The Argus C3 is a popular 35mm rangefinder camera made by Argus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, produced from 1939 to 1966. Nicknamed “The Brick” because of its distinctive rectangular shape and size, it featured a rugged Bakelite body with metal castings, a coupled rangefinder focusing mechanism, and a 50mm f\/3.5 Cintar anastigmat triplet lens, often made by Bausch & Lomb or other optical manufacturers. The camera has a shutter speed range from 1\/10 to 1\/300 second, plus Bulb mode for long exposures, with aperture settings from f\/3.5 to f\/16. It was known for its durability, affordability, and technical design simplicity, selling over 2 million units, making it one of America’s most successful cameras. The Argus C3 also had interchangeable lenses and built-in flash synchronization, appealing to photographers who appreciated its “scientific” appearance and mechanical nature despite its clunky form factor.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Argus C3 is a durable, low-priced 35mm rangefinder camera known as “The Brick” for its shape and weight, featuring a 50mm f\/3.5 Cintar lens, a coupled rangefinder, interchangeable lenses, and was mass-produced in the US from 1939 to 1966 with over 2 million units 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