Argus C4M Electro

The Argus C4M Electro is a compact viewfinder camera specially designed for 35mm film. It comes from the production of the Hong Kong company Haking and is mainly aimed at beginners and hobby photographers. A similar model was also introduced under the name Haking MW 35E by the same company.

Unfortunately, this model does not offer an option to change the lens. The fixed lens is called “Cintar Lens”. It comes with a focal length of 38 mm and a maximum aperture of f/4.

Focusing is manual, as the device does not have an autofocus function. The closest possible distance to the subject is 100 cm. There is zone focusing with four settings: 1 metre, 1.5 metres, 3 metres and infinity.

A light sensor for metering is built into the Argus C4M Electro. The camera accepts ISO values between 64 and 400. The automatic system takes care of exposure time and aperture, varying only the aperture. Manual settings are excluded.

An integrated flash facilitates photography in difficult lighting conditions and can be activated via a button on the front.

The camera offers a connection for external shutter release and a tripod thread. A carrying strap can also be attached. The power source is two AA batteries (eBay / Amazon*), which are easy to find and also available as a rechargeable version.

Film options for the Argus C4M Electro

The Argus C4M Electro is useless without a suitable photographic film. According to the instruction manual, it uses 35mm film. These films are still readily available and can be easily developed in most professional laboratories.

Two recommended 35mm film options are the Kodak Ultramax 400* and the Ilford Delta 100*. Both films have proven themselves in tests and are suitable for various shooting situations. There are also other brands such as Lomography, Rollei, Fujifilm and Adox that offer suitable films.

The camera has an exposure field of 24 mm x 36 mm. A standard film (135-36) usually allows 36 exposures. The film transport is motorised so that the film is automatically rewound after each exposure. Rewinding is also automatic. A display panel at the top provides information about the correct film transport and counts the number of shots taken.