Voigtlander Vito B
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| Style, film format | 35mm with zone focus |
| Lens, shutter | Coated 50mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar, Pronto |
| Photo quality | Very good |
| Ergonomics | Excellent little camera |
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This was the first classic camera I bought when I got back into the game in 2000. It's a very small camera that has a nice lens -- in this case, it's a coated f/2.8 Color-Skopar, which is a bit unusual. Most of the Vito B cameras had the f/3.5 lens.
This is a small camera, but because it isn't a folding camera, it creates a bit of a bulge in your pocket.
The most comment comment about the Vito B is that it's cute. That's because it's a very small camera with rounded edges that give it the "cute" appearance.
For the most part, the Vito B cameras survived the decades very well. You'll find most are in excellent physical condition. The Prontor shutter, like all Prontors, sometimes needs serviced, but it's not an impossible task, as long as you're willing to tackle it.
Focus is by guessing, so you would do yourself a favor if you pick up a small handheld rangefinder.
You can easily carry this camera around all day, because it has very little weight. The lens records very nice images.
The camera uses a small hinged plate on the base that releases the back. It trips up a lot of first-time users, because of its unusual design.
Advancing the film also tensions the shutter, so the photographer's sole remaining tasks are to set the shutter speed, aperture and focus and frame and take the photo.
There were two versions of the Vito B. A later version had a might higher top deck that allowed for a van Albada viewfinder. This is the earlier version.