An Isolette, you say?

Over the years, I’ve used and handled a lot of Agfa Isolette folding cameras.  It’s been at least 20 years since I used my first one, and while these scale-focus cameras may not be to everyone’s taste, the 6x6 negatives on 120 film, made with a camera that can fit in a jacket pocket are something to be appreciated.  However, the problem with many of the Agfa/Ansco folding cameras is that the focus helical used a grease that in time, has solidified into something that is more like concrete.  In some, I have seen the focus ring turn, but with no connection with the helical.  On top of that, the paper bellows may have pinholes. So, yes  these cameras can have problems.

But not this one.

My friend Louise in New Hampshire sent me this lovely Agfa Isolette that looks as new as can possibly be.  It’s been CLA’d and checked over, and I have never seen an Isolette as nice as this.  I’m thankful that people think highly enough of me to send me such gifts.  Knowing that the camera was ready to use, I loaded a roll of expired Fuji Acros 100 film, and over the course of a few days, shot the 12 exposures.  

This is a fun camera to use.  It has B, 1/25, 1/50 and 1/200  sec shutter speeds with an Agnar 85mm f/4.5 lens. The smallest aperture is f/32! There is a PC flash sync port on the Vario Shutter, and the scale focus goes from about 1 meter to infinity.  You need to cock the shutter for each use, so it can make multiple exposures on a frame, if you so desire.  

In use, it’s pretty simple - frame your subject, cock the shutter, and press the shutter button, but only after you have figured out your exposure and distance.  I’m pretty good at estimating distances, as well as using sunny-16, so  I don’t need a rangefinder or a meter.  However, I dug out a shoe-mount rangefinder from my boxes of stuff, and it would be useful for anything under infinity.  So, I’ll try that out for the next roll.

This Isolette 1 was made from 1951-1958, so it’s a camera that is at least as old as I am.  I think that it’s probably in better shape than I am, too.  Maybe I can get a CLA for myself!

There is plenty of information about the Isolette series of cameras, so I suggest that you do some research before you go and buy one, because not all Isolette models have the same specifications.  Camera-wiki has a good bit of information.

The following images were shot on expired Fuji Acros 100, developed in Flic Film's Black White and Green developer for 12 min.  Scanned on my Epson V700.

Thank you, Louise!

Barns at Bailey Mountain Preserve, Mars Hill, NC

The I-240 bridge over the French Broad River

Rail trestle over the French Broad River - note the guy walking on it!

Nothing like being able to have a beer at 3 pm with friends at Hi-Wire Brewing in the River Arts District of Asheville

Half A Cookie Is Still A Cookie Zine

 

If you've been following this blog, then you know that I like using the Pentax 17, a half-frame 35mm camera that was introduced in 2024.  I've put together a zine that has my insights on using the Pentax 17 and other half-frame cameras.  It's 6x9 inches, with 40 pages, including the covers.  Full-color and black and white photographs showcase my results from this great compact camera from Pentax.

You can purchase it from my Etsy store for $7.50 + postage.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4459033552

The Argus C-4

A shot from 2003, showing the Argus C-4 and materials from the year it was introduced

The Argus Corporation has probably been most famous for the Argus “Brick,” the Argus C-3. That camera and its variants accounted for somewhat over 3 million units sold between 1938 and 1966.  The Brick is the utilitarian 35mm camera that is most associated with Argus. With its externally geared rangefinder, boxy shape and sharp corners, the C-3 is unmistakable.  However, the much improved and metal-bodied Argus C-4 looks remarkably svelte and modern, even in 2026.

The Argus that I have owned the longest.

The Argus C-4 was produced from 1951-1957, and in that time frame, there were about 300,000 units sold. By sheer numbers alone, it’s much less common than the C-3.  The C-4 features the coupled rangefinder as well as a front-mounted shutter speed dial that we see on the C-3. However, there the similarities stop.  The C-4 has a cast aluminum body and the rangefinder is coupled directly to the base of the lens, so you can adjust focus by turning the lens or the knurled wheel that surrounds the rangefinder window.  The shutter speeds are B, 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100 and 1/300 sec. The exposure indicator dial is reset by hand.  The 50mm/2.8 Coated Cintar lens has apertures from f/2.8 to f/22, and focuses from about 3 feet to infinity. Those are pretty good specs for an early 1950s US-made 35mm camera.  The rangefinder focus patch is easy to see, and the viewfinder is certainly better than a Barnack Leica.  There is a hot shoe on the top with X and M sync switch on the top of the back of the camera. The shutter cocks when you wind on the film and is much improved over the C-3.  There is no light meter, but you could have purchased a clip-on meter at the time.  

Top view

Bottom view

When the C-4 was introduced it sold for $99.00 - that amounts to about $1200 in today’s money.  So, definitely not a low-cost camera at the time. The equivalent model from Kodak would have been the Kodak 35 rangefinder, which gets my vote for the ugliest camera ever manufactured by anyone.  The C-4 is a streamlined, easy to use camera, and the Kodak is not any of those things.

I think I acquired my first Argus C-4 around 2001, before I ever owned a C-3.  I still have that camera, and it works pretty well.  As shown here, it’s in good condition, and is the fourth variant of the C-4, as it has the “Colormatic” settings for the shutter speed dial, and a M/X switch for the flash, plus a flat metal strip on the bottom of the camera to lock/release the removable back. 

The back is removed to access the film chamber

Here's a roll of Eastman 5231 loaded to shoot with this week

It’s easy to use the C-4, as it is a simple to operate camera, and I would say the only downside is that the camera body does not have built-in strap lugs for a neck strap. I use the bottom half of the leather case to attach a strap, and that works fine.  The coated lens works well, and you can take excellent photographs with it. That loud shutter sound will definitely let you know that you made an exposure!

A complete Geiss-modified Argus C4 with all the lenses. A real rarity.

Argus introduced a follow-up to the C-4, the C-44, and C-44R, which were produced from 1956-1962.  Those models have interchangeable lenses.  There was also a C-4R which was slightly improved over the C-4 with a rapid film wind lever and rewind crank, as well adjustment to the more modern shutter speeds of 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125 and 1/300 sec.  It was only produced for a year, so is hard to find.  There is also the Geiss-modified C-4 (shown above), which was a third-party that offered a removable lens system that could be installed by the Argus factory, between 1954 and 1956.  Those cameras are also rather uncommon today.

A very nice example of the very rare black version C-4

Lastly, the most uncommon Argus C-4 version is the all-black C-4, a beautiful camera with a black anodized aluminum finish. Only a handful of them are known to exist, and I once possessed one of them.  It’s theorized that these black C-4s were prototypes for the US military, but in reality it’s unknown how many were made. They are among the rarest of the Argus cameras.  I sold mine for $1400 in 2011, and I imagine that the value has gone up since then. I acquired it in a box of donated cameras in 2009. 

If you want to know more about the Argus C-4 or all things Argus, look for a copy of Henry Gambino’s book, “Argomania. A Look at Argus Cameras and the Company That Made Them.” It was published in 2005, and is a wonderful resource.  Online, the Argus Collector’s Group has many Argus resources, and if you are ever in Ann Arbor, Michigan, you should visit the Argus Museum, the only camera museum in the US that sits in the same building as the factory that produced them. 

Argus C-44R on display in the Argus Museum.

If you find yourself an Argus C-4, I hope that you come to appreciate its quality of construction and that you too. take many wonderful photographs with it.  It was the camera for the serious amateur back in the mid-1950s. 

Here are a few images from my C-4 taken over many years.

2003, at the Carhenge site in Nebraska

AuTrain Falls, MI 2008

Emmett Co., MI. 2008

Emmett Co., MI, 2008

Ann Arbor, MI, 2007. With flash.

Ann Arbor, MI, 2007

Ann Arbor, MI, 2007.

Ann Arbor, MI, 2013

First Results from the Chinon CS-4

 As previously posted, this is my second Chinon CS-4.  Of course, there's more to testing it than knowing that the meter and shutter is working properly.  How does the camera feel in the hand when using it? How easy it is to use the stop-down metering button?  Does the film move easily through the camera? That's why film-testing a camera is important.  Too many cameras are sold on eBay that are not film-tested.  Many are sold as-is, or as "un-tested." Granted, there are a lot of sellers out there that don't know a damn thing about photography, let alone how a camera ought to perform.  Leaving all that behind for a moment, let's just see how THIS camera performed.

I started with a roll of Tasma NK-II from the Film Photography Project. The Tasma film is a panchromatic b&w film on a tough polyester base, with an ISO of 100.  I used it because it was a 24-exposure roll, and also because it was one of the rolls that I picked up in November. So, onward.  If I am trying out a camera for the first time, I often go into my Libre Office program and type up a description as shown below:

That gets photographed on the first frame or so of the roll so that I know exactly that information if I end up waiting some time to develop the film.  In this case though, I finished the roll of Feb. 6, and developed it the same day -- which is not usual for me.  I took a short trip to the River Arts District (RAD) of Asheville, which is a great place to test cameras and film.  The RAD is still recovering from the flood/Helene of September, 2024.  Some places have reopened after much restoration/renovation, and other are either erased, or in need of major repairs.  Some of these photos show that.

This mural is on the now closed French Broad Outfitters in Riverside Drive.

Alien landers or fermentation tanks? On Foundy Street.

This area was well-known for the street art. Most of it disappeared after Helene. Some is new.

Part of the building below.

I do not think this one will be rebuilt.

That Dell went to hell.

There will be more piles of bricks

Bad views from the inside and out.

Nature finds a way.  I've always been interested in nature reclaiming our abandoned places.

What is now a field used to be a series of low buildings used to store recycled materials. That place used to look like this image below, taken a few years before Helene.

2022, Nikon F4, Eastman 2374 film

Present day, waiting for reconstruction

Whodat?  

Using the Chinon CS-4 is a breeze.  The stop-down metering is not a problem, as it works much like a Pentax Spotmatic, except there are red/green LEDs that show up in your peripheral vision as you look through the view finder.  Pretty much like a +/- in the viewfinder.  The Tasma NK-2 was developed in HC-110B for 10 minutes, and it is a really sharp film with good tonality.    A successful outing, and just as I was pretty much done, a squall line came in and it started to rain.  

This camera is a keeper in my M42 arsenal, and I look forward to  using it more.  

The Chinon CS-4, Revisited

The Chinon CS-4 features a vertical metal shutter, uses modern LR-44 cells

A decade ago I wrote a post about a very good example of a M42 camera body, the Chinon CS-4. Like many cameras that I have owned, it was a thrift shop purchase for $10 with a couple of lenses. At the time, I already owned a Spotmatic F and didn't need a second M42 body, so I sold the CS-4. Some of you may know that I am writing a book on Pentax Spotmatics and other M42 mount cameras and lenses. I was going through back posts on this blog, and realized that the CS-4 information belonged in the book. I also decided that I needed another one to try out, now that I have a lot of M42 lenses. So, off to eBay I went, and snagged a decent example for $35 + shipping. The camera arrived today, and I spent an hour replacing the nasty old foam of the mirror bumper as well as the rear door seal. I cleaned the battery cover contact, and the meter sprang to life. As you can see, the camera is in great condition. The aperture blades on the Chinon 50mm 1.9 lens are oily and slow to operate, but I have many other lenses to use with this excellent compact SLR from the early 1980s. 

Standard layout - the meter switch is next to the lens mount on the left.

I'll note here that the eBay seller did not use the eBay option of letting AI write the description. For those people that use the eBay AI for the description, I say piss-off. I'll not be buying your shit if you cannot write the description yourself. 

The Yashinon-DX lens has "character"

As you can see in this photo, I have attached a Yashinon-DX 50mm/1.4, which is a wonderful nifty-fifty with the promise of making art. It's one of those lenses you should own if you want to explore what you can do with different lenses of the same focal length. It's not as weird as a Helios-44 lens, but it has a distinct aura, if you want to call it that.

Anyhow, I'm in the stage of assembling the images and text for the book, and I realize now that I will have to learn Affinity Publisher to put it all together, since it's more complex than what I can do with Open Office. I'll keep you posted as to my progress on the Spotmatic Book. 

Now, to also get some decent weather to go out and shoot with my newly-acquired Chinon CS-4!