I took photography classes when I was in junior high (middle) school and again in high school. During that photography class in high school, my step-grandfather gave me his Argus camera. It was my first 35mm camera.
Somewhere in my and my family's moves I lost track of that camera. I don't know if it got lost in one of those moves, donated, given away, or 😱 thrown away. Who knows, it could even be packed away in a box in my garage, though I don't think so.
When I was setting up my PhotosByWLG Facebook page, I wrote that I wanted to buy an Argus C3 camera. They are really cool. Completely manual. The film advance mechanism is completely separate from the shutter cock and release. Which means you can take really cool multiple exposure photographs.
Anyway, my mom read that in the About section, commented that she had an Argus camera, as well as a Brownie camera, and she'd send me the Argus camera. Well, I received the Aarhus camera in the mail today (along with some fresh pecans from their pecan trees)!
It's an Argus C3 Matchmatic, and it looks like it's still in really good condition, including the leather case, though the strap that's supposed to be riveted to the case is gone.
My mom is funny. She included a short note: "Here's the camera you wanted, don't know if it still works or if you can get film for it anymore. Dad is sending you these pecans - Enjoy!"
It's a manual camera (no batteries required) so it should still work... the shutter cock and release work. The lens adjustments work. The film advance mechanism works, and the light meter (the thing on top) looks like it works too. And yes mom, you can still get film for it. Now to order some black and white film from Amazon and try it out. After all, I should take black and white photos with a vintage camera.
I'm also going to have to put some darkroom equipment on my wishlist so I can, at the very least, develop my own negatives. Walgreens and CVS don't develop photos in store anymore. And they don't give you back the negatives anymore either 😡.
Now to see if I can talk her out of that Brownie camera.
