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64
Adding A Cold Accessory Shoe
Accessory shoes were once very common on cameras. Some cameras like the
UniveX Mercury had two accessory shoes, a hot one for a flash and a cold one for an
extinction meter or rangefinder. Every accessory shoe made these days, however, is
intended for an external electronic flash unit.
There are several useful accessories that can be attached through a cold shoe. The
most common is a rangefinder.
Another helpful accessory for a cold shoe is an exposure meter. Argus
manufactured several cold shoe mounted meters like the L44 and the LS-3, and other
manufacturers produced similar meters as well. When buying an Argus light meter,
ensure that it uses normal photographic standards, and that it is not intended for the
Matchmatic system, like the LC-3 shoe mounted light meter.
The best place to get an accessory shoe is an old camera. Many of the cheaper
cameras, from the 30’s to today, have accessory shoes held on by screws. This is the type
to get. Junk and toy cameras often have this type of accessory shoe, as well.
There are two logical places to put an accessory shoe on an Argus A. The area to
the right of the Counter Dial (above the cavity for the 35mm film cartridge) works well if
it is only intended to hold something small, like an Argus light meter. Make sure to leave
enough room to be able to access the Counter Dial Release. If you want an accessory
shoe to hold larger objects like rangefinders, place it directly beneath the Neck between
the Tripod Socket and the Rewind Knob.
Fig 8-2: An Argus LS-3 light meter mounted by cold shoe on an Argus A2F
Older accessory shoes were made to grip the accessory, whereas newer ones were
designed assuming that the accessory would clamp down on them. You may have to
bend the accessory shoe if the accessory is not held firmly in place.