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Day 144: The Argus Camera Museum pt2!

Argus cameras were very influential in getting 35mm accepted as a film format, possibly second only to Leica, definitely in the United States, but also around the world.  There were over a million C3’s made! A precision machine made of inexpensive Bakelite.

They are still in use today: There was a C3 Matchmatic used in the seond Harry Potter movie.  That is the one I learned photography on.

The Museum itself has cases full of cameras.  The big ones here are actually about a foot long.  They are display models made of wood to put in drug store windows.  The actual camera the big ones are models of are displayed next to them.  The small ones…

There are the twin lens models (reflex and simple).

The famous Argus C3 rangefinders!

Complete kits and interchangable lenses!

Wartime non-camera production.

Film (movie) projectors, slide projectors, and the wonderful old ads.

My darlin’ at the top of the stairs.  The museum is on the second floor.

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Your intrepid photographer, outside the entrance.  Once you find the building, the entrance is in the courtyard.

A great place if you like old cameras.  535 West William Street.

There does not seem to be a Museum website, but here are a few links to Argus around the web!

http://michpics.wordpress.com/2007/03/29/the-argus-camera-company-of-ann-arbor-michigan/

http://www.crappycameraclub.org/argus-museum-show.html

http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Argus

http://gfoxphoto.blogspot.com/2009/08/blog-post.html

Curtis in Ann Arbor! {!-{>

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