Comments on: Mr Voigtlander Vito BL

By: amanda

amanda — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:31:09 +0000

hello,i just got this camera last night but have broken arm so cant use it as yet .but arran i know i will be asking you questions in the future.amanda/perth/western australia

By: admin

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:10:33 +0000

Yeah it spun me out a little at first…

By: WAFFLES

WAFFLES — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 04:47:10 +0000

I have one of these cameras, had it for a number of years now and is still in good working
condition,the wheel under neath the camera you mention is the frame counter unlike most
cameras this counts in reverse.

Brent

By: Fred Keil

Fred Keil — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 18:55:34 +0000

I have a couple to the Vito B’s. They take great photos. When I have some spare time will post some, with permission. Perfect color/transparencies, great B&W with Aox 25 or 50 Art Film.
I use other Voightlanders as well such as Avus, Bergheil, Bessa.

Fred

By: Donald of South Australia

Donald of South Australia — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:43:00 +0000

Hi Arran,

Glad I did get it right! Afterwards, I noted your surname and thought I may have been off beam, lol. A fine island and a fine name.
Not sure if I could get any old Kodachrome in this part of the world now.
It has a very simple structure which ensures a long archival life after processing, unlike the E-6 Agfachrome etc.

I’m sure anyone used to looking through digicam viewfinders would get a huge surprise looking through the Vito viewfinder. Bright!

I’ll keep an eye on the site,

Cheers,
Donald.

By: Arran

Arran — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:42:17 +0000

Thanks for allof your comments everyone. It’s nice to hear other people discovering the little Vito BL aswell.

barb, there should be instructions/users manual on the internet somewhere for this camera. I’ll also be uploading one soon hopefully (when I find some time). The manual should help you with all of your questions if you havent figured out the answers already.
kd, i’m not too sure what the problem could be, have you read Dan’s post? If all else fails, you should try and find a users manual to make sure you havent forgotten to do something.
Dan, thanks for the very usefull post there. You have far more experience with these cameras than I do. Your help is appreciated.
hans, hope you get some nice shots with it!
Glen, it’s good to hear about your experiences with your camera. I wonder what other little photographic gems do you have in your house. Promise me you wont sell it though!
Donald, yes my parents got the spelling for my first name from the Scottish Island. I’m impressed you picked that up! Hope you get some nice results with your Vito. I wish I could of experienced the era when Kodachrome was in it’s prime. There doesnt seem to be anything else like it. Have you thought of picking up some old rolls of it and shooting them? Cheers

By: Donald of South Australia

Donald of South Australia — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:02:58 +0000

Hi Arran (is that Scottish?),

Better late than never.. I have one of these, still in near mint condition, with the brown leather case. The Color-Skopar lens is great (also have the 80mm C-S on a Perkeo III). Must put a film through it again – the colours were first class, particularly using Kodachrome (sadly gone) or Velvia. Must be equivalent to 30 Mp at least! Digital never quite makes the grade compared with the satin saturation of film..

Well photographed, too.

By: Glen Holt

Glen Holt — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:04:23 +0000

I am in the process of selling my house and am finding lots of things that I had forgotten about….. Am now sitting here with my Vito BL in its original box that has printed on it …Voightlander 1756 – l956… Included in the box is the ‘instructions for use’ manual. I purchased this camera in 1957 when I was in the Navy. Took lots of pictures (mostly slides) with it while in the navy but did not use it much after…Have not used it in at least 40 years.. In great shape (even better than I am) including the box…I have thought about getting some film and trying but probably won’t..Very intresting reading what you all have to say about it…

By: hans rivadeneira

hans rivadeneira — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:04:59 +0000

i just bought that camera for a nice prize… i’m lerning who to use it.. take care

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:49:52 +0000

In reply to Chuck Moore–I am a fan and collector of these great cameras. I have two BL’s and depending on which meter you have the process is a little different. If you have the round dial Bewi meter ( top right), first set the ASA,DIN to match the red dot. Then aim the camera at the subject and remove the plastic meter cover, if present, and depress and hold the button behind the dial for about 2 secs. If working you will get a reading at the bottom of the dial for Aperture/Shutter speed and also EV scale reading ( in red number). Simply set your lens to the corresponding reading and fire away. If you have the model with the flat EV readout ( top right), turn the small knob behind the scale until it matches the ASA/DIN of the film you are using. Aim at the subject and the meter needle will stop at an EV number. Match this number on the lens with the red triangle and begin shooting.You still have to select a shutter speed but from this point the shutter and aperture are coupled. Of course these meters are 40+ years old and probably at least a little off but I have had very good results using a combination of meter reading and Sunny/16 method. Good luck.