Voigtlander Vito B

[fidget]

I just picked up a Voigtlander Vito B in a car boot sale. Very cheap but in outstanding cosmetic condition. It looks like it has to have a film loaded to cock the shutter. The sprocket driven by the film is quite hard to turn, it does, and the shutter works with fairly good speeds.
I don't need another camera, but I was amazed at how neat and small it is, it has a quality build I think. A nice buy.
Edited:
Tried a scrap film in it and it winds without too much problem, chomped a few sprocket holes round one frame but otherwise all is very well.

Now have to wait for tomorrow to run through a test film.

This is nice, I've already trawled the bay for other models of Voigtlander flavour. Oh no! could be V GAS?
Ah, but wait, maybe the test film will show it to be a poor performer, yes, that would help kill the V GAS before it takes hold.

Dave.....


Dave....

 

[fidget]

Oh well, the first film fired off in the yard shows no trace of leaks. I even left a few frames unexposed and placed the camera in bright sunlight, lightly toasting on all sides to attract light ingress, but, no leaks. All speeds that i tried from 300th to 30th gave consistent results and nice sharpness and tonality (as far as can be seen on the negs). I've yet to print one, but this is very promising. What a sweet little camera. Voigtlander GAS it is then!

 

[zuikologist]

Fidget - sounds like a good buy. I like the idea of lightly toasting on all sides! The build quality of some of the "lesser" 35mm cameras often leaves modern stuff in the shade. Simplicity is also a virtue.

Let's see some results soon.

 

[fidget]

A week away ruining film had seen a few rolls done in the Vito. No light leaks at all, very impressive. I found that I liked to use this camera. Quite a few of my shots involve presetting the focus and depth of field, so the lack of a RF didn't hurt. I also have a problem in remembering which roll came from which camera so I take a mirror photo as a clue, this one came out very well.
The beach shot is of the remains of the SS Collier, wrecked in 1914, apparently on a mail run to Australia, (although colliers usually lugged coal). Made quite a few shots here, but used the Vito as I didn't fancy the idea of clambering over many rocks with my C330 kit.

Dave...

 

[Scarpia]

I have a Vito C with a rangefinder and Skopar lens I picked up on Ebay at the end of 2005 for $15 plus postage. It must have been overlooked as I was the only bidder. Its in beautiful condition and very sharp. I think (heresy) HCB could have done as well with it as with his Leica. I have two of those also so I know whereof I speak. Enjoy the camera.
Kurt M.

 

[Keith]

I also have a CLR courtesy of eBay for about $25.00. It's a little gem of a camera and the front mounted shutter control though strange is ok once you're used to it. The meter is very accurate and the shutter itself is almost silent. I pulled the top off it to clean the rangefinder and viewfinder and was impressed at it's simplicity! 🙂

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Get a Vito CLR next. It's actually a rangefinder, and a rather good one at that.

 

[fidget]

Thanks for the info. I hadn't come across many Voigtlander RF cameras, so I checked out the models that you mentioned. some of these are very, very nice and may be "must haves". Voigtlander GAS errupts!

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I sold a CLR a while ago and now regret it. The only problem it had, really, was a dim rangefinder spot. Fixed that with a little black tape. The camera is very quiet, relatively small, and the one I acquired had a working, accurate meter...I beat my head against the wall a lot these days. :bang: :bang:

 

[fidget]

Is the CLR an automatic only? Speed priority?

Dave

 

[fidget]

Thanks! It's a terrible combination, isn't it? GAS and availability. Got a CLR on the way!

 

[fidget]

Fixed that with a little black tape.

Stephanie, I wondered how you fixed the dim rf spot with tape?

Dave.....

 

[fidget]

Well, thanks to all for helping me to hold the GAS at bay 😀
The CLR arrived. A loose VF glass block which will (I hope) be fixable. It's a beauty! This is going to put the FSU kit on the shelf for a while.....

Dave........

 

[john_van_v]

I have a Vito C with a rangefinder and Skopar lens I picked up on Ebay at the end of 2005 for $15 plus postage. It must have been overlooked as I was the only bidder. Its in beautiful condition and very sharp. I think (heresy) HCB could have done as well with it as with his Leica. I have two of those also so I know whereof I speak. Enjoy the camera.
Kurt M.

I thot HCB used a Contax.

 

[Robert Kildare]

I've had a Vitomatic IIb for decades, and it's one of my best street shooters. The shutter is quiet, and the viewfinder/rangefinder is perhaps brighter than the famous one in the Leica M3. The metering is match-needle, and quite accurate.

These cameras especially shine with color film. Colors take on a warmth and glow.

Plus, they are so well made that it's not hard to find one in pristine condition.

I'd be nervous about scale-focusing a 50mm lens, but some people do it easily. I shoot pretty close in, so mistakes in focusing would show up.

 

[HuubL]

I have a Vito IIa. Lovely little folder. Reminds me to put a film through one of these days.

 

[john_van_v]

Is it possible to put an f 2.8 lens on a Vito B from a, say, broken donor camera? I like the clean styling of the Vito B, especially w/ a rangefinder on top, and no meter. The brand name up front is also quite stylish. I tend take pictures past night fall, and I also am working w/ bokeh backgrounding portraits.

Am I asking too much ?

 

[rumbliegeos]

I have two Vito B's, one with the Pronto and the other with the Prontor shutter, a BL, a Vitomatic Ib, and a Perkeo II, so my GAS case is serious. As said before, the Color-Skopar lens has a special brilliance in rendering colors. These cameras can be much fun to shoot with.
Gerry

 

[fidget]

As you say Rumbliegeos, GAS is always a threat. I now believe that my first B, with Color Skopar 3.5, is a poor example, so, GAS in flow, I am searching for another example. I may try the 2.8 version. I have a "CL" with the Vaskar lens, but have not tried it yet.
I hope to post some pics after a CLA.

 

[Luddite Frank]

When I was in high-school, an uncle's neighbor gave me a Vito B; what a cute, sweet little camera.

Unfortunately, the Prontor shutter got gummy, and I went in there to fix it. This was not a job for a 17 year-old.

The camera was/ still is in beautiful cosmetic condition... perhaps there's hope for it...

I never got a chance to shoot with it before i "fixed it"... :bang:

V-landers were solid middle-priced cameras by the 1950's... quite capable.

Glad you're enjoying yours !

Luiddite Frank