Canon VL

Canon VL

The Canon VL is a 35mm Leica screw-mount rangefinder camera introduced by Canon in 1958. It was the top model in Canon’s V-series lever-wind rangefinder line and can be understood as a further development of the Canon L1, adding a self-timer and metal shutter curtains.

The camera uses a threaded lens mount, compatible with Leica Thread Mount lenses, also known as LTM or M39. It accepts Canon screw-mount rangefinder lenses and other compatible 39mm screw-mount lenses.

The Canon VL has a swing-open back, top-mounted film advance lever and collapsible rewind crank. It retained the late Canon V-series two-dial shutter layout, with slow speeds on the front dial and faster speeds on the top dial.

The viewfinder uses Canon’s rotating three-mode system. It offers settings for 35mm, 50mm and a magnified RF position for more accurate focusing. The accessory shoe includes a parallax correction pin, allowing compatible accessory finders to be adjusted as the lens is focused.

The shutter is a two-axis horizontal-travel focal-plane shutter with metal curtains. Speeds run from 1 second to 1/1000 second, plus T, B and X. Flash synchronization is selectable for FP, M-F and X-sync, with electronic flash synchronization at approximately 1/50 second.

---

History

Development and Launch

The Canon VL was marketed in March 1958. Canon positioned it as the top V-series camera, using a film advance lever on the top plate rather than the bottom trigger wind used by the Canon VT and VT de luxe.

Canon’s official museum notes that the VL is sometimes called the VTDM, but this is not technically correct because the VL has top lever wind rather than the bottom trigger wind used on the VTDM-type body.

Position in the Canon V-Series

The Canon VL sits above the L1 and L2 in the V-series family. The L1 has a 1/1000-second shutter and top lever wind, but no self-timer. The VL adds the self-timer and is associated with the move to metal shutter curtains.

The VL should also be kept separate from the Canon VL-2. The VL-2 keeps the self-timer and flash synchronization but omits the 1/1000-second top speed and uses a pop-up rewind knob instead of the VL’s collapsible rewind crank.

Metal Shutter Curtains

The Canon VL is an important model because it introduced metal shutter curtains made from thin stainless steel. These curtains operate in the same general way as cloth focal-plane curtains but were intended to improve durability and reduce the risk of pinholes burned by sunlight through the lens.

Japanese Leica Copies notes that the metal curtains can sometimes appear wrinkled, often because of handling or careless finger contact, but that they have generally proven reliable.

Viewfinder Improvements

The Canon VL used a silvered half-mirror prism, similar to late Canon VT de luxe production. Canon described this as making the viewfinder image easier to see than the earlier gold-finished prism system.

This cooler, brighter finder appearance is one of the details collectors sometimes use when separating late L1, VL and odd transitional V-series bodies.

Serial Number Notes

Japanese Leica Copies gives the reported Peter Dechert serial range as 555000 to 592000. Found examples are reported from around 547640 to 56774x, with several bodies below the Dechert range showing mixed L1 and VL features.

The safest database wording is 555000 to 592000, reported Peter Dechert range, with found examples around 547640 to 56774x and some transitional L/VL bodies below the main range.

Canon V-series serial numbers and features can be messy. Some bodies appear with L1 base plates, metal curtains, self-timer differences or other mixed details. For matching, visible features should be checked together with the serial number.

Relationship to Canon L1

The Canon VL is very close to the Canon L1 in body layout. The most obvious external difference is the presence of the self-timer on the VL. The VL also introduced the stainless-steel metal shutter curtain system and silvered finder optics.

The L1 should therefore remain a separate database entry. A Canon V-series lever-wind body without a self-timer should normally be treated as L1, while a lever-wind body with self-timer and 1/1000-second top speed should usually be treated as VL.

Relationship to Canon VL-2

The Canon VL-2 should be kept separate from the Canon VL. The VL has a 1/1000-second top speed and collapsible rewind crank. The VL-2 has a 1/500-second top speed and uses a pop-up rewind knob.

Both cameras share the self-timer and the full V-series flash synchronization setup, but the shutter-speed range and rewind design make them separate models.

Relationship to Canon VI-L

The Canon VI-L followed later in 1958 and introduced Canon’s Series VI design language. It replaced the rotating two-dial V-series shutter layout with a single non-rotating shutter dial and added reflected framelines for 50mm and 100mm lenses.

The VL therefore belongs to the last stage of the V-series rotating-finder, two-dial shutter cameras, while the VI-L belongs to the more advanced VI-series generation.

Identification

The Canon VL is identified by its LTM screw mount, top film advance lever, collapsible rewind crank, built-in self-timer, metal shutter curtains, side bayonet flash terminal, parallax correction pin on the accessory shoe and two-dial shutter layout reaching 1/1000 second.

Unlike some earlier Canon models, the VL does not normally have the model name marked clearly on the body. This means identification often depends on the combination of self-timer, rewind crank, shutter-speed range, metal curtains, serial number and body layout.

Common listing names include Canon VL, Canon V-L, Canon Model VL, Canon VL LTM, Canon VL rangefinder and Canon VTDM. The VTDM name should be treated as a seller or collector alias rather than the preferred model name.

Collector Notes

The Canon VL is one of the stronger late Canon LTM rangefinders because it combines top lever wind, a 1/1000-second shutter, self-timer, swing-open back, full flash synchronization and metal shutter curtains.

Collectors should check the self-timer, rangefinder alignment, rotating viewfinder, metal shutter curtains, shutter-speed accuracy, collapsible rewind crank, flash sync switch, accessory shoe parallax pin and side bayonet flash terminal.

Because transitional and odd-spec V/L bodies exist, a camera should not be identified from serial number alone. The visible shutter-speed dial, self-timer, rewind system and shutter curtain material should all be checked.

The Canon VL should be treated as a separate LTM film camera because its self-timer, 1/1000-second metal shutter, top lever wind and V-series body design distinguish it from the Canon L1, VL-2 and later VI-L.

---

Sources

• [1] Canon Camera Museum. VL. https://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/film33.html
• [2] Japanese Leica Copies. Canon Rangefinder Cameras, Canon VL. https://leica-copies-japan.com/Canon.html
• [3] Canon Camera Museum. L1. https://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/film31.html
• [4] Canon Camera Museum. VI L. https://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/film36.html