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Voigtländer Vito
35mm rangefinder camera / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Vito and Vitomatic, Vitoret, and Vito Automatic were several related lines of 35 mm compact viewfinder and rangefinder cameras made by Voigtländer from the 1940s through the early 1970s, equipped with leaf shutters, similar in concept to and marketed against the competing Kodak Retina cameras manufactured by Kodak. All of these cameras were fixed-lens models; the models in the Vito line identified with Roman numerals were equipped with folding mechanisms and collapsible lenses for portability, while the others were rigid, non-folding cameras.
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Overview | |
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Maker | Voigtländer |
Type | 35mm view/rangefinder camera |
Lens | |
Lens mount | fixed |
Focusing | |
Focus | manual |
Exposure/metering | |
Exposure | manual |
Shutter | |
Shutter | Compur and Prontor leaf |
Shutter speeds | 1–1⁄300 or 1⁄500 + B, X/M |
General | |
Dimensions | 5+1⁄8 in × 2+7⁄8 in × 1+5⁄8 in (130 mm × 73 mm × 41 mm) (II, closed)[1] |
Weight | 16 oz (450 g) (II)[1] |
Within the Voigtländer lineup of 35 mm film cameras, the Vito were a simplified camera line aimed at amateur photographers; the high-end Prominent (135) were rangefinders meant for professionals, and the mid-range Vitessa were available with an expanded selection of mostly fixed lenses for advanced amateurs. Voigtländer also offered a line of single lens reflex cameras, the Bessamatic/Ultramatic.
After the Voigtländer brand was acquired by Carl Zeiss AG in 1956, the Vito line continued to be marketed to amateur photographers, spawning sub-lines with simplified, semi-autoexposure controls (Vitomatic and Vito Automatic) and smaller sizes (Vitoret). Zeiss Ikon ceased camera production in 1971, and the Vito/Vitomatic/Vitoret brands have been licensed and revived several times since then, including for 110 film (1970s Vitoret 110, by Rollei) and 35 mm (various point-and-shoot cameras, in the 1980s by Balda and again in the 1990s by Samsung).