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The model A was the original Argus 35mm camera and was manufactured by the International Radio Corporation of Ann Arbor, Michigan (soon renamed International Research Corporation) from 1936 through 1941. Prior to the introduction of this camera, IRC had been very successful in manufacturing and selling their Kadette line of AC/CD plastic bodied table top radio receivers. Because radio sales in the 1930s was a seasonal business dropping off in the summer months, IRC head Charles Verschoor sought a product that would keep IRC's revenue up year round. On a trip to Europe, Verschoor was introduced to the popular new Leica 35mm camera and believed that if IRC could introduce a similar product to the American market at an affordable price, it would be a success. The Argus A was designed by Gustave Fassin in 1934 and was first sold to the public at a retail price of $9.95 in early 1936. (Fassin would also design the popular Argus C camera body.) The Argus A was an instant hit, prompting Verschoor to sell his radio patents to RCA and focus the company's productions lines solely to cameras and thus the first of the American made Argus line of cameras was born. The Argus A is about as basic as a 35mm camera can be. The camera features a removable metal back, a simple optical viewfinder, adjustable iris and shutter speeds, a film wind and rewind knob and a unique collapsible lens mount for which Charles Verschoor was awarded US Patent # 2,052,261. (If you are interested in seeing the actual patent, you must visit Scott Bilotta's camera patent site.) This collapsible mount allows the photographer to compress and lock the lens inside the camera body, which made the camera easy and comfortable to carry in his pocket. The lens is a three-element f/4.5 antistigmat design, and the front two elements can easily be removed for cleaning. Simply turn the knurled ring around the lens counterclockwise until the front lens assembly comes out. The middle element can then be unscrewed from the back of the front lens assembly. The marked f/stops on my Argus A are 4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.7, and 18. The shutter is a self-cocking Ilex-Precise that is tripped by a lever on the lens mount. There is also a standard cable release socket on my camera and the shutter speeds on my Argus A are 25, 50, 100, 200, B, T. The Argus A features a really neat art deco design. In addition to the black Bakelite finish, the A could also be had with gray, brown or an olive drab finish. The primary drawback to the Argus A is that the lens is pretty much a fixed focus design. By twisting the lens it is extended from its collapsed position and is focused for subjects from 15' to infinity. Twisting the lens again 60 degrees in the opposite direction will extend the lens just a bit further, and focus it for "close-ups" from 8' to 15'. This is obviously a rather limited selection, but some subsequent Argus cameras that shared the A's Bakelite body did have full focusing capabilities. Other Argus variations that shared the same Bakelite body included:
The Argus Model A played a huge role in making 35mm the popular standard film format size it is today. Not only does it have a significant place in photographic history, it remains a wonderful 35mm camera that is still capable of producing decent snapshots today. (It will also turn a few heads if you bring it out in public!) |
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