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You should see a very temporary flash of light. If you consistently see a flash of light
while firing the shutter, then the shutter mechanism is probably still good and will be
easily restored. If you cannot fire the shutter and see the flash of light at the top speed,
you may not be able to use the camera without sending it to a repairman.
To test the aperture, set it to the smallest setting. Fire the shutter and ensure that
the aperture hole is small and round, not oval or egg shaped. Then set the aperture to f4.5
and fire the shutter to ensure that the aperture opened up completely. The aperture lever
should move smoothly.
Now set the shutter to 25, the lowest speed, and fire the shutter. If it still splashes
you with light, the shutter may not even need repair. More likely, however, the shutter
will get stuck while trying to close. This is not a big problem and fixing it is described in
Chapter 7. Try the shutter in T and B. They probably won’t work either, but often can be
fixed, or at least disabled.
If the Argus passed all of the tests above, it can easily be turned into a functional
camera. Any larger problems would require the skills of a camera repairman. Well over
two-thirds of the cameras that the author has seen pass the above test, and those that were
purchased were easily restored to working order using the techniques 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 stores you can call
them and talk to them if you are unclear about the condition of a camera.
Online auction sites offer more variety, but often the sellers doesn’t know what
they’re selling. They picked it up at an estate sale or found it in a deceased relative’s
attic and now want money for it. It is always described as antique and rare and a
beautiful piece of history. About half of the model designations are wrong (FAs are
described as AAs, A2Fs as As, etc…). They often can’t tell you if it works, or what the
serial number is, or anything besides the picture they posted. Therefore, the best way to
determine anything about the camera is to look at their pictures. If you are interested, ask
the seller to e-mail you more pictures. In many cases, they do. Compare them with
pictures in this book to determine the model and other information.
When searching for an Argus online, there are several key words to use in a
search engine or auction searcher. Use the following: “Argus”, “Anastigmat”, “Ilex”,
“Precise”, “4.5”, and “IRC”. Argus produced many types of cameras, however, and to
filter them out of your search enter the following words into the NOT function of your
search engine: “Cintar”, “3.5”, and “rangefinder”.