This American-made camera was known as The Brick – but still some two million photographers bought one!

Argus evolved from the International Radio Corporation, an innovative maker of radios in inexpensive Bakelite cabinets under the Kadette brand, to a manufacturer of inexpensive Bakelite cameras under the Argus brand.

In 1936, it brought out the Argus “A”, possibly the most important American-made camera of its day, for it was largely responsible for popularizing the 35mm (135) format in the United States. The camera featured a collapsible f/4.5, 50mm lens and was the first low-cost, easy-to-use 35mm camera in America. Despite being in the midst of the Great Depression, some 30,000 copies were sold in the first week for just $12.50 each.

The Argus “A” and its variants were made until 1941. By the time America entered the Second World War, and production stopped, some 500,000 ‘A’ series cameras had been made.

With a slight name change (after selling it’s radio patents), the International Research Corporation introduced their Argus ‘B’ in 1937, which bridged the gap between the Model A and the iconic C-series launched the next year.

The ‘B’ used the same Bakelite body as the Model A but featured a premium German Prontor II shutter and a faster 50mm f/2.9 lens. This made it more advanced than the standard Model A, which had a simpler Ilex shutter, and it sold for a premium price, over the model ‘A’. But, exactly how much more seems a bit hazy. In any event, it was sold for only a year, and it seems that roughly one thousand were made. Thus, surviving examples are much sought after by vintage camera enthusiasts, today.

1938 saw the introduction of the Argus “C” model (with non-coupled rangefinder) and “C2” (with coupled rangefinder) cameras. All the C-series were designed by a freelance Belgian by the name of Gustav Fassin, though the diaphragm and shutter were a single unit designed by Theodore M. Brueck of Ilex Optical and housed behind the lens to allow interchangeable lenses. This simple design ensured the reliability of the C series.

German-made Enna Sandmar lenses in both 35mm f/4.5 & 100mm f/4.5 focal lengths were available, as well as a Bausch & Lomb 75mm f/5.6. All relied upon external finders for framing, as the camera’s finder only framed the standard 50mm f/3.5 Cintar – a Cooke Triplet, made by Argus.

The original ‘C’ had a rangefinder, but the user had to transfer the measured distance to the lens. The C2 coupled the rangefinder to the lens with an external gear, making the camera much more convenient. Both used the same, boxy, Bakelite body as the later C3. Neither the C or C2 was particularly successful, but they led the way to the “C3" the next year.

In 1939, the Argus C3 rangefinder camera appeared on the market. It was just a minor revision of the C2, with flash sync sockets added to the side of the camera. However, the C3 struck a chord with the American public, and some two million units were built over the next 27 years, making it one of the best-selling cameras in history. Fondly known as “The Brick,” and priced at just $35, it made 35mm rangefinder photography affordable.

The C3 was so successful that the next year, the International Research Corporation changed its name to Argus Inc., to reflect its core business – cameras.

The C3 was followed by several models, including the C33 (1959–1961) and C4 (1951–1957), which added features like built-in meters but increased complexity, led to reliability issues compared to the simple C3. The C44 and C44R (1956–1962) offered rangefinder refinements yet struggled against Japanese imports.

The Autronic models (1960–1965) introduced electric eye metering but saw limited sales due to their now outdated, boxy designs and competition from superior German and Japanese cameras. Overall, these post-C3 cameras were not commercially successful and Argus ceased operations in 1969.

That should be the end of the Argus story, but it’s not.

In 2025, the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, found that dangerous levels of TCE (trichloroethylene) had been leeching out from the former Argus factories into the surrounding neighbourhoods fr decades. TCE is a colorless, but carcinogenic liquid that can persist for decades in soil and groundwater and was banned in 1977. Argus had manufactured cameras and lenses in Ann Arbor from the 1930s until 1963, but closed in 1969, leaving the town of Ann Arbor holding the bag... and the cleanup bill.

Read more of David Young's ongoing series on classic cameras.