11 and 12 researched events on one shared scale. Argus 1931–present, Horseman 1933–present.
The axis stretches where either maker has research and collapses where neither does, so a year sits opposite the same year on both. Event counts differ because research depth differs, not because one company did less.
International Radio Corporation built Kadette radios in molded cabinets in Ann Arbor. Charles Verschoor looked for a product that could keep the plant busy outside the radio season, and the company applied its plastics experience and mass-production ambitions to an inexpensive 35mm camera launched in May 1936.
Komamura Brothers began business in Kyoto, establishing the enterprise from which the later Komamura photographic company emerged. The date marks the commercial origin, not yet the formal postwar company or the Horseman camera brand, so those later milestones remain separate in the chronology.
Transfer from Komamura Shokai to Kenko Professional Imaging completed · About the Company / FalconEye
The compact Model A paired a molded body and collapsible lens with a price far below imported miniature cameras. AF, B, A2B and A2F versions added focusing, a faster shutter-lens package, or exposure guidance, turning one successful idea into a family that helped normalize 35mm photography for American amateurs.
The C introduced rangefinder measurement, the C2 coupled it to the lens by an external gear, and the flash-synchronized C3 established the famous rectangular form. Its body-mounted shutter accepted a modest ecosystem of normal, wide and telephoto front assemblies from Argus and outside optical suppliers.
Argus C-Series Part IV - Lenses and Use · Argus "C" Series Cameras
The K, 828-film M, A3, photoelectric-metered CC, postwar Model 19, A4 and C20 moved beyond the main A and C families. They tested half-frame options, built-in exposure aids, metal construction and streamlined forms, leaving a varied record of how Argus searched for the next durable amateur-camera formula.
Argoflex cameras carried Argus into 120 and 620 roll film, from the plastic E to Harley Earl-styled metal models and simplified Forty and Seventy-Five variants. The recalled Argoflex II, revised EM and EF, and later boxlike models show experimentation with film transport, flash and waist-level viewing.
Government work began before American entry into the war. In August 1942 Argus stopped civilian output, stored camera machinery and unfinished stock, and devoted the expanded Ann Arbor plant to military optical and radio equipment. The work broadened skills, employment and the factory complex before peacetime production returned.
The Model 21 brought a removable back, projected framelines, automatic shutter cocking and flash features. C4, C4R, C44 and C44R cameras developed that metal-bodied platform through coupled rangefinding, rapid advance and a proprietary interchangeable-lens system, distinct from the older C-series interface.
Argus Metal Bodied Removable Back Cameras · Argus C44 and C44R Manual: Lens Specifications
Komamura identifies 1947 as the establishment of the postwar company and the beginning of film-development operations in northern Japan. This legal and operational milestone followed the 1933 business origin and immediately preceded the company's first documented police-camera project.
Transfer from Komamura Shokai to Kenko Professional Imaging completed · About the Company / FalconEye
The wooden PC-101 identification camera was developed for the National Police Agency in 1948. In 1950 Komamura announced the Horseman 102 for police identification work, giving the Horseman name a practical foundation in controlled, repeatable evidentiary photography.
Transfer from Komamura Shokai to Kenko Professional Imaging completed · About the Company / FalconEye
Sylvania reached an agreement to acquire Argus Cameras in 1956 and operated the business from 1957. The purchase placed the Ann Arbor maker inside a larger electronics company while its established cameras, projectors and optical products continued under the Argus name during a rapidly changing import market.
History of Argus · Sylvania Electric Products Inc. 1956 Annual Report
Standard and Match-Matic C3 editions refreshed the established camera, while C33 and Autronic models coupled exposure settings more closely to accessory meters or automatic controls. The changes made picture taking quicker but also reveal how Argus tried to update a body concept rooted in the late 1930s.
Komamura completed the Horseman 104 as an identification camera for the police. The model linked the early public-service cameras to the compact professional system that soon appeared under Topcon Horseman branding, combining Komamura direction with Tokyo Kogaku participation.
Notice of products that cannot be repaired · About the Company / FalconEye
The 960, 760, 970, 980, and 985 developed the compact 6x9 press and technical-camera idea through several generations. Official service records preserve these distinct names alongside Super Topcor optics, while surviving manuals and systems show the importance of backs, cams, and rangefinder coupling.
Horseman VH-R owner's manual · Notice of products that cannot be repaired
Mansfield Industries bought Argus in March 1962, and the combined concern adopted the Argus, Inc. name that May. Camera production moved away from Ann Arbor over the following years as the badge appeared on imported equipment, changing Argus from a predominantly local manufacturer into a broader photographic-products brand.
Domestic camera production had ended by 1969, though later imported and digital products reused the Argus name. The surviving Ann Arbor buildings, factory films, employee publications, collector surveys and the Argus Museum now preserve the manufacturing story and separate it from later trademark use.
The VH and rangefinder-equipped VH-R carried the compact roll-film technical-camera concept into a mature system. Movements, interchangeable backs, ground-glass focusing, and model-specific rangefinder provisions made the cameras unusually versatile, but also created compatibility boundaries collectors must respect.
Horseman VH-R owner's manual · Notice of products that cannot be repaired
Horseman 45FA, 45HD, and Woodman 45 brought folding-field portability to 4x5 photography. The 45FA and 45HD shared an 80 mm board concept but differed in rear movements, extension, focusing equipment, and front-rise control, so they represent distinct working bodies rather than trim variations.
Horseman 45HD instruction manual · FAQ for Horseman Technical Cameras · Horseman manual downloads
The LS, LE, LX, and LX-C optical-bench cameras extended Horseman into modular studio work, with documented 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10 configurations. Their rail, bellows, standards, and interchangeable rear frames made format and movement capacity central parts of the system design.
Horseman L Series owner's manual · Horseman manual downloads
SW612 and SW617 cameras turned 6x12 and 6x17 roll-film panoramas into purpose-built professional systems. Later Professional, SWP, SW612D, and SWD-II Pro variants brought interchangeable mounts, digital backs, and shift movements into the same wide-angle design tradition.
Horseman Museum opens in Nakano · Horseman SWD-II Pro owner's manual · Horseman manual downloads
DigiWide, DigiFlex, LD, VCC Pro, ISS-G3, TS-Pro, and Axella products translated view-camera geometry into digital workflows. Rather than treating a sensor as a fixed endpoint, Horseman used interchangeable mounts, bellows, rails, and standards to keep perspective and focus control available.
Horseman product index · Horseman manual downloads · Horseman Axella S system chart and technical data
Komamura transferred its photographic and broadcasting-equipment operations to Kenko Professional Imaging. Komamura continued separately in advanced imaging, while Kenko became steward of Horseman products, documentation, service information, and the professional-camera heritage.
Transfer from Komamura Shokai to Kenko Professional Imaging completed · About the Company / FalconEye
Kenko Professional Imaging opened the Horseman Museum in Nakano in 2016 with cameras and accessories representing the brand's history, alongside then-current Axella and VCC Pro equipment. Current documentation preserves the system even though many historical bodies and lenses are no longer repairable.
Horseman product index · Horseman Museum opens in Nakano · Notice of products that cannot be repaired · Horseman manual downloads
