|
| The original Vito B. |
The Vito B is an attractive and compact 35mm viewfinder introduced in 1954 by Voigtländer. It has the fine Color-Skopar 50mm f/3.5 or f/2.8 lens (a four element Tessar-type) in a 4-speed Pronto or 8-speed Prontor shutter.
Shutter
The Vito B was equipped with either a 4-speed Pronto (B, 1/25th, 1/50th, 1/100th, and 1/200th sec)[1] or 8-speed (B, 1, 1/2, 1/5th, 1/10th, 1/25th, 1/50th, 1/100th, and 1/300th sec) Prontor SVS shutter, the 4-speed shutter being discontinued in 1959.[2] The shutter is cocked by the film engaging a sprocket wheel, preventing double exposure, and so will not cock if there is not a film present;[3] this has led some to mistakenly diagnose the shutter of a working Vito B as broken.
The self-timer mechanism can be engaged by moving the synchronising lever to the V (green) position; however, given the age of the camera and the weak governing spring,[1] using this feature is discouraged, as it can cause the camera to stop working.[3]
Nine times out of ten, a non working self timer is due to muck, not springs. There is a watch mechanism that controls the self timer, but, unlike a watch, it is not effectively sealed. Nearly all cameras with Prontor or Compur mechanisms need regular cleaning if they are used regularly. Even the shutter timing mechanism is clockwork and it only takes a speck of dust to jam it. People then start ripping them apart, usually from the wrong end and end up with a pile of non working bits. (Guess how I know). (Added by Laurie Pettitt)
Aesthetics and ergonomics
The Vito B's body is compact and rounded, a look characterised as "cute".[4] It has some nice features including a hinged baseplate for easy loading (which also releases the back) and a milled film counter that counts down rather than up.
The Vito B body existed in two versions, the first one had a small viewfinder and low profile top plate. The later version, brought out in 1959 had a larger bright-frame viewfinder; while brighter and more useful than the original Vito B's viewfinder, some enthusiasts feel that this spoiled the appearance of the camera.[5]
Variants
The Vito BL was a variant with a Bewi selenium exposure meter ([6]), mainly made for export to the USA.
The Vito BR is an uncommon variant with a coupled rangefinder.
|
|
| Vito B, large finder. (Image rights) | Vito BL. (Image rights) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Denton, Voigtlander Vito B. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "denton" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Voigtlander Vito Cameras - Vito B.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 South 2001.
- ↑ Elek 2008.
- ↑ Keith South, Voigtlander Vito B, skopar f/2.8, 35mm camera c1954.
- ↑ which one collector derides as "annoying, crappy and unreliable" Simonsen, Vito section at Retrography.com
- Matt Denton, Voigtlander Vito B.
- Mike Elek (2008), Voigtlander Vito B.
- Keith South (2001), Voigtlander Vito B survey. Living Image Camera Museum.
- Keith South, Voigtlander Vito B, 35mm camera c1954.
- Simon Simonsen, Vito section at Retrography.com
Links
- Vito B, Vito BL, Vito B user manual: German and French on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
In English:
- Vito section at Retrography.com by Simon Simonsen, Denmark