Historical Context

Introduced in June 1958, the Canon VI-T (Six-T) was one of the last and most highly refined cameras in Canon’s line of Leica-thread mount (LTM/M39) rangefinders before the company turned its primary focus toward SLR design.

The “T” in the name stands for Trigger wind, which is the camera’s most distinctive feature. Only 8,175 units were produced before production ended in 1960.

The VI-T was a high-end, expensive flagship camera. When Canon released the cheaper Canon P later that same year, consumers flocked to the budget option, effectively cannibalizing the VI-T’s sales.

Furthermore, the late 1950s marked the very beginning of the camera industry’s massive pivot away from rangefinders and toward Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras like the Nikon F and Canonflex. Recognizing the shifting market, Canon officially discontinued the VI-T in 1960.

For collectors today, it isn’t an impossible “unicorn” to find, but it is considered relatively scarce — especially if you are looking for one where that complex baseplate trigger mechanism still operates smoothly without grinding or jamming.