Argus Argoflex E User manual

Argus
argojlex
MODEL E
INSTRUCTION
BOOI{

YOUR ARGOFLEX CAMERA
You r Argo fl ex camera is a pr ecision ins tru-
me nt of A ll -Ame ri can ma nuf ac tur e. It is
kno
wn as a twin-lens re fl ex camera because
it is equipped w ith two identical lenses, one
used as a view finder and focusing lens,
th e
other for actual pic
tur e taking.
Th e tw o f4.5 Varex lenses with which
yo ur Model E Argus is equipped are thre e
eleme
nt Anastigmat lenses of 75 mm. focal
len
gt h. Bo th th e fo cu sing and the tak ing
lenses
are i dt:.n tical and are acc ur ately com-
po und ed of a numb er of pieces of optical
glass co
rr ectly chosen a nd combined to pro-
duce crisp s harp negatives. Th e use of iden-
tical lenses for
both focus in g and taking as-
sures Argo
fl ex owners of critica ll y exact fo-
cu
s. Color co rr ection is ac hi eved in the
Varex lenses by exact co
mput ation and ac-
c
ur ate grinding which a ss ure s a pre cision
built piece of o pti cal equipme nt .
A
ll Argus lenses are manufac tur ed by we l!-
known Ameri ca n lens manu fac tur ers and
the
ir speed ra tin gs, expressed in "f" va lu e s,
are acc ur ate a nd guara nt eed.
A lth ou~ h yo ur Argo fl ex camera is rug-
~ed l y buIlt to s tand years of hard se rvice,
It m
ust be tr eated with the same care as any
ot her hI gh quality pr ec ision ins trum ent .
ever a
tt e mpt any repairs yo ur se lf a nd
never o il th e camera mechanism. Th e deli-
cate
ad ju s tm en ts in any camera demand an
expe
ri en ce d repa ir man fo r th e work, and
can be m
ost satisfactorily do ne in o ur own
Service Depa
rtm en t.' (See guara nt ee and
service po
li cy on back of t hi s boo k. )
INSTRUCTIONS
I. Load the camera as shown on
pages 12 and 13.
2. Open focusing hood by releasing
catch No.8, Fi gure I.
3.
Set shutter speed adjustment No.
S and lens opening No. 12.
4. Focus by turning knurled ring
No. II.
S. Make exposure by pressing shut -
.ter
release lever No.6, SLOWLY,
don't "jab".
6. Advance the film after each ex-
posure .
IMPORTANT
If yo u are accus to med to using a
candid type camera, the above b
ri ef
ins
tru ctions will s uffi ce. It is strongly
recommended, however, th
at th e ex-
pe
ri enced amateur as we ll as the be-
ginner read the step by step ins
tru c-
tions w hi ch are gi ve n on the fo ll owing
pages.
3

FIGURE I
I. Magnifying Glass
2. Back Relea se Catch
3. Film Windin g Knob
4. Depth of Focus Sca le
5. Shutter Speed Adjust -
ment
6. Shutter Release Lever
7. Cable Relea se So c ket
8. Hood Release Catch
9. Dire ct Vi sion Finder
10. Focusing Lens
11 . Focusing Ring
12. Stop L ever
13. Taking Lens
LET'S PRACTICE FIRST
A few moment s s pent with your em pty
Argoflex camera and this in struct ion book
will r
epay you many times over in improv-
ed pictures.
Follow the
in structions carefu ll y and d~
liberat ely, go in g through each motion just
as though you were making a picture . Prac-
tice making imaginar y pictures until you
have thoroug hl y mastered the operatio n of '
each
part of the camera.
When
you have done thi s, the opera ti on
of the camera becom es mor e or le ss auto-
mati c and more time and thought may be
devoted to lighting conditions, exposures,
composition
and many other factors which
go to make
up a satisFactory picture.
Exploring Your Cam Elr a- Hold the cam-
era with the lens facing you, and refer to
Fig. I. The upper lens ( 10 ) is the focusing
lens
and reflects it s image by means of a
mirror on to the ground glass in the focus-
ing hood.
The low er lens (13) is the actual
camera lens which take s the picture .
On the lower lens are two adjustments.
The s hutt er speed adjustment (5) gives you
you r se le ct ion of five s hutt er speeds from
1/ 10 to 1/ 200 of a second by revolving the
o ut er ring until the scored mark rests op -
posite the s
hutt er speed required. The aper-
ture or lens opening is adjusted by moving
the pointer (12) al ong the sca le ranging
from f4.5 to f i S.
To bett er under s tand the operation of this
very imp
ortant p ~ rt of your camera, set the
5

shutter speed adjust ment (5) at 1/ 10 of a
second
and open the back of the cam era by
depressing the two catches (2) at the top of
the camera with the thumb and forefinger.
Point the lens toward a bright source of
light and press the shutter re lease lever (6)
several times wh
il e varying the s hutt er speed
dial from 1/
10 to 1/200. Notice the s mooth
action of the s hu tter mechanism.
Now set the s hutter speed dial (5) to "B"
or bulb· exposure. Not ice now that when
you press
the l ever (6) the shutter rem ai ns
open until you remove
your finger. By se t-
ting the dial at "T" or time exposure, the
s
hutter wi ll open when pressed the first
time and close when pressed
the second time.
Try this several times and then l e~ve the
s
hutter open wh il e you pract ICe uSlllg the
diaphragm or lens open in g adjustment , com-
monly referred to as "stop-lever."
With the s hutter open and the lens po in t-
ed
toward a li ght , move the stop l ever ( 12 )
from
f4.5 to f l8 and back again. Notice how
the diaphragm closes
and lets in less li ght
through the lens at each successively hi gher
stop number.
T
hi s adjustment, toge ther with yo ur s hut-
ter speed ad justment , enables yo u to adapt
yo ur camera to var ious kinds of light C~lI1-
ditions as we ll as to subjects wi th varylllg
degrees
of motion.
For suggested s hutter speeds and sto p-I e\ '-
er settings using Verichrome or Plenachrome
film out
of doors, consult the table, Fig. 12 .
6
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3
Making Practice Exposures- Now s li p
the
thumb nail under the hood release
catch (8) a
ll ow in g the entire hood to sn ap
into position. This hood contains both the
ground glass and the di rect view finder.
You wi ll use the ground glass or re fl ex find er
most often, so let's investigate it first. I-I olcl
the camera as shown in Fig. 5, looking down
into the hood, and pointing your camera
at any we ll li ghted object , you will see that
this object appears on the ground glass
finder as shown
in Fig. 2. Th is image is the
same si ze as that in c lu ded on the film and
will look exactly
li ke your finished print.
FIGURE 4 FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6

FIGURE 7
Now swing the magnifying glass into po-
sItIOn by pushing down on the lever (14).
Rai se the camera to your eye and sight
through this glass as shown in Fig. 4. Bring
your eye as close tQ the magnifying glass as ..
IS necessary to secure sharp magnification.
Now
rotate the focusing ring (II) and no-
tice how the image moves
in and out of
focus.
Pr act ice focu ing the lens exactly by
slghtlllg objects at near and far distances
throug~ the magnirying glass and bring·
them to need le sharp focus.
To make an "imaginary" picture, first set
your s hutter speed and stop opening accord-
IIlg to the light conditions by referring to
the exposure table or by use of an exposure
meter.
Then with the magnifying glass in
position, focus the lens as previously des-
cribed until the image
is sharp. low swing
the magnifying glass out of the way and
push it down into hood with the fore-finger.
WIth the camera held at waist level as in
Fig.
5, frame the picture as you wish to
ha
ve it on your finished print , and when it
8
is exactly as yo u want it, slowly depress the
s
hutter relea se leve r. (6).
Immediately
arter your exposure, turn
tbe film winding
'm ob, so that you will ac-
quire the habit of advancing the film im-
mediately after each exposure.
This precau-
tion will pre ve nt double exposed negative s.
A leather carrying strap is included as
. s
tandard equipment with the Argoflex cam-
era. When used as shown
in Fig. 5, it helps
s
teady the camera while making the expo-
sure, and
is a safe-guard against accident-
a
ll y dropping the camera.
The Direct Vision Finder- For rapid fire
eye level shots, the dir.ect vision finder is
most convenient.
To u~ this finder, push
'down on the center panel of the hood (9)
, in Fig. I until the panel engages with the
catches. (Caution: Do not attempt to force
panel past catcbes.
To release from this
position, apply slight outward pressure on
. rear hood panel). Hold the camera as shown
in Fig. 6
and center your subject in the
square opening provided by the view finder.
Remember
that in taking a picture with
the direct view finder, you must first focus
t]!e camera either by using the ground
glass to secure a sharp image or by estima-
ting the distance from the camera
to the
subject
a!1d setting the footagf . 'indicator
(15)
III FIg. 7, opposite the center line (17).
After the shutter has been set for the pro-
per speed and opening, and focused
to the
proper distance, the exposure is made in
the ~sual man!1er by depressing the lever (6)
III FIg. I. Agalll remember to wind the film
immediately after making the exposure.

To fold down the re fl ex h ood for carrying,
first be s
ur e that the magnifying glass is in
the "down" position.
Then fold th e right
and l eft hood wings down, fo ll owed by th e
rear h
ood plate . T he front h ood plate then
folds
int o place a nd holds the e ntir e h ood
in position.
Time and Bulb Exposures- Fo r taking
time exposure with
eit her the "T" or "8 "
s ettings of the shu tter, your cam era must
be placed on a'firm s
upp o rt such as a trip od
or ta bl e. The trip od socket (20), Fig. II and
s upp orting fe et are built int o the Argu
camera for this purpose. T o avoid
jarring th e
camera
during expos ur e longer than 1 /2 5
of a second, a cable release ma y, be used.
I
t m ay be sc rewed into the cable release
socket (7) F
ig. I and the s hutt er operated
without touching the camera it se l f.
Close-Up Pictures- For taking pictures
at distances closer
th an e ight feet, ex tr a
precautions are required. In any
camera ,
the finder a nd lens it se lf do not "see" or
cover
quite the same area, due to th e s li ght
d
iff eren ce in position of the two lenses. At
distances beyo nd eight feet, no correction
need be made
for thi s error, but on ex tr eme
close-ups,
th e image on the gro und glass or
in the dir ec t view finder mu st be kept at
least a quarter of an inch from the top
edge of the fi nder. A ll owing this margin
wIll prevent the c utting off of heads or
o
ther parts of the subject in the fini shed
print.
10
The Distance and Depth of Focus Scale
T he Argo fl ex is equipped w ith a distan ce
scale (
15 ) Fi g. 7 and a depth of field scale
(16) Fig. 7. T he distance scale is
for use
when
yo u wish to estim ate th e distance
between the camera a nd the subject and
set the lens accord in gly. T hi s is done by
turning the dial ( II ) until the desired
footage is opposite the ce nt er mark ( 17 ).
The depth of fi eld or depth of focus scale
is
to indicate what objects in yo ur pic tur e
are sh
arp from fro nt to rea r.
For example, if you were m ak ing a
pi
cture of a group of people w hi ch meas ur ed
in de
pth five feet from the front row to
the back row, and you desired the faces in
the fro
nt row to be as sh arp as those in
the back, you can by referring
to the
depth of ' fie ld table, determine what lens
opening you mu st use to be ce rt ain of a
sharp, clear
picture .
As shown in Fig. 7,
at a distance of seven
feet wi
th the lens wide open, the picture
would be sh arp fro m a point six feet be-
yo no the camera to a point a li tt le le ss than
ei ght feet beyond the camera. If th e cl osest
o
bj ect to the camera which yo u desire to
have sh
arp was fi ve feet and the farthe st
one about ten feet away and yo u wanted
bo th of them sh arp in the pi ct ur e, it would
be necessary
to set the lens opening at 12 .7.
This depth of fie ld scale will prove very
helpful and until you have thoroughly
mastered it , it would be we ll to keep a
record
of the s top openings used in th e
II

various pictur es and compare th em with
your fini shed prints.
LOADING YOUR CAMERA
. After. you have followed th e foregoing
IIlstructlOns carefully, you are r eady to
load yo ur camera with film.
The Argoflex is designed to take either the
Eas tm an 120 or 620, or the Agfa B2 or
PB20 film. These sizes are s tandard and are
easily obta in ab le . Mak e sure tbat the film
you buy is centeT1narked for 12 exposures.
~ YourArgu s camera makes 12 2y,( x Zy,;
IIlch picture s on a standard eight exposure
roll). There is a wi de selection of fi lm speeds
available in thi s size, ranging from the fine
grain Eastman Panatomic X or Agfa Fin-
opan film up to the Eastman Plus X or Ag-
fa Superpan Supreme Film. For indoor use
or where high
shutter spee ds are requir ed
o
utdoor s, Eastman Super XX or Agfa U ltra-
Speed Panchromatic Film are reco mmended .
For n or mal outdoor u se , and particularly
FIGURE 8 FIGURE 9
for be ginners , Eastman Verichrome or Agfa
Plenachrome film will be fo und most sat-
isfa cto ry. (T he exposu re table fu rnished
in
this booklet is designed for use with
Plenachrome or Verichrome film ).
Always load yo ur camera in s ubdued
light. Open th e back of th e camera by de-
pre ss ing the two releases (2) and pulling
outward on th e back. With the camera open,
be sure that the empty film spoo l is in the
top compartment. If it is not , i nsert it
there by pulling outward on the film wind-
ing knob No.3 , giving it a quarter of a tum
to lock it in the "o ut " position. With th e
l
eft ha nd , pullout on the spool retaining
knob ( 19) and while holding it , inse rt th e
spoo l with the s lotted end to the right. Re-
lease
the spool retaining knob, allowing it
to s nap back into position, and turn th e
film
winding knob (3) another quarter of
a turn allowing it to s nap back into po s ition .
Be
sure that it returns co mpletel y to its
original position. Turn the empty film s po ol
FIGURE 10 FIGURE II

until the slot is up. Pr oceed to .l oad th e
camera by inse
rtin g the full· ro ll of film in
th e bo tt om co mp a rtm e nt , as shown in Fig-
ure
8.
Gra sp th e e nd of the film as shown in
Figure 8, pull
the film up and across th e
two rollers and in
se rt th e end of the film in
the slot of
the upp er sp oo l, Fig ur e 9.
Give th e film winding knob (3) one or two
turn s as shown in Figure 10 to make s ur e
th e film is secured to · th e. sp oo l.
Snap the back of th e camera s hut making
ce rt a in th at it is securely locked. De pr ess
th e film window flap (21) and holding it
open as shown in Figur e II , begin winding
u
ntil the warning dots or ha nd s on th e
back of
th e film begin to a pp ea r in the fi lni
window (22).
Wind slowly and car ef ully
until th e No. I a pp ea rs in th e fi lm window.
Remove
the thumb fr om the film window
fl ap knob ( 21 ) a ll owing it to snap in to
closed position. You ar e now r ea dy to make
yo ur first expos ur e, a fter which th e wind-
ing
pr oc edur e should be repeated , turnin g
slowly until
th e No.2 a ppear s in the film
window. Develop
th e habit of imm ediate-
ly winding the film a
fter each expos ur e.
in order to pr eve nt double exposure. Re-
me
mber also th at yo ur film will gi ve you
twelve expos ur es on an eig ht expos ur e rol l.
Wh en yo u h ave taken a ll twelve pic tur es,
co
ntinu e to wind the fi lm until the paper
tra il er is completely wo und on to the upp er
spoo
l. Th e exposed film m ay be rem ove d
fro m th e camera as described above.
14
Be for e
10 A.M. and
After 2 P.
M.
10 A.M. to
2 P.M.
1/ 75 sec ond s hutt er
speed m
ay be had by
setting the s hu t t e r
speed dial mid-may
l> c- •
tw een 1/ 50 an d 1/ 100
S hutt er Stop S hutt er Stop
Spee d Spee d
--,---;-:-::::--- -I --=-::_::___ - - - - - -
l
Cl ear 1/ 50 f :6. 3 1/ 25 f:lP
{
S
umm er Ov ercast 1/ 25 f: 6 .3 1/ 50 f :6.3
Shad ed Very Dull 1/25 - f: 4.5 1/25 f: 6. 3
Loc a- Cl ear 1/ 50 f:4.5 1/ 50 f :6.3
tions Winter Ov e rca st 1/ 25 f: 4.5 1/ 50 f:4.5
Very Dull 1/ 10 -f:4.5 1 /2 5 f:4.5
--- -- -- - -- --- --- -- -
--- lClear 1/ 50 f:6.3 1/ 100 f: 6.3
{
S
ummer Ov ercast 1/ 75 f:4.5 1/ 50 f: 6.3
Por- Ve ry Dull 1/ 50 f:4.5 1/ 75 f:4.5
traits Cl ea r 1/ 50 f:4.5 1/ 50 f :6 .3
Wi nter Ov er cas t 1/25 f:4.5 1/ 50 f: 4. 5
. Very Dull 1/
10 f:4.5 1/25 f:4.5
- ----------- - - - --
Str ee t Cl ea r 1/ 100 f:6.3 1/ 50 f:1 2. 7
Sce n es {s umm er Ov er cas t 1/50 f: 6 .3 1/ 100 f :6.3
Snap- Ve ry Dull 1/ 75 f:4.5 1/ 50 f :6.3
s ho ts Cl ea r 1/50 f: 6.3 1/ 100 f :6.3
Grou ps Win ter O ve rcast 1/75 f:4 .5 1/ 50 f :6.3
in o pe n _ _ _ Very Dull ~ f:4.5 ~ f:4.5
Cl ear 1/50 f:12 .7
{
S
umm er Ov ercast 1/ 100 f :6 .3
Di stant Very Dull 1/50 f :6.3
La nd- Cl ea r 1/ 100 f: 6.3
scapes
Win ter O ve rc as t 1/50 f :6 .3
. Very
Dull 1/ 75 f:4.5
1/ 50
1/ 50
1/ 100
1/50
1/ 100
1/ 50
f:18
f:12
.7
f :6.3
f:12 .7
f :6.3
f :6 .3
--- ------ - -
-- - - -- l Cl ea r 1/ 100 f:18 1/ 200 f: 18
Marine {s umm er Ov e rca st 1/ 100 f: 12.7 1/ 200 f:12 .7
vi e ws Very Dull 1/ 200 f: 6.3 1/ 75 f:12 .7
and Cl ear 1/ 100 f: 12.7 1/ 200 f:1 2. 7
Snow Winter Ov e rc as t 1/ 200 f:6.3 1 /7 5 f:1 2.7
Scen es Very Dull 1/ 100 f: 6.3 1/ 200 f :6.3
-- - --- -l Cl ear 1/2 00 f: 4.5 1/ 200 f :6.3
{
S
umm er O ve rc as t 1/ 100 f:4.5 1/ 200 f:4.5
Sports Very Dull 1/ 50 f: 4.5 1/ 100 f:4 .5
Shots Cl ear 1/ 100 f:4.5 1/ 200 f:4.5
in open Win ter Ov e rc ast 1/ 75 f:4.5 1/ 100 f: 4.5
Very Dull 1/50 f:4.5 1/ 75 f:4 .5
Indoor exposur es may be made with two No. I photoBood
lamps in reB ec tors 4 feet from s ubj ect ex posing 1/ 50 seco nd f45 .
15

To protect your Argoflex from
dust , weather , and accidental
damage , and for convenience in
carryi ng, this att ra ct~ve brown
l
eat h er carry in g case is ava il abl e.
The h andy ca se is beautifu ll y
.
ntad~ · Qt ·. senu in e top
gra in cow-hide, 4 oz.
l
eather atld is equipp-
ed with a shoulder
s
trap of regt.;! :; tion
length.
The price is 5.00. Part o. CE50.
A k to see ir at your dealer.
Also
ava il ab le for your Argoflex is a 6 in .
cable release
(Pa rt o. E5 1) a valuable ac-
cessory
for ti me exposures and a conven-
;~nce for a ll camera work. Price 40c
GUARANTEE AND SERVICE POLICY
Argus cameras are guaranteed 3gainst defecti ve
:natcrial and workman s hip for ninety days after
~ hipment . The camer a sh ould be returned to the
factory with rransporratiQn charges pre.p.aid. The
defect will be promptly corrected :lnd the cam-
cra returned prepaid.
To ass ure Ar gus owners of l ow upkeep co sts,
after expirat i on or above guara ntee , the faerar 'y
wi ll inspect ar.d re-adju st allY Model E Argo£lcx
camera s hipped to them prepaid and return it
to the owner prepaid (or the s um of $J .Jo. Thi s
policy is effective for onc };e ar from dat e of pur-
cha!c and applies on ly to cameras se nt direct:iy to
the fac tory by the owner. This docs n ot cover
Icplaceme nt of cameras broken throu gb misu se or
(:ameras which ha ve been abused.
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
CORPORATION
Ann Arbor . Michigan . U.S.A.