Voigtländer VSL 1 TM with Color-Ultron 1.8/50, Color-Skoparex 2.8/35 and Color-Dynarex 4/135.
Heavy SLR with M42 screw mount from the mid-1970ties. That model has a long history, and I try to explain it later. As a result, this camera and all the lenses were made in Singapore by Rollei, the lenses are designs by Zeiss: Planar, Distagon and Tele-Tessar. The camera itself is .. heavy, and bigger than a Contax RTS I. With the dedicated lenses like the ones above it offers open-aperture metering. Early models have some features, which were dropped later, like an eyepiece-blind, the lockable ISO-dial and an exposure meter needle on the shoulder. The VSL 1 has a horizontally traveling shutter which works fully mechanically, it works very well on my exemplar, together with the mirror it makes a very crispy sound. The exposure meter is switched on with a small pin beside the film advance lever, it is arranged in a way, that the meter is switched off when the advance lever is pushed back to the camera body. In the viewfinder you'll find the common needle, which indicates over- or underexposure, when you're changing shutter speed, f-stop or film speed. But the VSL 1 has two very special features: a) the mark for the needle is illuminated b) a red area indicates the end of the range of the exposure meter (!). If the needle is in that red area the meter won't work reliable, because it is too dark. A few other cameras prevent the use of that range, through that they block the setting of the long shutter speeds. Here it is indicated, and of course the size of the red area is coupled to the shutter speeds, f-stops and the ISO-setting.
The set f-stop is also displayed in the viewfinder.
Some further specs and features:
* shutter speeds from 1/2 to 1/1000 s and B
* X- and FP-sync on the shutter speed dial: 1/40 s
* ISO-range: 12 to 1600
* one button cell PX 625 is required
* latching button for DOF-preview
* frame counter counts backwards while rewinding
I already own the VSL 2, a camera which won't be my friend. It looks like the VSL 1, but contains some electronics. I find the VSL 1 much more trustworthy. It's a bit archaic compared to contemporary models, e.g. the Minolta XE-1, and Pentax changed from M42 to bayonet at that time.
The evolution of the VSL1. Voigtländer already belongs to Zeiss Ikon, and in 1962 Walter Swarofsky began to design the Bessaflex, a new camera with focal plane shutter instead of a leaf shutter, which was quite usual for German SLRs (Contaflex, Retina-Reflex, ..). But the Bessaflex was never released, instead Walter Swarofsky had to give it the typical Zeiss Ikon "brick-outfit" and the Icarex was born. It came in many variants (with or without interchangeable viewer or exposure meter). It was also available with bayonet mount (BM) or with M42 thread mount (TM). The cameras were branded with Zeiss Ikon or Zeiss Ikon Voigtländer. The according M42-lenses are labeled with "Carl Zeiss", and besides the 4/25 Distagon all lenses were designed by Voigtländer, even the Tessar was a Color-Skopar. Here you can find the legendary 1.8/50 Zeiss Ultron with concave front lens. All lenses were made by Voigtländer in Braunschweig/Brunswick.
In 1972 the Voigtländer plant was closed, but there was enough material to manufacture a "new" camera, the Zeiss Ikon SL 706, the direct follower of the Icarex 35S TM and nearly identical. However, the SL 706 offered open-aperture metering now, so the Icarex TM lenses were modified. The SL 706 exists only with M42-mount, the bayonet version exists only as a prototype and was named SL 707. From the SL 706 only 8000 copies were made.
In the early 70ties Rollei purchased at least parts of Zeiss Ikon and hence Voigtländer, inclusive the Voigtländer brand. Walter Swarofsky again transfered his design to a new camera model, the Voigtländer VSL 1 TM. As far I know the changes from SL 706 to VSL 1 were minimal, e.g. the battery check button was dropped. About 500 copies were made in Germany, then Rollei moved the production to its plant in Singapore, were further 32.000 were made. Unlike the camera, the lens line-up changed completely. Now you have Voigtländer branded lenses with Voigtländer names, but Zeiss designs and made by Rollei Singapore. The 1,8/50 Color-Ultron is a Planar, as per instruction manual a 7/6-design; the 2.8/35 Color-Skoparex is a 5/5-Distagon. The VSL 1 TM was produced from 1974 to 1976 and was the last M42 camera in this row.
The VSL 1 TM has two sisters with the Rollei QBM lens mount (incompatible to the Icarex BM mount): of course the Voigtländer VSL 1 BM, and the Rolleiflex SL 35M in Rollei outfit, which was offered parallel. Later even an electrified version with aperture priority automatic exposure was introduced, the VSL 2, respectively SL 35ME. Here ends the family tree of the Bessaflex, from all guises 300.000 units were sold. A later VSL 3 was a completely new design by Rollei.
