It's the Holiday Season

Holiday Flash Brownie

Now that I can develop my own C-41, it's given me the chance to catch up on some larger roll-film developing, and this roll of Kodak Portra 160 that was respooled for 127 had been sitting on my shelf since after World Toy Camera Day (back in early October).   I shot it in a Kodak Brownie Holiday Flash, an unassuming little Bakelite camera that has been sitting on my shelf, as well. As far as 127 goes, it's a full-frame model, meaning that the negatives are ca. 4x6 cm, giving 8 shots per roll. This camera has a Dakon lens, so it was manufactured  between 1955 and 1963.
I didn't know what to expect from this little camera, but I took it out for a walk to peach Mountain Observatory near Dexter, MI, and it turns out that it may have given me the best images for WTCD that I've taken in a while.
It certainly qualifies as a toy camera, as there is only a shutter button for control.  That's as rudimentary as any box camera.  The Holiday Flash Brownie also has a glass cousin, a Christmas tree ornament that I bought about 5 years ago. It's one of

my favorite ornaments, and looks very much like the real thing.
So, I developed the roll of Portra today, and I was astonished at how good the negatives were.  I don't have any film holders for 127, so I simply used the area mask in my V700 scanner, laid the negs emulsion-side down, and covered them with a sheet of 8x10 glass to flatten them out.  I had to tweak the orientation a bit, but overall, the scans came out quite good.  Peach Mountain is mostly UM property, and there is a radio astronomy observatory, as well as a Lowbrow Astronomers Observatory with a 24" optical telescope, and an abandoned UM observatory. All make for some interesting images.  The sunny day and open shade did not thwart the Portra 160's latitude.  I can see why this film was used in school portrait cameras, which is where the bulk rolls of Portra 160 come from.

Here is a screen capture of the negatives, followed by some of the scans.

The Olive Argus A

It is well-established that the Argus model A was the one camera that really made 35mm photography accessible and affordable to the average American.  Introduced in 1936, the International Radio Corp. sold an estimated 30,000 cameras in the first month for $12.50 each.  Later changing its name to the Argus Corp., the company improved upon the basic design of the A, with many iterations of the A series. Eventually, the Argus C3 became the top-seller, being the longest-lived camera produced in the USA with a production run of almost 30 years!

The Argus A is a pocket camera with a telescoping lens tube that springs out with a twist from the locking position.  The shutter and aperture are controlled from the front of the lens barrel.  Typically, the I.R.C.  Anastigmat lens had a modest maximum aperture of f/4.5.  Shutter speeds were controlled by the Argus Ilex shutter, with B,T, and 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, and 1/200 sec speeds.  The uncoated lens is definitely more than adequate, and stopped down it was fairly sharp.

The early Argus A cameras have a single brass sprocket wheel and no tripod mount.  While 99.9% of the Argus A cameras were produced with black Bakelite bodies, a small number were produced in different colors; olive, gray, red, and possibly white.  Probably only a few hundred examples of the color versions were made.  Less than that survived to the present.

In good condition, an Olive Argus A is worth about $175, the other colors slightly more.  If you find the holy grail white Model A, you are sitting on a treasure.

Its been many years since I have shot with any Argus A, and I suppose it is time to use one of the black models for that.  Maybe this year's Argus Day in August will be a good time to do that.

The Argus 75 - A toy or a tool?

The Argus 75 is a fun little bakelite wonder from Ann Arbor-based Argus. Produced from about 1949-1964, the camera takes 620 film. It has a shutter-cocking feature that prevents double exposures -- which was useful if you were one of those families that had at least two Christmases, Halloweens, or whatever on one roll of film (12 exposures). The Argus 75 (which started out named as the Argoflex 75) was the very first Argus that I bought in an antique shop in Cheboygan, MI about 8 or 9 years ago. I then started acquiring other Argus cameras, and as they say, "The rest is history."

The cameras isn't a real TLR in the sense that it's really a box camera with a reflex viewing window that uses a second lens. There is nothing to adjust except for Instant and Time, for making your exposures. The Time is important, if you wish to shoot in dim light, or convert the camera to a pinhole. A very useful feature is that Argus put a tripod thread on the bottom of the camera, making it more versatile. It's hard hand-holding a camera for time exposures.

The 75mm lens is coated, and the aperture is about f/13. "Instant" shutter speed is about 1/60 sec. Back in the day, Kodak's Verichrome Pan was the ideal film for this camera. Today, you could use Ilford FP4+, Kodak Plus-X Pan, or Fuji Across 100 for sunny to cloudy-bright conditions. For color -- Fuji Superia 100 works well. Since it was designed for 620 film, you can put a 620 spool in the take-up reel, and a trimmed 120 spool on the supply side. If that's too tight, you may have to respool your 120 film onto a 620 spool.

I once offered to write an article on the Argus 75 for Lightleaks magazine, but the editor told me it wasn't a "toy camera." It's just as much of a toy as the Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, or the Agfa Clack. To be sure, a well-made box camera, but really, nothing to adjust except for the shutter between Instant and Time. So, in that sense, it's just as much a toy camera as the Holga...maybe more so.

Since this camera has a tripod socket, it is easy to set it somewhere low and use the time exposure to good effect:




The camera typically has everything in focus from about 7.5 feet to infinity. If you can find the Argus "portrait filter" (a close-up lens), you can shoot things that are about 3 feet away (or experiment with other close-up lenses):


There are a number of variations on the Argus 75 -- and rather than repeat what is already out there on the web, go on over to James Surprenant's website. I often get asked how much these cameras are worth. Not really much. Don't pay more than $10 for one in great condition with the leather case and flash holder. The average value is probably closer to $5. Argus made a lot of these, and if you get a good one (most are in working condition, but you will need to turn the film winding knob to cock the shutter - look for the red to appear behind the lens) - give it a try with some film.

My pal, Gene McSweeny takes great photos with vintage cameras, so check out his Argus 75.

A gallery of all the Argoflex cameras can be found here.

So, is it a toy or a tool? Both.