Voigtländer Prominent

Prominent refers to two distinct lines of rangefinder cameras made by Voigtländer.

The first Prominent, stylized in all-caps as PROMINENT and also known as the Prominent 6×9 to distinguish it from the later camera line, was a folding, fixed-lens rangefinder camera that used 120 film and was first marketed in 1932. Relatively few were sold and the post-war Prominent, using 135 film, is better known.

The second Prominent (stylized with small caps as ) was a line of 35mm interchangeable lens cameras built after World War II in the 1950s, equipped with leaf shutters. The second line of Prominent cameras were marketed as professional system cameras against the Leica threadmount and M bayonet mount and Zeiss Ikon Contax rangefinder camera lines. Voigtländer also sold the Vitessa and Vito lines of compact 35mm rangefinders contemporaneously, generally equipped with fixed, collapsible normal lenses, as less-expensive alternatives to the Prominent.

Prominent 6×9
The Prominent 6×9 was introduced in 1932 as the top-of-the-line folding rollfilm camera from Voigtländer, which also sold similar models with fewer features as the Bessa, Virtus, Perkeo, and Inos. The base-board opens when a button is depressed, and the spring-loaded lens carrier advances to the correct position, making the camera ready for exposure. It is equipped with a fixed Heliar anastigmat 105 mm lens, developed contemporaneously with and similar to the Carl Zeiss Tessar, and one of two supplemental Focar close-up lenses can be added for portraits or macro photography. The Compur leaf shutter features speeds ranging from 1–$1/undefined$ sec, plus "B"ulb and "T"imer settings along with a self-timer delayed release. An extinction meter is used to set the appropriate aperture and shutter speed.

Records indicate that approximately 10,000 Prominent 6×9 cameras were made from 1932 to 1935, including 5 prototypes with a faster "Turbo" shutter with a top speed of $1/undefined$ sec. The Prominent 6×9 was renamed to the Bessa Rangefinder starting in 1935, capitalizing on the more recognized branding.

"Miniature" Prominent 35mm
The "miniature" Prominent which takes 135 film was introduced in 1952 and produced until 1958, when it was succeeded by the , which was produced until 1960. The original Prominent (135) included numerous detail improvements over its production run, mainly to minor items including the inclusion of strap lugs and a film reminder on the baseplate with later models; the Prominent II has a distinctive, larger Albada-type viewfinder and square rangefinder window, while the original Prominent has a smaller, rectangular viewfinder and round rangefinder window, although the camera bodies are basically the same. The earliest Prominent (135) has a Synchro-Compur shutter with a top speed of $1/undefined$ sec, which was updated to $1/undefined$ sec within a year.

Operation
Exposure (aperture and shutter speed) are set on the lens, while focus is set using a knob on the top deck, operated by the photographer's left hand.

Lenses
The primary normal lenses were branded Ultron and Nokton; both lens types were designed by Albrecht Tronnier. Stephen Gandy notes the "Nokton was one of the very best fast lenses of the 50's, even a good performer by today's standards."

The initial set of accessory lenses, the Ultragon wide-angle and the Telomar telephoto, were each attached to a reflex housing to assist focus; the Telomar also was designed by Tronnier.