kyle_opitz Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Anyone have any experience with the Lubitel 166U, or any of the Lubitel models? I'm looking for some way to get into cheap 6x6 photography. Any Info would be great! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffcallen Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 A number of years ago I worked in a lab, one of my co-workers bought a Lubitel 166, it scratched film and tended to have problems with irregular shutter speeds, so if you took 3 shots at same shutter speed, they would each get a slightly different exposure. The viewfinder is also quite odd, and there were occosional light leaks. A similar TLR like a used Yashicamat, Minolta Autocord or Ricoh Diacord from ebay would be a good alternative, as would a soviet ISKRA in good shape, though the ISKRA is a different kind of camera...a folding rangefinder, they all use 120 film, I got my ISKRA for $60 and an Autocord for about $20 more.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew_julian Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 I agree with Jeff. Do yourself a favor and get an Autocord or Yashicamat instead. I have a 166 that I picked up for $5, but it's a bit of a joke. Focusing is REALLY difficult, shutter speeds are iffy, and the lens quality is in a no man's land between the softness and vignetting of a Holga and the lovely quality you'd get from an Autocord or other TLR with a good lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich815 Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 If you can spend more than $100 USD then get a used Minolta Autocord, or Rolleicord. If not then the Lubitel can be fun to experiment with but realize you'll only have it for perhaps a year (or less) before it likely quits on you. A Lubitel was my first MF camera and it actually produced some very sharp photos and I had fun with it. Eventually though the front part of the lens came off in my hands along with the front element and for the life of me I could not get it aligned properly again and just junked it. Later got a great Rolleicord in UGLY shape (for $50 USD, off eBay) but it give me great photos. I only got rid of that because I upgraded myself to a Rolleiflex 2.8E Planar which I found for $150 USD, again in UGLY shape but a one CLA later and it is perhaps my favorite camera. Bottomline: Buy a Lubitel and save money now but likely need to buy another (or realize you need to get a better quality camera) later. Or save your pennies, research the used market, and get yourself a tank-built Rolleicord, use it for years, and pass it on to your progeny when you die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene m Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 <a href="http://westfordcomp.com/classics/lubitell166b/index.htm"> A few Lubitel photos. <a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_m Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Gene's photos prove that it's the photographer and not the camera that is the main ingredient in getting good shots. The camera is merely a tool to assist the photographer in capturing his/her vision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin McAmera Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Get a Lubitel. I've had a 166b for ages (bought new in the 80s). I'm more familiar with results like Gene's (as far as the camera's contribution goes anyhow) than what the other posters suggest. I don't really go along with the bit about focussing being difficult, or the viewfinder being odd - it's a waist-level finder. They're all odd. If I had to choose one 6x6 camera from the few I have though, I think it would be a folder, not a TLR. Maybe my Isolette III (uncoupled rangefinder). That comes with the risk of light leaks through the bellows, but I seem to have got a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich815 Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 My post suggests the camera is a good performer, I got very sharp results.....as long as it lasted that is, which was not long. And if you use it for anything but the most delicate of circumstances, or use it more than sparingly, it's simply not built to last. Drop it once, forget it. Bang it once against something, forget it. Hold a Lubitel in your hand, and then hold pretty much any other TLR, and you'll be hard pressed not to agree the Lubitel is built like crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle_opitz Posted June 12, 2006 Author Share Posted June 12, 2006 Thanks a lot guys! I've been looking at the Minoltas for awhile now and figured that would be the way to go because they have interchangable multi-coated lenses (if i'm not mistaking?) I already own a holga that i de-holgaized by flocking, adding a second aperture, and fixing the light leaks and vignetting. SO all im left with is a weird camera that takes soft pictures. I just figured the Lubitel would be another goofy camera to add to the collection. I think i will save my pennies and get something that will really perform. Thanks alot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank r Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Kyle: Check out www.certo6.com Look in the right column for an article called "Medium Format in Your Pocket" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich815 Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Great link Frank. I've been meaning to find me a nice MF folder and that site has some great articles and tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_evans4 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 <p><em>I've been looking at the Minoltas for awhile now and figured that would be the way to go because they have interchangable multi-coated lenses (if i'm not mistaking?)</em></p><p>You're mistaken.</p><p>I think your memory has conflated "Minolta" with "Mamiya". Plenty of Mamiya TLRs do have interchangeable lenses. (A corollary is that they are heavy.) No Minolta TLR does.</p><p>The Minolta Autocord is reputedly excellent. I've no reason to think that the reputation is undeserved, but there you are, it's a reputation, and it's a reputation that is likely to drive up the price -- not to Rolleiflex levels, but well above Lubitel levels. Yashica is a less glamorous name but its products are still sound. Beyond this, you have a lot of names (some, like "Elbow flex", rather amusing) among which to choose. Take a look <a href="http://www.tlr-cameras.com/">here</a>.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_evans4 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 <p><em>I've been meaning to find me a nice MF folder and that site has some great articles and tips.</em></p><p>Take a look at <a href="">these</a> and try not to drool <em>too</em> much.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich815 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Peter, your link in 02:07 a.m. brings me back to this thread. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_evans4 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 <p>Sorry, Richard. I don't know why I pasted in that URL. The one I intended to paste was <a href="http://www.geocities.com/antjam65/folders.html">this</a>.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe tarrant Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 I have a Lubitel 166U. What everybody above said is right... and wrong. I do get tired of people saying incessantly that just because something isn't a Rolleiflex, you shouldn't buy it. The Lubitel is the equivalent of a small Italian scooter or a tiny Japanese car. It's tiny, cheap and fun. It's not a Rolleiflex (which I have also used, so I know what I'm talking about) but it wasn't designed to be a Rolleiflex. Like a tiny scooter, it has its uses. You mightn't shoot a wedding with one commercially but you might shoot a wedding with one for fun - especially if you had a good compact in your pocket as a backup. I have some Lubitel photos <A HREF="http://homepage.mac.com/jptarrant/images/ lubitel/">here</A>. I am very pleased with a couple of them. mightn't be good enough for some people here but they pleased me. Yes, it's hard to focus, though you get used to it quickly. However, it's easy to set up. It's also very light and is a lot easier to carry round than a Rolleiflex, which is a bit of a beast, weight wise. And it's about 2/3 the size of a Rollei as well. It has its uses and its advantages. It's not in the same leage as a Rollei or an Autocord, just as a scooter isn't a Harley. But it's not meant to be. With the prices, you can have both. What's the problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich815 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Joe, relax, we all do not hate your Lubitel, and we know they can make nice photos. I had one----like I said, until it broke. Look at the eBay completed listings and you can see a decent Rolleicord can be had for between $35-75 USD. And yes, there are a bunch of BIN "careful-do-not-drop-it" plastic Lubitels there too for $35 USD. I guess if one absolutely cannot shell out the extra $10-30 USD then a Lubitel can be an option but for only a little more you can have a camera that is not made of plastic, will not break easily, focuses much more easily, has a great reputation for build quality, has a much better lens, and perhaps most importantly, a better re-sale value as you can easily get back what you paid for it---or more (I re-sold the Rolleicord I had bought for $50 on eBay for $80 on eBay six months later after I got my Rolleiflex). To me it's a no-brainer. Wish I never wasted my money or time on my Lubitel. That said if someone gave me one today I'd use it and have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle_opitz Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 ooooops! Look what i started. I really like those folding MF cameras and i think i'll look into getting one. And thanks for info on the Minolta vs the Mamiya, i usually get the two "M"s mixed up. I'll save my $40 and use my Holga when i want to shoot some artsy fartsy stuff. I'll probably end up getting some kind of TRL soon; they just seem like a neat camera to shoot with, something different to me. So who knows, i might end up with a lubitel someday just for kicks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemcvay Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 I'll second the recommendation for a Richoh Diacord TLR. I have two, and I love them. They also seem to be a little more rare, but when you find one, they seem to go for less than a Yashica or Minolta.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemcvay Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 A second scan.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayzshon Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 I'm actually thinking about looking for a Lubi myself, as it seems like a fun camera. But if your amin concern is that you'd like to get into medium format, for about the same money, I'd suggest looking for a Kodak Reflex II. I got mine for about $25 off Ebay. Some examples: http://static.flickr.com/33/97001477_c3af758829_o.jpg http://static.flickr.com/33/97001477_c3af758829_o.jpg Also, this gentleman has a lot more info on them, as well as several other cameras, including the lubitel: http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/box.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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