Gear Acquisition Syndrome (G.A.S.)
Voigtlander Vitomatic IIa w/ Ultron f/2 50mm lens
It’s every photographer’s worst enemy: GAS, or Gear Acquisition Syndrome. The endless desire for more gear. I think film photographers are afflicted even worse, as the options of film formats (35mm, medium format, large format) and camera styles (SLR, TLR, waist level finders, rangefinders) offer so many combinations, we are curious to try them all.
So I’m GASing bad right now. And usually when I GAS for something, I end up with it. So I thought, “why not capture these GASY thoughts, and see how the desires match up to the feeling once I put a few rolls through it?”
Well, upon stumbling into my favorite local camera store, Peace Camera, I discovered an old, small folding 35mm camera that I’ve never heard of before: the Voigtlander Vito II. In my mind, Voigtlander is well known for their fantastic M-mount lenses for Leica, as well as their own competitive Bessa rangefinder cameras. I had never heard of their older series of cameras let alone seen or held one. So I was very, very intrigued.
Voigtlander Vito II
Admit it: it’s cute. It’s very small, and when folded up easily, it slips into a pocket. I played with it for 20 minutes or so, combing through the operating manual on my phone. So many quirks, but ones that make it intriguing. Like the shutter release on the folding door, or the large format-like operation of the lens, or the nearly hidden film advance lever. Such a weird camera, and mounted with a fixed 50mm color-skopar, a lens I’ve come to know as a quality lens in 2022. Alas, the one in the store had an issue with the shutter. I didn’t know the price, but I wasn’t going to bother with a broken camera that I knew absolutely nothing about. But (put on your best Obiwan voice), this isn’t the camera I’m GASing for. This Vito II opened the rabbit hole as I began combing through reviews of the Vito II and eBay listings. From there, I somehow stumble upon my final GASing place: the Voigtlander Vitomatic IIa w/ the 50mm f/2 Ultron lens.
A quick google search for “Voigtlander Vitomatic” reviews lands me on a typical review site: 35mmc. If you haven’t stumbled upon one of Nigel’s reviews before, you clearly aren’t doing your research before your GASY purchases. I was completely drawn into his review on the Voigtlander Vitomatic II that I have a search saved on eBay with notifications ready to blow up my phone for each Voigtlander Vitomatic. With three lens versions, of course the GAS sets in strongest for the fastest f/2 Ultron lens, and naturally these are the hardest and most expensive to come by.
So why am I GASing for a 35mm camera with no notoriety for either form or photo quality when I have a Nikon FM2n and a Leica M3, both with a complement of excellent lenses?
This thing is beautiful. It’s hard to resist the charm of old film cameras. They are solidly built with wonderful a mix of black leatherette atop brushed metal components coupled with a gorgeous rangefinder crystal and a funky lightmeter. Not to mention that fantastic Voigtlander script.
I’ve always been intrigued with a fixed lens. GAS for a camera system can’t spread if there is no other lens choices. also, it’s a fixed 50mm lens. Systems with fixed lenses tend to usually run wider, in the 28-40mm range.
I’m very curious of the quality of the optics. Voigtlander’s glass is highly regarded these days, but how does it stack up against my equally-as-old Leica M3 and it’s 50mm Summicron dual range?
I’ll end this here and report back after the acquisition with the details, some shots of the camera, and some shots with the camera. Wish me luck!