Argus FA 1950-51
Tomei Collection
This camera is one of my personal favorites. It is light, reliable, very simple, and has a coated lens whose quality rivals any of my best. It is also the last of the Type A models that were produced by Argus beginning in 1936.
The coated Argus Anastigmat f/4.5 lens may not be fast, but it is remarkably sharp, contrasty, with no noticable tendency for flaring. It even stops down to f/22 still retaining good image quality and hyper-DOF. This model incorporated a large flash socket and required a special everyready case (not shown). It does not have double exposure protection, and there are two positions for focusing, 6-15 ft and 15-infin. The lens is collapsible which makes it easy to carry.
Some of the contemporary models from Argus:
A3 (1940-42)
CC (1941-42)
A21 (1947-52)
After 14 years, the Model A design was getting old fashioned and Argus had already passed through several failed attempts at more modern yet inexpensive designs such as the A3, CC, and A21. The Model C3 continued to be the foundation of the company's sales success, while the A4 was about to be launched soon to take advantage of the market opened by Kodak, especially the Kodak 35 and Signet lines.
Argus C (1938)
AF (1937-38)
A2B (1946-50)
I had lived on the Presidio, so it was an easy walk down to Fort Point to shoot a roll with the FA.
