Voigtländer Vitessa 133/2 top cover

SalveSlog · Apr 27, 2019

Another almost usable camera..
The shutter times is quite nice except under 1/15, so that's OK for now.
The "combi plunger" advance the film and cock the shutter, but it won't stay down. I can live with that (for now).

The rangefinder is OK with a somewhat dim patch. OK too, really, but there is something wrong with the weel: there is some slipping between the weel-dial-rangefinder. So I'm itching to take the top cover off.

But how?

SalveSlog · Apr 28, 2019

Any tips on how to remove the top cover?

Kino · Apr 28, 2019

Arrgh. Yes, it can be done but it all hinges around taking the top button off of the cocking plunger and that can be either easy or brutally hard.

(NOTE: You can remove the top without removing the tip, as there is quite a bit of distance between the tip and the body of the camera and the top will slide up enough to do most repairs, it just makes working on the camera and reassembly very awkward.)

You MUST find a way to unscrew the plunger tip WITHOUT allowing the plunger to rotate with any torque transmitted to the body below. There is a tab that sticks out on the tube that will shear-off and make the camera useless if you transmit too much rotation to the cocking plunger.

Other than that, there are two screws inside the body, under the outermost edge of the top that must be removed. You have to rotate the film spools to expose them via an opening in the spool flange.

This is for the earlier "A" model (you have the "L" model): https://www.photo.net/discuss/threads/voigtlander-vitessa-a-4-rangefinder-repair.478431/ which does not require the tip to be removed, but is essentially the same.

Here is another link to study: https://www.rangefinderforum.com/classics/forum/messages/2/23519.html?1326534722

Do searches on Photrio and on https://www.rangefinderforum.com/ for a user named "Sarcophilus Harrisii", aka, "Brett Rogers" he has a wealth of information on these cameras.

Do yourself a favor, work inside a shallow tub to catch anything that might fall out of the camera when you disassemble it!

Kino · Apr 28, 2019

Another tip: I have one that the plunger is reluctant to stay down and I have found that if I slowly push the plunger down and listen for a faint "click" and hold the plunger for 4 seconds, it will remain down. I think the latching mechanism is sticky and the spring requires more time to engage.

I have been drizzling small amounts of 99% alcohol down the shaft into the body and that seems to help a bit in freeing up the latch.

Kino · Apr 28, 2019

This thread is particularly good: https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167634&highlight=vitessa

SalveSlog · Apr 28, 2019

Thanks Kino!

Kino · Apr 28, 2019

Welcome!

SalveSlog · May 2, 2019

I had no luck screwing the hat/knob off the plunger, so the top cover could not be taken off and put aside completely. I had to swing it around as needed.

The focusing wheel sits on the pin in the middel of the picture and movers the triangular shaped thing which is part of the rangefinder unit to the left. At the same time, the wheel moves the L-shaped thing close to the right. Which is coupled to the lens and moves it. It seems this is all well ajusted in my camera. I'm happy about that, because this rangefinder seems difficult to adjust or even understand!

My cameras apparent problem with the rangefinder function seemed to be just a loose screw inside the focusing wheel, as the scale plate on top of it was not fixed to it properly. I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture of this details, but happy that this part works now!

Kino · May 2, 2019

Good! You got lucky!

Good idea to not force the cap removal. I wound up heavily scarring the plunger cap to get mine removed, but it worked out in the end.

You need to confirm focus matches the rangefinder patch. You might have to take it off again to adjust the focus wheel to match the rangefinder patch, but now you know how to do it.

Kino · May 2, 2019

This is the photo of the underside of my "A" model Vitessa focus knob as I disassembled it, so it's probably going to be a bit different...

SalveSlog · May 2, 2019

Yes, it's different. Your's is kind of a "negative" of mine: as can be seen in my last picture, the central pin in my camera is on the camera body. And while the eccentric path is "concave" in your wheel, it is "convex" in mine. That is: it grows from the center.

Do you have a picture of the area where your wheel sits on top of the body?

Kino · May 2, 2019

I had to go back through my disassembly photos and find these two, admittedly bad images, that show the general area.

This one shows me pointing to a bushing I removed on the focus cam.

This one shows me removing the shutter release button from the shutter release shaft.

hsandler · Aug 1, 2019

Kino said:
Another tip: I have one that the plunger is reluctant to stay down and I have found that if I slowly push the plunger down and listen for a faint "click" and hold the plunger for 4 seconds, it will remain down. I think the latching mechanism is sticky and the spring requires more time to engage.

I have been drizzling small amounts of 99% alcohol down the shaft into the body and that seems to help a bit in freeing up the latch.

Thank you! I just received a Vitessa L which seems fine except for the plunger behaving as you describe. A bit of lighter fluid dripped as you suggest and not pushing the plunger all the way down, but just until the "click" did the trick.

Kino · Aug 1, 2019

hsandler said:
Thank you! I just received a Vitessa L which seems fine except for the plunger behaving as you describe. A bit of lighter fluid dripped as you suggest and not pushing the plunger all the way down, but just until the "click" did the trick.

Great! It's not a total solution, but unless you're going to spring for a CLA, it's the next best thing.

Taking the bottom off of a Vitessa is not hard, but the sub-plate that holds everything in is not for the faint of heart. Don't do it without a LOT of prior research and get yourself a deep tub to catch the parts that fall out! Ugh...

titrisol · Oct 8, 2020

I know this is an old thread, but got to it as I think my viewfinder is very dim and was looking how to remove the top plate.
I did a good CLA of the shutter using the compur service manual found here: https://learncamerarepair.com/productlist.php?category=2 and found that the slow speeds are within 10% and the fast speeds withing 7% error which is not bad for a camera of this vintage,

The tips are very good, but I guess mine makes no "faint" click when the plunger is depressed to close, it is a very noisy clack!

SalveSlog · Oct 8, 2020

When the housing is removed (like when you load film), it's easy to get to some of the plunger mechanism: only 2 screews. I was able to clean it up, so it now works. (I did not oil or lube the plunger shaft, as I think it needs some friction to function.)

titrisol · Oct 9, 2020

Thanks for that, yes I just cleaned the lighthouse plunger in mine and now is smoother. The only thing to look after are the small rings that like to fly away.

Also I made a push-on lenshood for 3D printing, and published in in Thingiverse I'm still tinkering with it, but it prints well and fits fine.

Voigtländer Vitessa 133/2 top cover

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