So this is the Voigtländer Vito C which is not to be confused with the Voigtländer Vito C. The crazy re-use of model names by Voigtländer and its subsequent parent companies is one thing about Voigtländer cameras which I don’t like.
Since seeing one of these a while ago and liking the simple minimalist design, I have been looking for one ever since; eventually one appeared at a price I could swallow and here we are with this short review
Technically this isn’t really a Voigtländer at all as it was made by Balda and sold under the Voigtländer name when they were under the guardianship of Rollei – a very similar camera under the Minox brand also exists ( Minox 35) which I understand shared the same designer.
Size-wise this is very compact ( 102×63×32 mm) and since getting it late last year I have carried it around with great ease with it snugly (and often barely noticed) in my pocket.
Pictures so far show I have a light leak somewhere in this camera so I am trying to narrow down the source of that (images shown have a slight crop). Ignoring the light leak which hopefully I can resolve, I do like using this; it’s no replacement for one of my more sophisticated rangefinder, SLR, TLR or digital options but as a keep-handy point-and-shoot film camera it is fun and convenient to use. Sometimes I don’t want to carry a heavy camera around and just want to walk with my wife, enjoying our surroundings; then if for some reason there is an opportunity to shoot some images, it is nice that this is stuffed in my pocket unobtrusively.
Rewinding is a little fiddly (make that VERY fiddly) mostly due to the small size of everything but for a simple zone focus camera that is small and easy to carry around that is a manageable issue. Once I fix the light leak and get more used to this little pocket rocket I may do a fuller review
You can find more from me on my blog at https://carrotroom.wordpress.com/ also here @thecarrotroom plus https://www.carrotroom.com
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Bud Lanning on 5 Frames with the Voigtländer Vito C – By Nigel Haycock
Comment posted: 24/02/2019
Comment posted: 24/02/2019
Lilianna Elrod on 5 Frames with the Voigtländer Vito C – By Nigel Haycock
Comment posted: 24/02/2019
Nice work with yours! What film did you use?
Comment posted: 24/02/2019
Charles Higham on 5 Frames with the Voigtländer Vito C – By Nigel Haycock
Comment posted: 24/02/2019
Comment posted: 24/02/2019
James Northcote on 5 Frames with the Voigtländer Vito C – By Nigel Haycock
Comment posted: 25/02/2019
Comment posted: 25/02/2019
Michael R. on 5 Frames with the Voigtländer Vito C – By Nigel Haycock
Comment posted: 25/02/2019
What I like is the big viewfinder (and it even shows the distance symbols) so I can focus without having to put down the camera from my eye. I got mine for 20€ and 5€ with flash :-) Just DON'T DROP them on the floor...
I like these more than my Oly XA since its auto everything and I don't have to think, just open focus shoot wind.
Comment posted: 25/02/2019
Zach B on 5 Frames with the Voigtländer Vito C – By Nigel Haycock
Comment posted: 26/02/2019
Comment posted: 26/02/2019
Roger B. on 5 Frames with the Voigtländer Vito C – By Nigel Haycock
Comment posted: 27/02/2019
Comment posted: 27/02/2019
Claudio on 5 Frames with the Voigtländer Vito C – By Nigel Haycock
Comment posted: 03/03/2019
Comment posted: 03/03/2019
Smallest 35mm camera ever? Balda-made Voigtlander Vito C - Matt Loves Cameras on 5 Frames with the Voigtländer Vito C – By Nigel Haycock
Comment posted: 25/09/2019
Rod Corkin on 5 Frames with the Voigtländer Vito C – By Nigel Haycock
Comment posted: 16/10/2022
I'm wondering if you narrowed down the source of the light leak beacuse I have a mint condition Balda CE 35 (effectively the same camera as the VIto C) which has the same problem in the exact same part of the image. I noticed a brass screw on the interior lens housing that is quite shiny and wondered if it was causing some kind of reflection on the film. I painted it black and am running another test roll. I couldn't identify any other possible cause for the leak. I saw in Matt Murray's blog (Mat loves Cameras) he also suffered the same issue with his Vito C.
Comment posted: 16/10/2022