C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →compact-35mm
The Voigtlander Vito CL (1961) is a compact 35mm viewfinder camera representing a mid-range position in the late Vito family: it includes a selenium exposure meter but retains scale focus rather than adding a coupled rangefinder. The "CL" designation indicates a camera designed for clarity and economy - the meter guides exposure, but distance estimation remains with the photographer using the scale marked on the lens barrel.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →C41
Kodak UltraMax 400 is a versatile consumer-grade ISO 400 daylight-balanced color negative film with T-grain emulsion, delivering warm Kodak colors, fine-for-speed grain (PGI 46), and wide exposure latitude. Currently in production and available globally as a single-roll and multi-pack.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
A late-era Vito with built-in selenium meter and scale focus - the CL is the simplified, cost-reduced path to the Vito platform for budget-conscious buyers who needed metering without a rangefinder.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm (24x36 mm) |
| Mount | Fixed (non-interchangeable) |
| Years | ~1961-1966 |
| Lens | Color-Skopar 50mm f/2.8 |
| Shutter | Prontor-SVS / Prontor-LK leaf: 1s - 1/300s + B |
| Flash sync | X and M sync |
| Meter | Selenium cell, EV scale |
| Exposure | Manual (EV-guided) |
| Viewfinder | Direct optical (no rangefinder) |
| Focus | Scale (metres / feet) |
| Battery | None (selenium) |
The Vito series began in 1939 with a folding camera, evolved through the compact Vito B (1954) and Vito IIa (1955), and spawned the metered Vitomatic branch in 1957. By 1960-1961 Voigtlander rationalized the line to offer both a pure viewfinder camera (Vito C) and a metered viewfinder camera (Vito CL) at lower cost than the Vitomatic series.
The Vito BL (1956) had introduced a larger, brighter viewfinder to the Vito B body; the CL continued this improved-finder approach with the addition of metering. The result is a camera that neatly occupies the space between the purely mechanical Vito B descendants and the more expensive Vitomatic.
Production continued through approximately 1966, at which point the Vitoret series had largely taken over the entry and mid-market segments, and the Vito name was retired. Voigtlander itself was absorbed into the Zeiss Ikon group in 1965-1966, and the Vito line was not continued under combined management.
The Vito CL was produced in relatively smaller numbers than the Vito B or Vitomatic I, making clean examples somewhat harder to find.
The Vito CL offers a straightforward proposition: a Color-Skopar lens, a battery-free selenium meter, and a known-reliable Prontor shutter in a compact West German body, at used prices that reflect its modest original market position. It is a practical choice for photographers who want the Voigtlander Color-Skopar rendering without paying Vitomatic or Vitessa prices.
The scale-focus limitation is real but manageable: at f/5.6 and beyond, the depth of field at typical subject distances is generous enough that precise rangefinder accuracy is unnecessary for most outdoor and travel subjects. Zone focus by symbol (head, group, landscape) covers the majority of use cases.
The battery-free selenium system is the same advantage present across the Vitomatic family: no battery adaptation, no mercury cell substitution issues, and no concern about the camera becoming unusable due to obsolete power requirements.
C41
Kodak ColorPlus 200 is an affordable, consumer-oriented daylight-balanced color negative film at ISO 200. Known for warm, slightly muted color rendition, fine grain, and wide exposure latitude, it is currently in production and widely available in Asia and select global markets.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →Voigtlander Vito CL
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