Argus was an American maker of cameras and photographic products, founded in 1936 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Argus originated as a subsidiary of the International Radio Corporation (IRC), founded by Charles Verschoor. Its best-known product was the C3 rangefinder camera, which enjoyed a 27-year production run and became one of the top-selling cameras in history. The company's Model A was the first low-cost 35 mm camera in the United States. Sylvania acquired Argus in 1959 and sold it in 1969, by which time it had ceased camera production (some rebadged cameras continued to be sold under the Argus name through the 1970s). More recently, the Argus brand has been reestablished and is used on a variety of inexpensive digital cameras made by Argus Camera Company, LLC., located in Inverness, Illinois.

Models

A series

*A (1936–1941) *AF (1937–1938) *B (1937) *A2B (1939–1950) *A2F (1939–1941) *AA (1940–1942) *FA (1950–1951)

C series

Argus 21 rangefinder camera (brighter version)

*C (1938–1939) *C2 (1938–1942) * C3 (1938–1968) *21 (1947–1952) *C4 (1951–1957) *C44 (1956–1957) * C3 Golden Shield (1958–1966) * C3 Matchmatic (1958–1966) * C3 Standard (1958–1966) *C44R (1958–1962) *C4R (1958) * C33 (1959–1961)

Argoflex

*Argoflex E (1940–1948) *Argoflex *Argoflex II (1947) *Argoflex EM (1948) *Argoflex EF (1948–1951) *Argoflex Seventy-Five (1949–1958) :*Argus Seventy-Five (made in Australia) *Seventy-Five (1949–1958) *40 (1950–1954) *Argoflex Forty (1950–1954) *Super Seventy-Five (1954–1958) *75 (1958–1964)

Autronic

*Autronic 35 (1960 only) *Autronic C3 (1960–1962) *Autronic I (1962–1965) *Autronic II (1962–1965)

Other models

*K (1939–1940) *M (1939–1940) *A3 (1940–1942) *CC (1941–1942) *Minca (1947–1948) *A5 (1953–1956) *A-Four (1953–1956) *C-Twenty (1957–1958) *Lady Carefree (126, circa 1967) *Carefree (126)

Digital

*DCV-011 *DCM-098 *DCM-099 *DC-1088 *DC-1500 *DC-1512E *DC-2185 *DC-3000 (May 2000) *DC-3185 *DC-3190 *DC-3195 *DC-3270DV *DC-5190 *DC-5195 *DC-5340 *DC-6340

Awards

Argus had two cameras for children developed in partnership with TEAMS Design. The cameras, the Bean and Sprout, won a Bronze 2009 IDEA award from ''

Bloomberg BusinessWeek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...

'' and the Industrial Designers Society of America in addition to an Appliance Design 2009 EID award.Appliance Design EID Awards
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References

External links

The Argus Collector's GroupArgus Camera Information Reference SiteThe Story of Argus Camera
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Ann Arbor District LibraryArgus camera timelineArgus patentsArgus A
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Argus C3
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Marc's Classic CamerasArgus C3The Argus A/A2 Page
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Hrad Kuzyk, "A Modern User's Guide to the Argus A/A2 Camera", 12/2/2006.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argus (Camera Company) Companies based in Ann Arbor, Michigan Photography companies of the United States Cameras Re-established companies