Anyone still use a Voigtlander Prominent?

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Bighilt

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I am not sure if this is the right place for old Voigtlanders. A few years ago, while chatting to someone I had just met, the conversation turned to photography and cameras. Out of the blue he said he had an old camera, wasn't sure what it was and asked if I wanted the piece of old junk.
That junk turned out to be a Voigtlander Prominent in excellent condition. To be honest, I had never even heard of the brand or model but just holding it convinced me of its quality. In real life I have since only ever seen one other "in the flesh" in South Africa.
I quickly adapted to the quirky left-side focusing ring, in fact I have grown to prefer it, as I am left-eye dominant and, with the position of the viewfinder, it somehow seems more natural.
Long story short. This old gem has become my favourite camera that I use very regularly. I love the 50mm 3.5 Skopar which produces a very dreamy -- hard to explain because that makes it sound as though it's not sharp but it is -- image.
I also love the fact that the leaf shutter allows flash to be used all the way up to 1/500 sec -- not bad for camera over 50 years old.
If anyone is interested, there is a picture of the camera on my blog.
My question is: anyone else here use a Voigtlander Prominent regularly and, if so what, what are your experiences, opinions and feelings etc.
 
The Voigtlander Prominent is a superb camera. I'm afraid I cannot say this from firsthand experience but after reading about them and lusted after them for about 5 years now I think I can declare an opinion.

They tend to fetch prices easily challenging Leica on Ebay. I'm still working on one.
 
I have the Prominent I with a Nokton 50mm 1.5. The lens is awesome, but using the Prominent is a pain in the whahoo. You can poke yourself into the eye easily. It seems that camera makers who used to make LF cameras were used to make this camera, so focusing is like stretching a bellow.
 
I have 1 in working condition, but have never gotten around to using it regularly because of its strange ergonomics. The build quality is great & the lenses are indeed excellent (I have adapters that allow me to use the Nokton & Ultron on my Contax RFs & Leicas) & kudos to you for using yours.

From having seen & handled the pre-WWII Bessa medium format folding RFs, it seems clear to me that Voigtlander simply extended that existing form factor, including the top-mounted focusing knob, to the Prominent rather than try to come up w/anything that resembled competing 35mm RF systems @ the time. I don't know whether they did this out of an independent streak or a desire to retain their existing medium format user base in the new-fangled "miniature" format system, but I think it's too bad, as Voigtlander was clearly capable of making more conventional 35mm RFs.
 
How much was/is the adapter for mounting a Prominent 50mm lens on a Contax or Leica?
 
Mr. Gandy sells the Prominent-to-Contax or Nikon RF adapters for $175, assuming he still has some in stock. From there, I use a variety of Nikon RF-LTM & Contax-LTM/M adapters, some $249 models from Amedeo, a vintage Cook & Perkins, some Japanese Orion copies, etc. I also have an original 50/1.5 Nokton in LTM like this 1 on the Cameraquest site.

raid said:
How much was/is the adapter for mounting a Prominent 50mm lens on a Contax or Leica?
Click to expand...
 
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raid said:
How much was/is the adapter for mounting a Prominent 50mm lens on a Contax or Leica?
Click to expand...

I bought my Prominent to Contax adapter from eBay seller foto-hobby a couple of years ago for $50. Up to $75 last I looked. Raid, you used this adapter on one of your lens comparisons. Adapter seems to do a good job on the Contax, even with the Nokton wide-open at f 1.5
 
I am also using Prominent II... here it is with Ultron 1:2/50 lens.

ProminentII.jpg
 
Beautiful camera Amoebahydra. Thanks for posting the pic. I am envious of that lens. How does it perform wide open?
Thanks to you other guys for your comments. I certainly can understand how awkward the camera would be if I used my right eye for sighting through the view finder but when using the left eye it is perfectly comfortable and quickly becomes natural. Maybe the designers were all left-eye dominant!
It's a pity these cameras aren't used more. We VP users certainly seem to be a rare breed and the Prominent always evokes comments and discussions when it is produced.
I am planning a sizeable photographic project using just the Prominent so that should be interesting and fun.
Keep the comments coming.
Cheers
 
Mark: Yes, I used such an adapter,and the results were very good. It is surprising how using two adapters at the same time still gives very sharp results.

furcafe: Thanks for the information. Your LTM Nokton is worth quite a lot. Congrats.
 
I've had one for years. The Nokton lens is great, way better than the Leica of that period. The camera is beautiful and is built like a tank. Unfortunately actually trying to take a picture with it is almost impossible. "Quirky" isn't the right word.
 
Apparently the anti-left-handers never heard of the old classic Exaktas. In their day they were the top of the heap, in spite of the myriad idiosynchracies involved. They were not a fast-action camera, in fact contemplation was a more useful attribute.

Those who have read Pop Photo long enough will remember Norman Rothschild. He was one of their top editors and a dedicated Exakta fan. Reason: the lenses focused notably closer than anything with a rangefinder. But only the last model (VX1000) had an instant-return mirror - otherwise, the mirror steadfastly remained down until you wound (with a knob) to the next exposure. Then there was that little knife that you could use to cut a roll of film before the end (why, I don't know!!). But if you were left-handed, everything fell into place naturally. And they had some great lenses, many of which would probably test out quite nicely today.
 
My problem w/the Prominent isn't really its left-handedness. I can adapt to that idiosyncrasy, but I can't get used to the placement of the focusing knob on top, which is, IMHO, an extremely awkward location for anyone accustomed to focus controls being on the lens (e.g., Leica), single-finger dial (e.g., Contax or Nikon RF, Foton, Ektra) or even on a knob on the side (e.g., on the left for a Rolleiflex, on the right for a Koni-Omega). It would be just as awkward to me if Voigtlander had put the focus knob on the right side (of the top).

dll927 said:
Apparently the anti-left-handers never heard of the old classic Exaktas.
Click to expand...
 
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dll927 said:
Apparently the anti-left-handers never heard of the old classic Exaktas. In their day they were the top of the heap, in spite of the myriad idiosynchracies involved..
Click to expand...

Yes I have an Exakta. Nothing strange about them. Not even that slow. The Hasselblad's never had an instant return mirror either.

They do not compare to the Prominent. The prominent is strange and quirky - period.
 
I have a prominent with a Nokton f1.5 also. It's a lovely lens but I never use it. The body is so cumbersome that it makes using that camera pain in the ass. The viewfinder is squinty. The RF patch is small. The focus knob is in the same place as the rewind knob! GRRR

The original nokton is a beautiful lens and produces amazing bokeh. Believe me, I see a lot of bokeh with this combination as I've never gotten anything in focus.

The only reason I hang onto this is because I plan to one day get a prominent-Nikon adapter and an R2s
 
I will keep the 35mm lens on the Prominent, but one day I will get an adapter for the Nokton so that I can use it on a Leica or Contax.
 
Congratulations on this purchase. Let us know here how you find the set for photography after you have used it.

I now have also a 50/2 Ultron, which may be a better lens than a Nokton.
 
I used to have both a Leica M3 and a Voigtlander Prominent. One thing I loved about the Prominent was that its satin chrome was nearly bullet proof. I do not know how they did it, but it was much much scratch and mark resistant than Leica ever managed. Oh, and its leaf shutter was much more silent than even that on of the Leica M3. Other than these things though I much preferred the handling of the Leica.

Oh and Raid, I agree the f2 Ultron is an excellent lens. I found it to be low contrast but very sharp.
 
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