I can’t recommend it enough: Always carry a camera at work, play with it in meetings, tell everyone you collect cameras and with a bit of luck they’ll give you an old one they no longer need and want to know is in good hands. (Works even better if you try to be friendly with your colleagues).
This has worked out for me once again, so I am pleased to present to you this beautiful Voigtländer Vito CL.

About the Voigtländer Vito CL

As this is the first Voigtländer in my collection, I didn’t know that much about the history of the company. After some basic research (typing “Voigtländer” into Wikipedia’s search box), I found out that “history” should be written “HISTORY” in the case of Voigtländer. The company was founded in 1756 in Vienna, revolutionized how lenses were calculated and built, moved from Vienna to Braunschweig, back to Vienna, and then was bought by Schering. Later, Zeiss acquired them until they were closed, and Cosina bought the brand rights to market rangefinder cameras and lenses to this day. If you’re interested in the industrial history of Austria-Hungary and their northern neighbour, this is worth reading.

Voigtländer is best known for the Bessa Rangefinder cameras, but they also built a series of simpler cameras. In 1940, the first Vito was produced, succeeded by the Vito II, III, and IIA. All of these were folding cameras. In 1954 the Vito B series (B, BL, BR) and the final series, the Vito C. The Vito C came in 4 flavours:

• The Vito C without light meter
• The Vito CD with an uncoupled light meter
• The Vito CL with a coupled light meter, the model I got
• The Vito CLR, a CL with a rangefinder, which was available in a Deluxe version as well.

And then there were the siblings, the Vitomatic with a simple program automatic and the simpler Vito automatic where the film speed defined the shutter speed

The Vito CL I got is a fully manual 35mm camera with a fixed 50mm f/2.8 lens. The selenium light meter needs no batteries, and like on most of my “selenium-powered” cameras, it works just fine. It’s equipped with a self-timer, a tripod mount, an exposure counter, and a coupled light meter.

And unlike the last additions to my collection, this one is in great condition and needed nothing more than a new roll of film.

Taking pictures with the Voigtländer Vito CL

The first and most complicated step (writing this in May 2024 from Germany) is to get a film for a reasonable price. After you have mastered this step, the rest is quite easy: move the little flat button on the camera’s back to the left, and the rewind knob will pop up. Then open the back of the camera, insert your film into the take-up spool, press the knob back in, close the back, and advance the film. Set the correct ISO (10 to 800) by pressing the little lever on the top of the lens barrel next to the “500” marking, and you are ready to shoot. But don’t forget to set the correct number of exposures on the backwards counting counter located at the bottom of the camera.

To set the right aperture (ƒ 2.8 to 22) and shutter speed (“B”, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, and 1/500), you have to bring the coupled light meter’s needle into the circle of the index dial. This can be done using the meter’s window on the top plate OR in the viewfinder. Guess the distance and release by pressing the shutter release on the front of the camera (yes, it’s one of those cameras with the less usual placement). Advance the film with the usual advance lever. For low light, attach a tripod, a cable release (the connector is under the shutter release), or a flash. As the VITO CL has only a “cold” accessory shoe, you need a pc-sync cable. You can also use the self-timer, which is activated with the small red lever under the lens barrel. If you don’t have a tripod, the little nose under the lens barrel acts as a built-in stand as well. Just put the camera on the edge of a shelf and make sure it’s not pushed by an elf.
When you have finished your roll, move the lever on the back of the camera to the left so the rewind knob jumps up again, and you rewind the film.

The Voigtländer VITO CL is a beautifully built camera with everything you need (including a sharp 50mm lens) and nothing you don’t. If you’re looking for a silent street shooter, this is a great and still cheaper alternative to more famous models. I’m really happy for this gift and will try to keep it in its mint condition.

Brand	Voigtländer
Model	VITO CL
Year built	Unknown, the cameras were produced between 1961 and 1966
Serial number	6881308
Lenses	Voigtländer Color-Skopar 50mm f/2.8
Shutter	Curtain Shutter
Film format	35mm
Special features	Prontor 500 LK
Accessories	–
Manufactured by	Voigtländer
Date of purchase	10/2023
Price	–
Place of purchase	Gift from colleague in Stuttgart.

Tips & Tricks shooting with the Voigtländer Vito CL

This is a quite serious camera, so I can not suggest any tricks. On tip reminds: read the manual.

Film purchase & processing

The camera can use any type of 35mm film, to use the meter you are “limited” to 10 – 800 ISO.

Useful Link

https://butkus.org/chinon/voigtlander_pdf/voigtlander_vito/voigtlander_vito.htm (The manual)
https://www.35mmc.com/15/11/2022/repairing-revisiting-a-voigtlander-vito-cl-here-there-be-dragons-by-has-gustafsson/ (Repair of a Vito CL with focus problems)

Pictures

Pictures tagged with Vito CL on Flickr
My pictures on Flickr

Deutsche Version