Vito II

[xwhatsit]

Just bought a Voigtländer Vito II. Waiting for it to arrive! I mainly bought it because it looks so cute... gorgeous little folding mechanism, small enough to fit in your pocket (and don't need to worry about the lens getting dirty). Like a 120 folder but takes 35mm film. Now I have my enlarger and won't be scanning any more I will get a medium format camera soon though, don't you worry.

I did a bit of research and it turns out that it's a reasonably well-liked camera; the Color-Skopar 50/3.5 is supposed to be a gem, and my model supposedly has the best shutter, the Synchro-Compur with the top speed of 1/500. Score!

Anyway, it's scale focus. Now I can do scale focus on my Canon Demi just fine. However it's a half-frame and has tremendous depth of field. This has me a little more worried. Even if I wanted to (and I wouldn't, as that would ruin the pocketable aspect of this camera), I can't fit an accessory rangefinder as this is an early model with no accessory shoe. I can guess that the usual advice would be to stop down, use a fast film? Are there any tips to utilise the f3.5-f4 without pulling out a tape measure?

Cheers guys

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Get an accessory rangefinder to use separately. After a while you'll get quite good at estimating distance and be able to dispense with it.
Then get a Perkeo II for your 120 aspirations. A lovely little camera - probably the smallest 6x6 folder made - get the Color Skopar f3.5 lens, not the Vaskar f4.5, and the Compur Rapid shutter which has more speeds. The Perkeo has an accessory shoe so you can fit the rangefinder there - or a VCII meter as you'll be so good at estimating distance by then!

 

[Mablo]

What a beauty it is! I've been bidding on a similar one a couple of times. Maybe I should try again. I have a couple of scale focus cameras that I use and basically I accept the fact that f/8 or f/11 is the rule. I did some DOF calculations and found out that the chances I can focus spot on with f/3.5 in short range are so small that I better forget it. These cameras serve best as pocketable everyday workhorses. IMO a person who carries and uses such a beautiful object instead of a small plastic ho-hum d***tal has some serious style.

 

[dogberryjr]

" I accept the fact that f/8 or f/11 is the rule."

This. They are wonderful cameras, though, and very elegant.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Just bought a Voigtländer Vito II. Waiting for it to arrive! I mainly bought it because it looks so cute... gorgeous little folding mechanism, small enough to fit in your pocket (and don't need to worry about the lens getting dirty). Like a 120 folder but takes 35mm film. Now I have my enlarger and won't be scanning any more I will get a medium format camera soon though, don't you worry.

I did a bit of research and it turns out that it's a reasonably well-liked camera; the Color-Skopar 50/3.5 is supposed to be a gem, and my model supposedly has the best shutter, the Synchro-Compur with the top speed of 1/500. Score!

Anyway, it's scale focus. Now I can do scale focus on my Canon Demi just fine. However it's a half-frame and has tremendous depth of field. This has me a little more worried. Even if I wanted to (and I wouldn't, as that would ruin the pocketable aspect of this camera), I can't fit an accessory rangefinder as this is an early model with no accessory shoe. I can guess that the usual advice would be to stop down, use a fast film? Are there any tips to utilise the f3.5-f4 without pulling out a tape measure?

Cheers guys

I have that exact model (well, two of them, in fact...) and it is indeed a pleasure to behold and carry around. I've sung its praises here before but it really is a great design. Personally, I don't find there is anything the Vito B does better, until you get to the later ones with the 1:1 finder, that is. But then you really might as well go for a Vitomatic - same size, hardly more money, coupled RF and meter.

So, first of all, there's a clip-on accessory shoe and it seems to be fairly easy to find. (It will leave minor marks on the top plate, if that's a concern to you.) The original RF carries a bit of a premium on ebay which is silly. It's a nice unit but any of the lesser names will do the same job.

Second, it's a slow lens. It really takes only a little practice to focus even at f/3.5. Not close up, granted, but I'm sure most of us can tell if something is 6 feet away or 8 feet, right? That's your DOF at 3.5.

Some Vito II quirks you may not know about:
Shutter only works with film. To test, open the back and advance the sprocket wheel by hand.
Opening the back: That very elegant black bar clasp on the rewind side of the body. Squeeze body with both hands and flick clasp with your thumbs. Not the most convenient, but way more secure and pocket-friendly than other solutions.
The little thumb lever by the advance wheel is your rewind clutch. Doubles as a cover for the frame counter setting wheel.
To fold up, press both black tabs between lens and door. Looks like yours may be missing one tab already. This is very common. They are probably the only glued parts (besides the leather, of course) and the glue is brittle by now. I decided to remove both tabs on my user so I wouldn't lose them in the field some day. They're only decorative.

 

[mediumformatpho]

I love mine - I have the Vito IIa with the Prontor-SVS shutter. These are awesome cameras, built to last. I was lucky to find one in near mint condition at local thrift for $12! The Color-Skopar, while slow at f3.5, is plenty sharp. I also love the fact that these cameras have pc connection that of course allows flash sync at all shutter speeds - great for fill flash uses and studio strobes. Here's mine:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rfox-photography/2904952759/" title="Voightlander Vito IIa w/50/3.5 Color-Skopar by big-film, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/2904952759_b5caeca5b9.jpg" width="500" height="373" alt="Voightlander Vito IIa w/50/3.5 Color-Skopar" /></a>