Vito II troubles: help, please!

Galah · Mar 9, 2009

Back to the drawing board

Bought a Vito II from a junkshop: very fine aesthetically but a stuck shutter.

Got the shutter working (exposed some film quite satisfactory), but stuck again after a while without use, and would not work as well as before, so had shutter "serviced" by repairman.

Tried out last weekend: shutter actuation very erratic

All the following permutations occurred with the one 24x film:

Sometimes shutter operates OK.

Sometimes shutter-release goes all the way, but shutter itself does not actually "fire". However, double-exposure prevention mechanism kicks in and can't operate shutter w/o "winding" on to the next frame: result -one blank frame.

Sometimes shutter operates, but double-exposure prevention mechanism fails and multiple & double exposures can be made (i.e., can re-cock shutter and "fire" as often as you like, w/o "winding" on).

Sometimes shutter fails to "fire", but can be made to fire on re-cocking: result, a missed shot.

The result is one nervous operator!:confused:

OK, any comments/suggestions welcomed.

In any case, it will be going back for more adjustment.

archphoto · Mar 9, 2009

Bad repairman, bad CLA.

If I CLA one of my own leafshutters I can depend on it for at least 2 years, many times even longer.

Peter

Galah · Mar 9, 2009

Thanks for responding, Peter,

Unfortunately, I have what I have. One lives in hope!

Sirius Glass · Mar 10, 2009

I had a Vito II. It was my first 35mm camera. Great for street photography.

Steve

Galah · Mar 10, 2009

Sirius Glass said:
I had a Vito II. It was my first 35mm camera. Great for street photography.

Steve

I'm hoping mine will also come good again: for a while it was just great!

Steve Smith · Mar 10, 2009

I'm sure you know this but just in case - The Vito needs a film in place to cock the shutter by the action of the sprocket holes turning the spindle.

This is why you can get these cheap on ebay. their owners think they are broken.

If something is too stiff in the winding mechanism, perhaps you are tearing the film instead of turning the spindle.

Steve.

nemo999 · Mar 10, 2009

Steve Smith said:
I'm sure you know this but just in case - The Vito needs a film in place to cock the shutter by the action of the sprocket holes turning the spindle.

This is why you can get these cheap on ebay. their owners think they are broken.

If something is too stiff in the winding mechanism, perhaps you are tearing the film instead of turning the spindle.

Steve.

It is also possible for the shaft with the sprocket on it which winds the shutter to be little too stiff so that the film jumps over the teeth - this gives a normal-feeling wind-on action, but of course the shutter is not wound and thus will not fire.

I had 3 Voigtländers of this type servied recently by my excellent repair service Newton Ellis & Co. of Liverpool - 2 were fine, one worked for about 12 exposures and then the shutter wpuldn't wind/fire any more. There could be something about these cameras that makes them tough to CLA, maybe a hard-to-reach deposit of grease that re-solidifies or something. I wouldn't call the repairman bad because of this, but I certainly send the camera back.

Sirius Glass · Mar 10, 2009

Galah,

You do not have your location posted [this would help]. You might want to contact http://www.flutotscamerarepair.com/ and get on the waiting list to have it CLA'ed.

Steve

Galah · Mar 10, 2009

Thanks all for responding.

Steve (Smith),

Yes, I am aware of what you say, but that does not seem to be the problem. Everything mentioned happens whether film is in the camera or whether you manipulate the little sprocket by hand (with the back open). Something in the linkage isn't quite meshing.

Steve (SG),

I'm in Oz. Fluto Camera Repairs sounds to be very good, but I need someone in Oz. Does anyone know of a suitable repairer in OZ, please?

Steve Smith · Mar 11, 2009

Galah said:
Yes, I am aware of what you say, but that does not seem to be the problem. Everything mentioned happens whether film is in the camera or whether you manipulate the little sprocket by hand (with the back open). Something in the linkage isn't quite meshing.

I thought that would be the case. I noticed with mine that if you were trying to cock the shutter by turning the spindle by hand, it had to be a complete operation. What I mean is that if you turn it in two operations and allow it to rotate backwards, even by a tiny amount, the shutter did not cock properly.

I have a Vito B and a Vitomatic II but I can't remember which one this happened on - it could even have been both.

The first time I tried it by hand I thought there was something wrong with it but I was surprised to find that it worked perfectly with a film in it.

Hope you sort it out,

Steve.

Galah · Mar 11, 2009

[/QUOTE]Hope you sort it out,
Steve.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Its going back tomorrow, then we'll see.

Leigh Youdale · Mar 11, 2009

Galah said:
Thanks all for responding.
Steve (SG),

I'm in Oz. Fluto Camera Repairs sounds to be very good, but I need someone in Oz. Does anyone know of a suitable repairer in OZ, please?

Steve, try Bruno Schicht, 2 Oak St, Normanhurst, Sydney NSW 2076.
Ph 02 9484-5212.
He's retired but was Voigtlander's German-trained service manager out here in the 50's and 60's and knows the range well. He's CLA'd a couple of Bessa I's Perkeo II and a Vitessa L that I have and all work perfectly (which wasn't necessarily the case before he got to them). He continued working under Zeiss when they took over Voigtlander. His charges are modest but he does lead a pretty full life so he might take a week or two.

Galah · Mar 12, 2009

Leigh Youdale said:
Steve, try Bruno Schicht, 2 Oak St, Normanhurst, Sydney NSW 2076.
Ph 02 9484-5212.

Dear Leigh,

Thank you very much for your suggestion. I'll give him a call.

Thanks again.

Galah · Mar 15, 2009

Update

Hope you sort it out,
Steve.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Its going back tomorrow, then we'll see.[/QUOTE]

OK, we've had a further consultation, and the patient is awaiting surgery.

The outcome hould be known in a week (or so).

Galah · Apr 13, 2009

Vito II update

Galah said:
Hope you sort it out,
Steve.

[/QUOTE] Thanks. Its going back tomorrow, then we'll see.[/QUOTE]

OK, we've had a further consultation, and the patient is awaiting surgery.

The outcome should be known in a week (or so).[/QUOTE]

Ah well, if its good, its worth waiting for!

It has taken more than a week and more than one "consultation/surgery", but the patient is convalescing now and ready for a meal of Fuji ISO 100 Superia, which I haven't had time to give it yet.

the problems included a faulty "interlock" spring and further sticking of the shutter (this time at the shorter exposures).

However, all that appears to be fixed and we just need to try another film throuhg it to make sure. Fingers crossed.

I must say that my repairman displayed a most professional attitude throughout: although I -several times, and seriously- offered extra payment for the unexpected extra time and effort taken on his part, he wouldn't hear of it and continued to work on my little VitoII, to the end, without extra charge.

Galah · May 11, 2009

OK, the film has come back fronm the processor's and I am very satisfied with the outcome: everything appears to be working well: exposure and focusing all in order.

I simply used hyperfocal distance focusing and was simply amazed at the sharpness of the prints.

More than happy!

Leigh Youdale · May 11, 2009

I'd just like to mention that Bruno did fantastic work on repair and CLA on three of my Voigtlander folders - a Bessa 1, a Perkeo II and a Vitessa L. He just loves those cameras!
After Zeiss bought out Voigtlander he stayed on as service manager for Zeiss as well, so anyone in Australia needing Voigtlander or Zeiss service would do well to contact him.

Vito II troubles: help, please!

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