Skip to main content

Posts

2026-10-01 - Argus C4M Electro Camera

  The Argus C4M Electro Camera is a lightweight, all-plastic 35mm viewfinder camera produced in 1980. Manufactured in Hong Kong, it features a built-in electronic flash and an automatic exposure meter. Despite sharing part of its name with the classic, American-made Argus C4 rangefinder from the 1950s, the C4M Electro is entirely unrelated in design and is constructed mostly out of plastic. Key Features: Format: 35mm film. Lens: Fixed f /3.8 / 38mm manual focus lens. Film Sensitivity: Features an adjustable ISO / ASA range from 50 to 400, configured via a notched ring surrounding the lens. Built-in Flash: Includes integrated electronic flash. Light Meter: Equipped with a built-in light meter to assist with proper exposures. Build: Compact plastic body manufactured in Hong Kong for Argus.

2026-09-30 - Tempophot Light Exposure Meter

  The  Tempophot Light Exposure Meter  is a handheld photovoltaic selenium cell light exposure meter manufactured by the German engineering company Metrawatt AG in Nuremberg, Germany. Originally introduced around 1935, it features a mechanical calculator dial, a built-in swivel baffle / resistor shunt for varying light conditions, and a needle indicator to determine correct film exposure. Key Features: Maker: Produced by Metrawatt AG (which later merged into Gossen-Metrawatt ). Casing Material : Features a distinct, heavy-moulded Bakelite housing. Sensory Technology : Uses a built-in selenium photocell. This cell generates its own low-voltage electrical current when exposed to light, meaning the meter does not require batteries to function. Baffle / Shunt Control: A side button adjusts the meter cell mechanism, allowing the needle to point to specific indicator numbers on an internal scale. Calculator Dial: ...

2026-09- 29 - Houghton-Butcher Box Ensign 2¼ B Camera

  The Houghton-Butcher Box Ensign 2¼ B Camera is a box camera produced in the United Kingdom in 1923. Originally introduced in 1912 under the name Box-Form, this camera was extensively revised in 1923, which added features like a fold-out wire viewfinder and rear-loading capabilities, and renamed the Box Ensign 2 ¼ B. The 2¼ B name actually refers to the Ensign film size designation, which is fully compatible with 120 roll film. Key Features: Film Format: Takes eight 2¼ “ x 3¼ “ exposures on 120 roll film. Lens: Fixed-focus meniscus achromat lens. Apertures: Three aperture settings roughly equivalent to f /11, f /16, and f /22. Shutter: Simple mechanical rotary shutter running at a fixed instantaneous speed of roughly 1/30s to 1/50s and Time (T) settings. Viewfinders: Two waist-level reflex viewfinders, with a folding wire-frame sports finder. Body: Wood or fiberboard frame covered in textured black leatherette.    ...