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P.O Box 2986 Nelspruit, 1200 South Africa Tel: +27 13 7533474 Fax: +27 13 7525199 Cellular: +27 824602139 info@wholesaledigital.co.za |
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THE HISTORY
This must be the most popular TLR (twin-lens reflex) camera ever made, with at least 3 million being produced. Interestingly the word Lubitel in Russian translates as 'Amateur'. This camera introduced thousands of people in the United Kingdom to the hobby of photography. The Lubitel 2 was my second camera, unfortunatly I dropped it on a trip to Africa in the 1980's, this destroyed the plastic case. When I saw one for sale recently I had to have it. Now I have a Lubitel 2, 166B, and 166U. This in reality was a plastic toy camera aimed at Soviet school children, however I believe it was one of the best camera designs.
These cameras were made by the Leningradskoye Optiko-Mekhanicheskoye Obyedineniye, or Leningrad Optical and Mechanical Union, in St Petersburg, which is why the LOMO logo is on the top of the camera. After the Second World War in 1945 GOMZ (in 1965, GOMZ became LOMO) again started producing popular cameras . The most famous being based on a German pre-war camera the Voightlander Brilliant. It was constructed out of bakelite and was the only Soviet 120 TLR .
The good old Soviets took
the mediocre Voightlander Brilliant design and created a truly brilliant
camera. The one thing that makes this camera very special is the T22 f4.5 3
element lens. By going for an F4.5 lens design and not an F3.5 or F2.8 they have
kept the image quality very high and the cost down. Interestingly in Western
Germany during the 1950's there was an attempt to fit cheap low quality fast
f2.9 lenses to basic 120 roll film cameras giving very poor image quality. For
the same sort of money you could get a proper camera the Lubitel.
The following is a brief production
history:
Timeline:
Komosomolets from 1946 -
1950:
Komosomolets translates as 'Young Communist'.
Technical Information:
Exact copy of a 1938 Voightlander
Brilliant
Twin Lens Reflex (TLR)
Taking Lens is a T-21 f4.5 75mm coated.
Viewing Lens is a f6.3 80mm
Shutter ZT
speeds: B - 1/25s 1/50s and 1/100s
Film is standard 120 giving 12 exposures
Film Size Format 6X6cm
25000 were produced
Lubitel translates as 'Amateur'.
Technical information:
Lubitel-2 from 1955 - 1980:
Technical Information:
Twin Lens Reflex (TLR)
Taking Lens is a T-22 F4.5 75mm
Viewing Lens is a F2.8 60mm
Focal length: 75 Relative aperture: F4.5 - F16
Shutter ZT-5
Speeds: B - 1/10s - 1/200s
Later Shutter ZT-8
Speeds: B - 1/15s - 1/250s
Shutter delay and Flash Synchronisation
Focusing: 1.4 M to infinity
Film is standard 120 giving 12 exposures
Film Size Format 6X6cm
Weight is approximatly 550g
Two million plus were produced
The Lubitel 2 is an all time classic,
a monster of a camera, all to be had for less than R600. A giant killer that
nobody dreams of owning. You can realistically compare the results to a
Hasselblad. This camera is seen by many people as a plastic toy, albeit one with
a high quality glass lens.
Lubitel 166 from 1976 - 1986:
Technical information:
Lubitel 166U from 1983 - 1990's:
Ihe U stands for Universal, being more or less identical to a Lubitel 166B but with provision for two film size formats 6X6cm and 4.5X6cm.
Production figures not known
HERE IS OUR SELECTION:
