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e-mail me at angelo_p@gmx.net
 

Voigtländer Vito CL
Vintage West German camera
 

page 4 of 4

page 1 all around the camera
page 2 inside the camera
page 3 included camera case
 
 
 
 

Info taken from
    http://www.amdmacpherson.com/classiccameras/index.html
 
 

Introduction

 The Vito CL is one of the range of Vito C cameras which were manufactured by the Voigtlander company of Braunschweig, Germany.  The C series was a redesigned and restyled camera range which first appeared in 1960 and included many of the features of the Vito B range. There were four models in the series which covered a variety of specifications of lens and shutter combinations in association with exposure control ranging from simple manual to semi-automatic operation.  The subject of this technical description is the Vito CL.

 General Features

 The Vito CL is a neatly designed 35 mm rigid miniature camera designed for general amateur photography.  It is of streamlined design with recessed controls and fitted with a good quality lens .

 The camera is designed to use standard 35 mm film of up to 36 exposures and is manufactured from die-cast alloy with a satin chrome finish and covered in black grain leather.  Metal fittings and trimmings are satin chromium plated. The lens and shutter assembly are mounted in a single housing attached to the camera front.  The camera body incorporates a hinged back, which opens to 180 degrees.  A tripod bush is provided on the base plate and an accessory shoe is fitted to the top plate.

 This Vito CL is fitted with a three element 50 mm Color-Lanthar lens. The lens is focused in the range one metre to infinity by rotation of the front cell and the focusing mount also carries three zone marks as an aid to  rapid focusing.  Depth of Field for any selected aperture is shown on a scale surrounding the shutter.  The maximum aperture is f2.8 and the lens assembly incorporates a "between the lens" Prontor LK leaf shutter.  The shutter has six speed settings of 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500 and B, and
 includes a delay facility and is synchronised for electronic flash.  The shutter is tensioned by the action of the film transport lever and released by depressing a button mounted on the camera front to the right of the lens and shutter assembly.  A double exposure prevention device is linked to the film transport mechanism and unlocked after the shutter has been released.

 The Vito CL has a selenium cell exposure meter of the match needle type. The meter needle and marker are visible through a window in the camera top plate.  Movement of the marker is controlled by the aperture setting ring. The shutter speeds are
 cross coupled to the aperture ring allowing the user to select alternative speed/aperture combinations to accommodate the photographic needs of the subject.  A scale for setting the film speed is located on the shutter ring.  In use the camera is directed towards the subject and the aperture ring rotated until the setting marker is coincident with the meter needle, at which point the aperture is correctly set for the chosen shutter speed.

 The top plate of the camera body carries the film advance lever, meter window, accessory shoe and the rewind knob. The rewind knob is completely recessed into the camera body, and incorporates a film type reminder.  It is accessed for use by the action of a small lever at the side, movement of which causes the rewind knob to pop up which action disengages the film sprocket drive allowing the film to be rewound into the cassette.  Further movement of this knob to its second stop raises the cassette retaining spindle from the cassette chamber.  This allows the film cassette to be easily inserted and when this is in place the rewind knob is pushed firmly down to its normal position, which engages the spindle into the cassette body.  The film frame counter is visible in a small window located on the base plate.

 The viewfinder is direct vision optical type which shows the image at natural size and outlined by a suspended frame which has near focus marks for parallax compensation.

 The approximate camera dimensions (L x H x D) are 130 x 83 x 70 mm and it weighs 503 g.

page 1 all around the camera
page 2 inside the camera
page 3 included camera case

page 4 of 4
 

e-mail me at angelo_p@gmx.net
Photographic Equipment for sale - Home

copyright: Angelo P.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada