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Lubitel pic


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Hi.

 

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I recently got a Lubitel 166U to complement my Rolleiflex. The main reason was that the

Rollei is just too big and bulky to carry around sometimes and I'm still trying to find a lens

cover for it. I wanted something a lot smaller and lighter but still using 120 print film.

 

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The Lubi is a LOT smaller and lighter. It's a mostly-plastic camera, but it feels solid and

inflexible - quite unlike a Holga. The aperture/shutter speed levers are solid and the

shutter "button" has plenty of feel. It feels like a real camera. It's not a Rolleiflex, but it's

not quite a toy either. It's surprisingly nice to hold. Focussing is... well... an adventure, but

between comparing what I see in the viewfinder with what the viewing lens says is the

distance, I've generally had most shots in focus. More or less - the lens is soft, but nicely

so in my opinion.

 

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I've just had the Lubi's first roll back and

one shot stands out. It's a double-exposure, I think, which is a pity, but even then it's not

that

bad, in my opinion. Exposure here was judged from what a table I found in an old Fuji film

package suggested, combined with Sunny 16. Anyway - here you go. One

Lubitel plus one roll of Kodak chromogenic, handheld, equals this.

 

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<img src="http://homepage.mac.com/jptarrant/images/lubitel/cannon_st.jpg"><BR>

Cannon Street station, London.

 

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Jonas posted about his Lubitel recently. Anybody got one?

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One other thing. There is a small dot on the aperture ring between f11 and f8 and another

on the focussing ring, somewhere between 15m and infinity. The manual says that if you

use both dots as your settings, everything in your shot between 4.5m and infinity will be

sharp. I haven't tried this, but it's a nice touch from the makers.

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The Lubitel 166U was my first MF camera. I was very pleased with the sharpness and results, especially if stopped down a few stops. Unfortunately, after about 1 1/2 years of service the front of the lens assembly simply came right off. I was able to get it back on but it was no longer lined up perfectly and the focus was way off. I tried over and over with trial and error and just could not get it right. Finally got sick of wasting film to see and just junked it. But for $35 new (at that time) I was happy. Got a Rolleiflex 2,8E Planar now that I simply love. Heavy, yes, and I wish I kept my beater Rolleicord that I had before it (which was much lighter) but then again if I kept every camera I'd have dozens and dozens (instead of just the dozen or so I have now!)
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I think your picture is interesting. The dots for aperture and focus is an old system called two point setting. It never seemed to be that popular but it works and works quite well. It has long disappeared from general use. It comes in handy when trying to catch that fleeting shot that you just don't have time to fool with. Remember though, that the ide is that everything within the depth of field is supposed to be in "acceptably sharp focus". The qoutation marks should explain that. Have fun!
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