empirical data suggests range of nnnnn is approximately to Published information stating range is "shared with model A" is incorrect. Empirical data show nnnn is between and Stamped in dark numbers on a black surface so hard to see under the best of conditions. Serial number: stamped on the inside of the back in the format "0nnnnn" where nnnnnn is between October and The two cameras share the same set of serial numbers and it's not known if different ranges were used for each of the two cameras.
Serial number: on a label inside on side of lens housing in the format "Mnnnnn" four or five digits. Range approximately M - M Serial number: on a label inside on side of lens housing in the format " 1nnnnn". Ranges by model overlap; Camros tend to be earliest, Mincas in the middle and Delcos later. No known documentation of Delco vintage. Estimated range across all models: through Serial number: on a label inside below sprocket wheels in the format "nnnnnC" where nnnnnn is between and Ranges in the following table were adjusted based on comparisons of feature evolution and serial numbers in C-2s and C-3s.
Published information that states that the prewar C-3 serial numbers run through is not supported by survey data and probably a typo, but is a possibility. The endpoint is per published information. The first cameras made when civilian production resumed in started with 0nnnn and proceeded upward from there to in However, it appears that the first several thousand cameras that would have started from had the leading '1' omitted from the serial number, so they appear as a five-digit number between and around If your camera has a five-digit serial number between and and it has the following set of features, its serial number is probably accurate and the camera was made in or early If your camera has a five-digit serial number between and and it has the following set of features, its serial number is probably missing the leading '1' add to get the correct number and the camera was made in late or early Thanks to Curtis Riddick for information that helped solve the riddle of the earliest postwar cameras.
Any camera with a coated lens whether labeled as such or not was probably made in July or later. Inconsistencies in serial numbers are fairly common in Argus history.
For these cameras, the year of production is indicated by the fourth digit of the serial number; the quarter of that year is indicated by the fifth digit of the serial number. Often used as a scout, this gave Vaccaro many opportunities to get out and take photos. He was not an official Army photographer however, so he was responsible for acquiring, carrying, and developing his own film. He would borrow helmets from other soldiers to use as tanks developing his film and would hang the negatives from tree branches to dry.
After developing, he would carry his negatives with him until he could get them somewhere safe. It is estimated that Vaccaro shot over images on his Argus C3, many of which have become iconic war time photos.
The C2 and C3 were produced concurrently and saw many of the same cosmetic variations such as the switch from ten to seven shutter speeds and the addition of a Weston film reminder dial. Like the C2, the exact year of manufacture can be determined by the serial number which can be found either behind the take up spool, or stamped into the Bakelite beneath the film gate in the film compartment.
When production resumed in late , the Argus C3 returned mostly unchanged. The first cameras produced until mid had the same uncoated Argus Cintar lenses, non standard aperture scale, chrome cocking lever, and blue tinted rangefinder as the prewar cameras did. The C3 remained largely unchanged over the next several years with only a couple minor variances:. C3 Colormatic — The red markings were designed for Kodak Ektachrome or Anscochrome color film, or Plus X or Supreme black and white film.
The yellow markings were for Kodachrome film. An often overlooked feature of the C3 Colormatic was that for the first time, the camera supported electronic flash synchronization at all speeds when using an electronic flash. The C3 Colormatic also removed the circular ASA film reminder dial on the back door of the camera, instead having three separate strips of body covering separated by chrome trim.
In only, the chrome trim was removed and the back door of the camera had a large single piece of body covering. Although the C3 was nearly 20 years old, it was still a popular camera and between the years of and an average of about , were sold making these very common on the used market today. Both the Postwar and Colormatic cameras can easily be dated using the serial number stamped into the Bakelite on the inside of the film compartment.
Unlike the Prewar cameras, there is no prefix to the serial numbers. The chart to the right shows a wide range of serial numbers including both the original Postwar and Colormatic C3s. The s saw a great number of changes in the camera industry. Argus had already used the name C4 for a completely different camera, so for these new models, they were called the Standard C3 and Match-Matic C3.
I was unable to find any pricing or advertising materials for the Standard C3, but I have to imagine it was the same. Both the Standard and Match-Matic gained a new flat top shutter release button, an accessory shoe, and an accessory selenium cell exposure meter that was sold with every camera. The accessory shoe also allowed for standard auxiliary viewfinders to be used for the wide angle and telephoto Argus lenses that were available.
Prior to these models, the only auxiliary viewfinders were clip on types made specifically for the C3 that attached to the front and rear viewfinder windows. The standard Cintar 50mm lens got a redesign too with a brushed aluminum exterior ring and a built in Series V retaining ring to allow for drop-in filters and other lens accessories.
Instead, the shutter speed selector and lens had a numbering scale that when added together was supposed to match up with a corresponding numbering scale on the attached meter. If the exposure meter was pointing to the number 12 on the meter, any combination of shutter speeds or lens apertures that added up to 12 would give proper exposure. The idea of a Match-Matic type system was not unique to Argus as other companies such as Minolta had them on their Autocords and other cameras.
This, combined with the retro s brick like shape makes the Match-Matic C3 one of the most distinct looking cameras of all time. With the Standard and Match-Matic cameras, came a new serial numbering system. Instead of being stamped inside of the film compartment, serial numbers were now on the bottom of the camera and were eight digits long, with the fourth digit being a date code indicating which year the camera was made.
There are inconsistencies with cameras made in that did not follow the usual pattern, which Phillip Sterritt covers in his Argus Dating Guide but otherwise every other year follows the pattern shown in the chart to the left. In , Argus Inc. Several buildings of its heyday are still known as Argus building. One of these pearls of the city's brick architecture has become a modern office building now, with a public area where a permanent exhibition of Argus cameras is shown, the Argus Museum.
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