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Argus A2F, User Manual

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Download this book for free at http://www.TheArgusA.com/ 

20 

Post-War Argus A2B 

 

 

 

Focus Type:

  2 Position (6ft - 18ft and 18ft - Infinity) 

Years Manufactured:

  ~1945 - 1950 

Introductory Price:

  $29.00 (includes carrying case and excise tax) 

Approximate Introductory Price In 2003 Dollars:

  $270.00 

Serial Number Range:

  ~56215 - 244601 

Shutter Type:  

Post-war

 

Lens Speed:

  f/4.5 

Aperture Settings:

  f/4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.7, 18 

Shutter Speeds:

  1/150

th

 sec, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, B(ulb), T(ime) 

Extinction Meter/Calculator:

  Yes 

Flash Synch Tubes:

  No 

Pressure Plate:

  Floating 

 

Argus made several updates to the pre-war A2B to face the new consumer 

landscape of post-World War II America.  Taking advantage of the technical innovations 
brought about by the war, Argus Industries simplified the  Shutter mechanism and 
fluoride-coated the lenses.  The top speed of the redesigned Shutter dropped from 1/200

th

 

to  1/150

th

 of a second.  This  Shutter had a completely new faceplate, returned to the 

lever-styled  Trigger, and lost all parts commonality with previous  Shutters.  The Lens 
Assembly was slightly  enlarged as well, making the early filters unusable with this 
camera. 

Despite these innovations,  the  post-war A2B was clearly the lowest in the 

manufacturer’s line of cameras.  It was advertised as an amateur  or college student 
camera. 

Summary of Contents for A2F

Page 1: ......

Page 2: ...Download this book for free at http www TheArgusA com 2 ...

Page 3: ...heir similarities and differences Therefore errors or omissions may have occurred and the author wholeheartedly apologizes for any problems this may cause This text assumes that the user has a rudimentary knowledge of photography This includes an understanding of apertures shutter speeds film speeds and lens care among other things The repair techniques described in this text are not those one wou...

Page 4: ...Download this book for free at http www TheArgusA com 4 Edition of 5 June 2004 Copyright 2004 Hrad Kuzyk All Rights Reserved ...

Page 5: ...JECT 1 WHY THE ARGUS A A2 CAMERA 2 HISTORY 3 MODELS AND VARIATIONS 4 PARTS OF THE CAMERA 5 USER S GUIDE 6 ACCESSORIES 7 RESTORATION AND REPAIR 8 TRICKS AND MODIFICATIONS 9 FINDING AN ARGUS IN GOOD SHAPE 10 FURTHER READING APPENDIX A ARGUS A PATENT APPENDIX B BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES ...

Page 6: ...ge Leica and Contax cameras also offer photographic purity they are a considerably harsher investment in money time and effort The Argus is forgiving in this respect and can often be purchased for ten dollars or less Due to the theories on product quality in the 1930s the materials and methods used to build these cameras were sound enough to withstand the test of time most require just a touch of ...

Page 7: ...Download this book for free at http www TheArgusA com 7 May 1937 ...

Page 8: ...ofit The problem with radio manufacturing however was its reliance on the seasons Customers driven stir crazy during the winter would rush outside to meet the spring and as a result radio sales would dwindle until autumn forced consumers indoors again Before the advent of air conditioning people s behavior was still tied to the weather and their spending habits followed To keep his factory and sal...

Page 9: ...th a coupled rangefinder and a respectable f 3 5 Cintar lens and it was IRC s very successful attempt at entering the market of medium cost cameras Kodak in response to IRC stealing its market heavily modified one of its cameras to compete with the C3 This jury rigged contraption became the Kodak 35RF which still couldn t match the C3 in either price or features To make amateur photography easier ...

Page 10: ...c went mad for them In response to the wave of nationalism that was sweeping the country Argus dropped the International in its name in 1945 and became simply Argus Industries Inc This did not bode well for the A2B the only Argus A type camera manufactured at the end of the war Designed to be affordable for Depression era America the A2B didn t offer a rangefinder or flash capability and had only ...

Page 11: ... result the company started hemorrhaging money Argus enjoyed only a modest success with the C4 C44 which was intended to become the new workhorse of the Argus line Successive attempts to update the C3 were not well received by the consumer who preferred the original to the updated models The company was passed around from owner to owner Argus is still around today 2004 and you can visit them on th...

Page 12: ...Download this book for free at http www TheArgusA com 12 October 1938 ...

Page 13: ...the purpose of this book The author is content to give an overview of just the main models and leaves that arduous task to some other brave soul It must be pointed out though that there is no evidence of an Argus body being painted by the manufacturer Any painted Argus is an aftermarket attempt at changing the color The parts commonality of the Argus raises another issue In the sixty odd years sin...

Page 14: ...xtinction Meter Calculator No Flash Synch Tubes No Pressure Plate Fixed The original model of the camera as envisioned by its creators The first 30 000 35 000 models had no Tripod Socket and had a thinner Rewind Knob Early models also had only an upper Sprocket Wheel not both This camera primarily had two Face Plates throughout its lifetime an all black one and a black and brass one A third Face P...

Page 15: ...f 4 5 5 6 8 11 Shutter Speeds 1 200th sec 1 100 1 50 1 25 B ulb T ime Extinction Meter Calculator No Flash Synch Tubes No Pressure Plate Fixed The first variant of the original the AF is identical to the Argus A except that the two position focus Neck was traded for a variable version with a focal length from 15 inches to infinity This rendered the portrait and copy lens attachments unnecessary an...

Page 16: ...II shutters were imported from Germany and the start of hostilities in Europe probably hindered their further export This combined with the rather high cost was the reason that the B was dropped from the product line The great advantage of the Prontor II shutter was the longer shutter speeds up to one second and the addition of a self timer The Argus B is now a genuine collectors item For this rea...

Page 17: ...roduction of the A2 cameras that the Argus truly became easy to use The integral Extinction Meter allowed anybody to take decent photos under various lighting conditions As the Meter does not wear out with time or use it can still be used to take decent photographs today The pre war A2B shares the same black and chrome faceplate as the A2F With the A2 line of cameras Argus also replaced the Trigge...

Page 18: ...r Ilex Precise Lens Speed f 4 5 Aperture Settings f 4 5 6 3 9 12 7 18 Shutter Speeds 1 200th sec 1 100 1 50 1 25 B ulb T ime Extinction Meter Calculator Yes Flash Synch Tubes No Pressure Plate Fixed The A2F was the most feature laden version of the Argus In addition to the integral extinction meter calculator of the A2B it offered the variable focusing distance of the AF It shared the black and ch...

Page 19: ...Extinction Meter Calculator No Flash Synch Tubes Yes Pressure Plate Fixed The entire Shutter and Neck assembly was redesigned to incorporate a flash mechanism and that flash is the AA s only truly redeeming feature This redesign made construction labor intensive and therefore expensive and rendered many of the camera parts unique to this model The smaller lens the single focal length the scarcity ...

Page 20: ...veral updates to the pre war A2B to face the new consumer landscape of post World War II America Taking advantage of the technical innovations brought about by the war Argus Industries simplified the Shutter mechanism and fluoride coated the lenses The top speed of the redesigned Shutter dropped from 1 200th to 1 150th of a second This Shutter had a completely new faceplate returned to the lever s...

Page 21: ... 1 25 B ulb T ime Extinction Meter Calculator No Flash Synch Tubes Yes Pressure Plate Floating This last model was a stopgap effort to use leftover Argus A parts and provide a low end flash camera while a replacement was being designed This does not detract from the FA in any way Unlike the previous flash model the AA this camera had a two position focus and full sized f 4 5 lens It is unique in t...

Page 22: ...Download this book for free at http www TheArgusA com 22 March 1939 ...

Page 23: ...t is only present on certain models those models are written in italics after the name of the part or figure Fig 4 1 Main parts of an Argus A Camera Fig 4 2 Front view of an Argus A 1 Counter Dial 8 Aperture Indicator A AF A2Bs A2F 2 Counter Dial Indicator 9 Shutter Speed Indicator 3 Counter Dial Release 10 Face Plate 4 View Finder 11 Lens Assembly 5 Winding Knob 12 Aperture Lever 6 Locking Lug 13...

Page 24: ...ing AF A2F Fig 4 3 Neck area of an Argus A2F 18 Lock Clip 19 Lock Catch 20 Tripod Socket 21 Back Cover 22 Rewind Knob 23 Extinction Meter A2Bs A2F 24 Brightness Pointer A2Bs A2F Fig 4 4 Back view of an Argus A2F 25 Slide 26 Aperture Tab 27 Film Speed Tab 28 Shutter Speed Plate Fig 4 5 Top view of Exposure Meter Calculator A2Bs A2F ...

Page 25: ...29 Sprocket Wheel s 30 Winding Shaft Fig 4 6 Inside view of an Argus A2F 31 Floating Pressure Plate 32 Film Cartridge Retainer Fig 4 7 Inside view of the Back Cover 33 Flash Synch Tubes for Argus AA 34 Flash Synch Tubes for Argus FA Fig 4 8 Flash Synch Tubes ...

Page 26: ...e to do this until the Counter Dial is set to 34 which is two tick marks from 0 and four tick marks from 30 because the Counter Dial goes up to 36 not 35 The camera is automatically set to 31 or 32 when the film is rewound so adjusting it to 34 is not as tedious as it sounds and can be done rather quickly 3 Pull the Rewind Knob on the bottom of the camera as far out as it will go Insert the film c...

Page 27: ...nding Knob stiffen Do this gently or you will rip out the perforations on the film and possibly ruin your pictures The Counter Dial should be set to the next number and an unexposed portion of the film will be in position ready to take a picture 8 If you set the Counter Dial in Step 2 then the Exposure Counter should be set to 0 If not set the Counter Dial to 0 by turning it counter clockwise Be c...

Page 28: ...0 means 1 100th of a second etc T is for timed exposure the shutter opens when the Trigger is pressed and remains open until the Trigger is pressed a second time When set at B for Bulb the shutter remains open as long as the Trigger is held down and closes upon release When either T or B are used the camera should be held on a tripod or held firmly on a perfectly stationary object The Argus AA has...

Page 29: ...you don t tear the end of the film out of the film cartridge while winding it After 36 exposures or whatever number of exposures provided by the film rewind it back into the film cartridge by turning the Rewind Knob in the direction indicated Make certain that as you rewind the film you do not prevent the Winding Knob or the Counter Dial from turning If the camera seems to be rewinding only one fr...

Page 30: ...until your Weston rating is the largest number exposed on the Film Speed Tab Make sure that this setting does not get changed II Move the Tabs together on the Slide so that the arrow on the bottom of the Film Speed Tab stamped on top of the number 12 is lined up with the current lighting conditions Your options are BRIGHT AVERAGE CLOUDY or LIGHT INT used for lit interiors III Hold the camera with ...

Page 31: ...inations for Example 2 V If you are using film that is faster than 100 ISO 200 ISO 400 ISO etc you must use the shutter speeds above the one next to your desired f stop Each time the speed of the film is doubled 100 to 200 200 to 400 etc you must use one shutter speed faster For example assume that you want to use f 18 and the Extinction Meter indicates that you should use a speed of 5 1 5th of a ...

Page 32: ...in if using this camera bear in mind that the difference between f 4 5 and f 5 6 is only half a stop In any event extensive picture taking using all three f stop scales has produced serviceable results when processed at a 1 hour photo shop Holding The Camera Upside Down When the Argus first appeared in 1936 candid camera photography was still a new hobby As such people were unused to using cameras...

Page 33: ... code word part number and original price These code words in parentheses below the part name are the special names by which Argus referred to its own products again copying a system that Leica introduced Lens Attachments Fig 6 1 Argus filters adapters and lens shade left and Series V adapter right Argus slip on filters and adapters are among the most useful accessories but they have some limitati...

Page 34: ...ield 8 x 12 inches at working distance of 19 inches When working at these close distances center the lens with the object using ground glass laid on film track instead of regular view finder which will not read correctly when this attachment is used Measure distances carefully as Copying Attachment reduces depth of focus Refer to Chapter 8 for more information on taking close up pictures the use o...

Page 35: ... filter requires five times normal exposure time with either panchromatic or infra red film This filter cannot be used with orthochromatic or other non red sensitive films Approximates a Wratten 25 Wratten A filter Kodak Series V Adapter Ring 15 16in 23 5mm This adapter allows the use of Series V filters with the post war A2B and the Argus FA The variety of Series V filters for both color and blac...

Page 36: ...leather and durable design This case is also seen in brown Soft Suede Zipper Bag SWACA Part No 50A Original Cost 1 00 These are apparently rare because the author has never seen one De Luxe Black Leather Case LUXCA Part No 50B Original Cost 4 50 Superbly tailored in fine selected black leather and completely lined with soft plush velvet Simple opening of one snap fastener instantly drops entire fr...

Page 37: ...ocket to prevent the possibility of camera accidentally falling out of case These are common to all cameras which have a tripod socket and fit into a case Other Accessories Fig 6 3 From left to right Two light meters two cable releases a tripod and a self timer Besides the standard Argus accessories described above there are several other pieces of equipment that help make the Argus more flexible ...

Page 38: ...ilters for black and white film red filters for infrared films techniques like silhouetting etc Copies of this plentiful book can be easily found at photographic shows swap meets used book dealers flea markets and eBay They don t cost 50 anymore but you can easily get them for under 10 Cable Release This is a relatively simple invention that allows you to fire the without disturbing the camera One...

Page 39: ...ap can be made out of items commonly available at a hardware store a plastic leg tip a razor and some duct tape A plastic leg tip is a cup that fits on the bottom of the leg of a chair and prevents the chair from scratching up the floor Make sure you purchase a plastic one not a rubber one and try to find a black one so that it matches the color of the Body Use a leg tip with a diameter of 1 inch ...

Page 40: ... for amateur photography Unfortunately flashbulb photography now has several distinct disadvantages Flashbulbs are no longer widely manufactured and while they are not rare or even uncommon they soon will be Even those that can still be found are aging and becoming less reliable Flash bulbs require large flash guns and produce much more light than electronic flashes making them much more intrusive...

Page 41: ... so use it If you use any flammable fluid you must ensure that there is no source of flame present and that the area is well ventilated When disassembling a shutter wear eye protection to prevent loose springs from flying out and damaging your eyes The Camera Body The Body is largely a piece of bakelite and cleaning it is relatively simple Almost all dirt can be removed by scrubbing it with a damp...

Page 42: ...ubborn band In the later As A2Bs A2Fs AAs and FAs the rear viewer lens is retained by a ring which is easily pried out and replaced allowing easy access to both View Finder lenses and the inside of the viewfinder Still be careful not to chip the glass The front lens of the View Finder on earlier models is held in by either a tiny bit of glue or a very tight fit Only on later models is there a rect...

Page 43: ...ver The Back Cover is relatively simple It is completely interchangeable between all of the various models On the inside of the Back Cover the entire surface should be flat black Some earlier versions have a felt like texture that was glued on but more commonly one sees just paint In either case worn or scratched areas can be touched up with flat black model paint The Lock Catch may have to be ben...

Page 44: ...ace with needle nose pliers To clean the see through portion of the Extinction Meter use a dry Q Tip from the rear side of the camera Because the plastic retainer doesn t allow Q Tips to clean from the front of the camera use compressed air to get the front side clean The Flash Mechanism Three things can be wrong if a flash mechanism doesn t work the camera isn t working flash gun isn t working or...

Page 45: ...r this rotation If the original ribbon is missing you must replace it with some sort of modern material The only stipulations are that the substitute must be dark not shed tiny hairs and be about 1 32 of an inch thick Felt and other materials that release tiny threads are unsuitable because the threads will fall on the negative and ruin it Double knit polyester easily found in thrift store clothes...

Page 46: ...k surrounding the lens these two grooves are plainly visible The dimensions of the nut and the grooves vary from model to model Normally specially measured U shaped wrenches are used to grip the nut and unscrew it There are also adjustable spanners which can fit a wide variety of sizes Ed Romney www edromney com or 864 597 1882 sells a tool that works particularly well for the Argus His AOS Optica...

Page 47: ...f you intend to switch Shutters between two different models like the A and the AF you may also need to switch the nuts that retain the shutters so that they will fit in the different Neck Fig 7 3 Two separated Neck and Shutter assemblies AF top and post war A2B bottom Fig 7 2 shows two Neck and Shutter assemblies separated an Argus AF is on the top and a post war Argus A2B is on the bottom The pa...

Page 48: ...de Lens If there is visible dirt between the lenses unscrew the Lens Assembly This allows you access to one surface of the Middle Lens To access the other surface of the Inside Lens set the aperture to f 4 5 set the shutter speed to T ime and fire the trigger The shutter blades should open and expose most of the surface of the Inner Lens for cleaning Most lens cleaning should stop here In the pre ...

Page 49: ...o be lubricated are the gear and lever spindles These are the shafts that levers and gears spin on In the Argus shutters all of the spindles run parallel to the direction light travels through the mechanism they are easily accessible when you remove the Face Plate of the Shutter this will be described later Now to put it all together To lubricate the shutter mechanism and timer clockwork dip one e...

Page 50: ...hutter Lubricate the spindle with the screw head Be sure to allow some lubricant to flow between the two flat sheet metal levers C These two spindles hold the levers that open and close the shutter by rotating the D post Lubricate them with care so that excess fluid does not flow into D In pre war A2Bs and A2Fs there is an extra cam and spring on the spindle with the washer D This post moves back ...

Page 51: ...Reassembling the Shutter is trickier than taking it apart The steps are the reverse of disassembly but care must be taken to ensure that all of the various components particularly the cams on the Face Plate line up properly When replacing the Face Plate ensure that the Cable Release Socket lines up with its indentation on the rim of the Face Plate The two or three for the pre war A2B and A2F lever...

Page 52: ...g in place With the Face Plate removed the Shutter behaves as if it were set to T ime press the Trigger once to open the shutter and once again to close it The following letters refer to objects in Fig 7 6 A This spindle and the two flat levers attached to it deal with the B ulb and T ime operations of the shutter Lubricate the spindle and be sure to allow some lubricant to flow between the two fl...

Page 53: ... problem most likely lies here Unlike in the pre war Shutter some of these spindles are not easily accessible because the tops are blocked by a metal plate To lubricate these spindles force the lubricant in from the side of the spindle F This lever rides on a cam on the Face Plate When you rotate the Face Plate to set the shutter speed to B ulb or T ime this lever sets the mechanism in A to the pr...

Page 54: ... disassembled further but it is rarely necessary No further screws need to be removed inside of the shutter mechanism Lubricate the four spindles lightly Do not allow lubricant to flow into the flash mechanism or behind the shutter Reassembly is simple as well merely reverse the disassembly steps There is only one cam lever and it fits easily into a round hole on the Face Plate Fixing The Iris And...

Page 55: ...eck the Rear Cover to ensure that it stays firmly in place when attached to the back of the camera If not make adjustments to the Lock Catch Also check for cracks in the bakelite particularly in the lip the follows the rim of the Rear Cover Sometimes horizontal lines appear on the negatives they are often green if color film is used These are scratches on the negative made by plastic burrs on the ...

Page 56: ...in order to take make it adapt to a certain need Everything but the Cold Shoe Modification in this chapter is reversible and leaves no permanent damage to the camera in order to preserve your camera s historical value Tricks Using Ground Glass For close up photographs of less than five feet parallax tends to make the View Finder inaccurate Objects that are centered on the View Finder are pushed to...

Page 57: ...et to Near Focus with Copying Adapter 19 25 8 x 12 2 Position Focus set to Near Focus with both Adapters stacked 14 5 5 x 8 25 Variable Focus set to 1 25 ft 15 5 75 x 8 5 Variable Focus set to 1 25 ft with Portrait Adapter 12 4 5 x 6 75 Variable Focus set to 1 25 ft with Copying Adapter 10 5 3 5 x 5 75 Variable Focus set to 1 25 ft with both Adapters stacked 9 3 x 4 5 Table 8 1 Specifications for ...

Page 58: ...fication The most common Argus modification is the fake A2F This involves taking the Neck and Shutter of an AF and putting them on the Body of an A2B Four simple screws and you re done Incidentally this does not make the camera any more or less valuable This bastard camera combines the variable focusing of the AF with the Extinction Meter of the A2B It is a worthwhile modification as long as you i...

Page 59: ...ightly that it is nearly impossible get a good grip on it to remove it To get at this lens you must remove the Shutter from the Neck using the technique described in Chapter 7 Now that all of the lenses are removed reassemble the reattach the Shutter to the Neck Cut a piece of aluminum foil into strips 1 1 8th inch wide Color the duller side of the aluminum foil with a black permanent marker This ...

Page 60: ...d force the aluminum foil to tighten by the pinhole Make certain that as the cosmetic plate returns to its original position the screw holes line up if they are covered by the aluminum foil tear it away with a pin The cosmetic plate can be secured in one of two ways it can be screwed down or it can be taped If the screws are continuously removed and replaced there is a chance of damaging the threa...

Page 61: ... position 0 0128 183 33 130x Variable Shutter focused at 1 25 ft 0 0136 194 29 150x Table 8 3 f stop and exposure times for various shutter configurations When you remove the aluminum foil after you are finished hold it up to the light to inspect it for tears This will help determine whether your photographs may have been ruined by a light leak rather than over exposure Fig 8 1 The Pinhole Argus d...

Page 62: ...h above the negative When the Body is separated from the Neck and Shutter assembly the mask can be placed inside of the Body cavity precisely on top of the focal plane Only 1 8th inch of the bakelite Body will separate the negative from the mask The spring in the Neck will keep the mask flat once the Neck is replaced First a masking material must be found Art supply stores sell acetate sheets that...

Page 63: ... distance Don t forget to use the smallest practical aperture when taking pictures to increase your depth of focus This modification adjusts the original focusing distances into two closer ones The only drawback is that the photographer loses the ability to focus at infinity albeit temporarily Begin by unscrewing the four screws that hold the Neck and Shutter assembly to the Body To shorten the fo...

Page 64: ...shoe mounted light meter The best place to get an accessory shoe is an old camera Many of the cheaper cameras from the 30 s to today have accessory shoes held on by screws This is the type to get Junk and toy cameras often have this type of accessory shoe as well There are two logical places to put an accessory shoe on an Argus A The area to the right of the Counter Dial above the cavity for the 3...

Page 65: ...s A2Fs and early A2Bs had a removable button and if its broken or not present you can only fire the shutter with a cable release If any of the above reveal defects in the camera do not buy it unless you want it for parts Rotate the Head of the camera to expose the Neck If it is an AF or A2F rotate the focus dial If it moves even if with difficulty then it is probably good Push the Head into the ca...

Page 66: ...chniques described in Chapter 7 Finding An Argus Online There are two major sources of cameras online professional photography shops and auction sites like eBay Several photographic shops have posted their stock online and their prices run the gamut from a good deal to bloody murder They do however do their best to represent their products accurately and since they usually own brick and mortar sto...

Page 67: ...beyond This professional and timeless text demystifies many of the secrets behind the intricacies of a camera and how to take advantage of them If looking to learn about camera repair an outstanding text on the matter is Edward H Romney s Revised Basic Training In Camera Repair Romney discusses every aspect of camera repair and calibration Of particular value are Chapter 5 Testing and Adjusting Sh...

Page 68: ...Download this book for free at http www TheArgusA com 68 Appendix A Argus A Patent ...

Page 69: ...Download this book for free at http www TheArgusA com 69 ...

Page 70: ...Download this book for free at http www TheArgusA com 70 ...

Page 71: ...Download this book for free at http www TheArgusA com 71 ...

Page 72: ...Download this book for free at http www TheArgusA com 72 ...

Page 73: ...igh Precision At Low Cost International Research Corporation Advertisement Popular Photography Oct 1938 61 Argus Scores Again International Research Corporation Advertisement Popular Photography Mar 1939 6 Here s your key to every Gift Problem Argus Industries Incorporated Advertisement Holiday Magazine Dec 1946 138 Other Verschoor Charles A Photographic Camera US Patent 2052261 25 Aug 1936 Aim an...

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