Voigtlander Vito BL

[AzzA]

Well i just picked up one of these wonderful little cameras for pocket change yesterday.
It's in close to perfect cosmetic condition with the original case also. Also had the original insturctions with it too, but they're looking a little rough.
The only problem is the shutter doesnt seem to be working at all. Its as if its locked up completely.
The film advance lever works perfect. The apeture chages smoothly and blades are perfectly clean. All shutter speeds can be selected. But no matter what i do, the shutter button wont budge. Im hoping im just doing something wrong, but prepared to take the camera apart if needed.
Can anyone offer any help with this at all?
I'd love to take some shots with this camera.
cheers

 

[pvdhaar]

It's hard to diagnose what's actually wrong with that camera. But if the shutter button won't budge, there are a number of possible explanations. I've added a picture that shows the slider that moves down if the shutter button is pushed..

The most probable explanation is that the catch that prevents the button from being pressed isn't unlocked when advancing a frame (see orange oval). The next is that the 'stick' that actually pushes down the shutter mechanism in the lens is bent from applying too much force (see yellow oval). Also, the entire slider may be stuck, possibly from corrosion, in which case the screws that hold it can be loosened a bit.

Finally, the problem may lie in the shutter itself, but that requires a bit of courage to disassemble: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50473

The image below shows the slider in a similar model (Vito-CLR)..

 

[umana]

Well i just picked up one of these wonderful little cameras for pocket change yesterday.
It's in close to perfect cosmetic condition with the original case also. Also had the original insturctions with it too, but they're looking a little rough.
The only problem is the shutter doesnt seem to be working at all. Its as if its locked up completely.
The film advance lever works perfect. The apeture chages smoothly and blades are perfectly clean. All shutter speeds can be selected. But no matter what i do, the shutter button wont budge. Im hoping im just doing something wrong, but prepared to take the camera apart if needed.
Can anyone offer any help with this at all?
I'd love to take some shots with this camera.
cheers

Hi Azza, try to open the camera back, and to let TURN with your finger a
dented wheel, as if the film have been advanced, and transported !

If there are no other technical breaks, I think that your BL shutter will fire !

Goog luck, ciao, Luigi

 

[AzzA]

aha!
ok, i opened the back and turned the little "wheel" with my fingers that would appear to normally be in teh film sprockets. I kept turning it until i heard a little click, i then pressed the shutter and it worked perfectly 🙂
But, the wheel i was turning with my fingers felt pretty stiff, as i there was a fair bit of resistance against it, is this normal?
I guess now i just need to figure out this light meter.
cheers

 

[radiocemetery]

Hi AzzA,

I have two Voigtlander cameras, a Vitomatic II, and a Vito B. Both of these cameras have to be "dry-fired" in the same manner as Luigi describes above. My first impression when I tried this was the same as your reaction. Wow this is really hard to turn! With film actually in the camera the resistance of the mechanism is no different than other lever advance cameras.

So, don't worry, go ahead and load and shoot. These Voigtlanders are great little cameras. They are well built, compact, and fun to use. They don't get enough recognition in my opinion. Be sure to post some photos. from your BL.

Steve