are lubitel-2's good?

jodang67 · Feb 23, 2011

hi everyone! i'm looking to buy a lubitel-2 from ebay but i'm not familiar with the brand or the camera. i'm desperately looking for a good but inexpensive medium format camera, though, and from the looks of it, it looks like a good choice.

what do you think?

jodang67 · Feb 23, 2011

whoops sorry - i meant lubitl 166u...

Someonenameddavid · Feb 23, 2011

Probably better than a holga but worse than just about anything else: I would prefer a Yashica mat 124G or a Mamiya C220 or C330
David

jodang67 · Feb 23, 2011

thanks! that's really helpfuled...

how about kiev-60? the yashica and mamiyas are a little out of my price range

Andrew K · Feb 23, 2011

I've used Lubitels, and they are capable of good results, but are very limiting. If you want cheap try a Chinese Seagull 4A - if they are assembled correctly then they are as sharp as a Yashica or Minolta TLR..

Kiev 60's can have unreliable film transport - I've owned 3 and each one was wonky in one way or another.......

Have you considered a old Zeiss Nettar folder? The ones with f3.5 lenses and 1-200 shutters produce stunning results..

Personally I would look for an old Mamiya C220 - I've seen them sell for under $150, and they produce stunning results - in my opinion as good as a Hasselblad 500 series (of which I've had a couple..)

Anscojohn · Feb 23, 2011

jodang67 said:
hi everyone! i'm looking to buy a lubitel-2 from ebay but i'm not familiar with the brand or the camera. i'm desperately looking for a good but inexpensive medium format camera, though, and from the looks of it, it looks like a good choice.

what do you think?

*********
Funky is good. I've owned several. They are limited--4.5 lens, top shutter speed of 1/200, but topped down a couple stops the triplet lens cuts an acceptable image. To me, they are a clever copy of the Argoflex. That's an Argoflex in my avatar. Good advice on a Mamiya 220, if you can get one in working order cheaply enough.

haplo602 · Feb 24, 2011

I have a Ljubitel 2, the main problem is focusing. The viewing screen is not a fresnel one, so it's dark in the corners. Get a Roleicord, they are cheap and quite good.

janykiel · Feb 24, 2011

jodang67 said:
hi everyone! i'm looking to buy a lubitel-2 from ebay but i'm not familiar with the brand or the camera. i'm desperately looking for a good but inexpensive medium format camera, though, and from the looks of it, it looks like a good choice.

what do you think?

Hi, it`s my first post here
I`m writing from Poland, and I have seen few Lubitels. I was using for longer time two of them and for sure - it is wrong choice. It`s really chip Russian copy of Viogtlander Brilliant. It`s easy to use, but like someone said here it`s very limiting. The problem is really poor quality of lens.

If You want something really chip - try Seagull or Flexaret (Czech medium format camera 6x6). It`s quite nice, with nice lens. But still it`s worst then Yashica, Mamiya and of course Rolleicord and Rolleiflex.

Wade D · Feb 24, 2011

Ciroflex is also quite cheap but has a descent lens if you can find one. You'd be better off buying a Yashica D or Yashica Mat 124. They are still pretty cheap and not as expensive as the Mamiya C220/C330. The Mamiya's do have interchangeable lenses though. I bought my Yashica D for $60 and it is a good camera with a very sharp lens.

Necator · Feb 24, 2011

I second the folder suggestion. Agfa Isolettes are cheap as well, and quite good.

Steve Roberts · Feb 24, 2011

A good Agifold or Agilux, perhaps? They crop up on ePay often and sell for next to nothing.
http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_C561.html
Steve

nosmok · Feb 24, 2011

Never used one, but Ricoh TLRs show up on evilBay frequently, and aren't expensive. I have a few other Ricoh cameras and their glass is great-- I'd take a chance on one if I didn't hate the square fornat.

--nosmok

spark · Feb 24, 2011

I used a Lubitel-2 back in the late 1970's, about the same as the 166. It had a very nicely chromed mounting ring holding a poor uncoated lens. The camera itself was made of some very retro thick black plastic. They aren't worth the prices on the auction site (mine was $40 new in 1978!) You can get a decent Yashica EM/FM or Ricoh for just a little more, maybe get lucky with a bid on a Rolleicord.

Uncle Goose · Feb 25, 2011

janykiel said:
If You want something really chip - try Seagull or Flexaret (Czech medium format camera 6x6). It`s quite nice, with nice lens. But still it`s worst then Yashica, Mamiya and of course Rolleicord and Rolleiflex.

I can't say anything of the Seagull but the Flexarets are certainly as nice as the Yashica, Mamiya and even the Rolleicord of the same time frame. The only catch is that you have to buy one that is serviced from a reliable dealer (Cupog on Ebay is such dealer that sells Flexarets that have had a CLA). Many Flexarets stood in a cupboard for decades resulting in stiff handling and locked up shutters. But once these beasts are brought to life by a professional CLA they can produce stunning photographs. I'm using Flexarets for years now and I'm very happy with them.

piu58 · Feb 25, 2011

I own a kiev 60 for many years an I am very happy with it. May be, that ebay concentrates problematic cameras. So it is a good idea to buy a kiev which was really in use.
I had a lubitel 15 years ago. This camera is not worth to put a film in.

jodang67 · Mar 12, 2011

wow, thanks everyone for the great feedback! i'll def be on the lookout for a mamiya c220... i'm an avid admirer of mamiya's in general. yashica's are definitely up there also.

Ole · Mar 12, 2011

I used a Lubitel 166U for a while, long enough to decide that MF was right for me.
I sold it for two pints of beer in a bar, a good exchange.

P C Headland · Mar 12, 2011

Ole said:
I used a Lubitel 166U for a while, long enough to decide that MF was right for me.
I sold it for two pints of beer in a bar, a good exchange.

Yeah, but for two pints of beer in Norway, you could buy a Hassie

PentaxBronica · Mar 14, 2011

I've got one, paid £30 for it new in the mid 1990s. To be honest that was a fair price considering the fun I had with it, and if you can get one cheap then by all means. Don't expect wonders but you'll probably be able to get some halfway decent results.

Just remember that the winder/shutter are not linked at all. You can quite easily wind through an entire roll of film without taking a shot, and equally easily take multiple exposures if you forget to wind on before re-cocking the shutter. You have to look at the numbers on the film backing paper as it scrolls past the little window in the back of the camera to make sure you've wound to the next frame.

Rom · Mar 14, 2011

Heya,

Did you think about the Semflex. It's a french camera, medium format which gives for me high quality. I have one from my father but you can find it easily for 50. You can see one picture that i have scan on my gallery Dead Link Removed Sharpness is quite good, i think better than lubitel.

Here is the example, please note that my dev was not very good at the moment, i am just an amateur

No light meter included, so if you don't have one handled you will have to think about.

Otherwises, the kiev 60 is quite good, the only thing is that is very difficult to find one in good condition with all the speed working well.

++

aoresteen · Mar 14, 2011

Consider a Ricohflex TLR. Mark Hanson repairs them and he likes thems

http://www.zeissikonrolleirepair.com/

Also consider getting a Rolleicord. Spend a little more money upfront and have a camera that will last many years with a littel TLC.

edp · Mar 14, 2011

The best thing about the Lubitel 2 is its big brother, the Sputnik.

btaylor · Mar 14, 2011

Thanks for info on the Flexaret from Czechoslovakia, I had heard of them but never knew much about them. I checked out cupog on fleabay, he has a nice, CLA'd late model Flexaret VII for $140 shipped. Something interesting and different. I have to agree with everyone else here, there are so many quality TLRs for really low prices that the Lubitel looks like a poor deal. If you don't mind getting into the Rollei thing the later Rolleicords are beautiful and take outstanding pictures-- it is one of my favorite cameras to use.

are lubitel-2's good?

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