New $9 camera Argus A2b
Posted: Sat May 23, 2015 6:21 pm
I was looking at a site where a WWII soldier was showing a camera he bought back during his training days with the 101st Airborne to take photos to send home. He posted not particularly good quality snapshots and then showed the camera...now in pretty much left in the barn for 70 years condition and he went on to say it was considered a pretty good camera about 75 years ago. What he had was an American made Argus A2b 35mm camera.
Check Peewee Martin's page on facebook showing his camera.
https://www.facebook.com/Jim-Pee-Wee-Ma ... 871630989/
I saw one on ebay and won it for $9 plus shipping. It is a pretty basic camera with shutter speeds of 25, 50, 100 , 150 and T and B. The F stops are 4.5,6.3,9,12.7 and 18. And...it has a manual light meter. What you do is set the ASA to as near as the number will go on a slide against a list engraved into the top of the camera and then pull down f stop gauge in the same strip to meet the film speed. Then you look through a inch and a quarter horizontal slot in the direction of the scene you want to photograph. Looking into the slot you notice some white light coming through what amounts to pin holes and you move the top metal slide to the light column that is the dimmest but that you can still see light. You then read the possible shutter and f stop possibilities on the top of the camera on the engraved chart.
The manual light meter must not have caught on. I can see why when attempting to use it. It's pretty much impossible to use as instructed and get any kind of reading you would agree as likely.
The camera did function. But the lens wasn't sharp and the guesswork settings I was doing lacked some skill on my part. I got Goldilocks exposure results... some too cold and some too hot and some just right...well sort of right. The film advance was a knob that turned but you had to hit a clutch with your thumb each time to begin the process. It was also easy to do double exposures by not being careful. I managed one of those by accident.
The camera has an odd barrel lens housing. You turn it a quarter turn and it will come unlocked and spring out about a half inch under actual spring pressure. You turn the lens barrel a quarter of a turn and there is a noticeable click to show it is in gear.
Nice fun experiment with a relic of the past.
Check Peewee Martin's page on facebook showing his camera.
https://www.facebook.com/Jim-Pee-Wee-Ma ... 871630989/
I saw one on ebay and won it for $9 plus shipping. It is a pretty basic camera with shutter speeds of 25, 50, 100 , 150 and T and B. The F stops are 4.5,6.3,9,12.7 and 18. And...it has a manual light meter. What you do is set the ASA to as near as the number will go on a slide against a list engraved into the top of the camera and then pull down f stop gauge in the same strip to meet the film speed. Then you look through a inch and a quarter horizontal slot in the direction of the scene you want to photograph. Looking into the slot you notice some white light coming through what amounts to pin holes and you move the top metal slide to the light column that is the dimmest but that you can still see light. You then read the possible shutter and f stop possibilities on the top of the camera on the engraved chart.
The manual light meter must not have caught on. I can see why when attempting to use it. It's pretty much impossible to use as instructed and get any kind of reading you would agree as likely.
The camera did function. But the lens wasn't sharp and the guesswork settings I was doing lacked some skill on my part. I got Goldilocks exposure results... some too cold and some too hot and some just right...well sort of right. The film advance was a knob that turned but you had to hit a clutch with your thumb each time to begin the process. It was also easy to do double exposures by not being careful. I managed one of those by accident.
The camera has an odd barrel lens housing. You turn it a quarter turn and it will come unlocked and spring out about a half inch under actual spring pressure. You turn the lens barrel a quarter of a turn and there is a noticeable click to show it is in gear.
Nice fun experiment with a relic of the past.