Argus C-Four 35mm Rangefinder Camera Coated Cintar 50mm f/2.8 Lens Parts

Argus C-Four 35mm Rangefinder Camera Coated Cintar 50mm f/2.8 Lens Parts

The Argus C-Four is a 35mm rangefinder film camera produced in the United States during the 1950s, fitted here with the factory Coated Cintar 50mm f/2.8 lens. On this example, the shutter fires correctly across its available speeds, but the aperture does not function properly. This camera is being sold as-is for parts, display, or repair.

Specifications & What's Included

• Make: Argus
• Model: C-Four (also marketed as the Argus C4)
• Lens: Coated Cintar 50mm f/2.8 (attached)
• Lens markings: "MADE IN U.S.A.", "COATED CINTAR", f/2.8 50mm
• Aperture range: f/2.8 – f/22 (non-functional on this unit)
• Shutter speeds: B, 10, 25, 50, 100, 300 (shutter fires)
• Focus: rangefinder-coupled, distance scale in feet (3 ft – infinity)
• Film format: 35mm
• Film loading: removable back via bottom OPEN latch
• Flash: cold shoe and sync port on top plate
• Viewfinder/rangefinder windows present on front
• Rewind knob and film advance knob present on top plate
• Country of manufacture: United States
• Included: camera with lens attached only — no case, strap, or accessories

Applications

The Argus C-Four was one of the most popular American 35mm cameras of the 1950s, part of the long-running Argus C-series that began with the original Argus A in the late 1930s. Compact and mechanically straightforward, the C-series cameras were designed to bring rangefinder-style photography to everyday consumers at an affordable price point — a role they filled in enormous numbers through the postwar decade. The Coated Cintar lens offered a meaningful optical improvement over earlier uncoated Argus glass, reducing flare and improving contrast. Today, Argus C-series cameras are collected as American photographic history artifacts and are sought by repair enthusiasts and parts donors for other C-series bodies. A non-functioning unit like this one is well-suited to cannibalization for lens elements, shutter assemblies, or cosmetic parts, or to display in a vintage camera collection.