Fun Cheap TLR's

blee1996 · Sep 24, 2024

I also enjoy using the Lubitel 166 Universal: compact and lightweight, very good photo quality. The focusing is indeed a bit more difficult, but the finder is big and bright.

Another bonus point: its shutter is very simple and easy to maintain even for novices.

henryvk · Sep 25, 2024

I was mostly joking about fighting y'all but I'm glad to see so much love for the Lubi.

My Lomography Lubitel 166+ (which, admittedly, has modern coating on it's lens and proper focusing screen) sees far too little action these days. I should take it out for a walk!

Irrc this was taken on long expired Agfa Portrait 160:

Alfred Fickensher · Sep 26, 2024

Donald Qualls said:
Won't hear me disagreeing. The only reason I haven't put more effort into getting one is the "very challenging focusing screen". I'd sure like to get another Seagull TLR, though...

Last time I was counter-leaning in Camera Corner Davenport, Iowa (find em online) idly fondling the used stuff I remember seeing a Seagull.
alf in Iowa

mshchem · Sep 26, 2024

Alfred Fickensher said:
Last time I was counter-leaning in Camera Corner Davenport, Iowa (find em online) idly fondling the used stuff I remember seeing a Seagull.
alf in Iowa

Camera Corner is my closest place now that University Camera and PhotoPro are closed. UCAM always had nice used selection.
Best Regards Mike

Donald Qualls · Sep 26, 2024

Alfred Fickensher said:
Last time I was counter-leaning in Camera Corner Davenport, Iowa (find em online) idly fondling the used stuff I remember seeing a Seagull.

There are Seagull cameras (a few different variations) on eBay any give day. I just need to remember I want another one when I have money.

GaryFlorida · Sep 26, 2024

Donald Qualls said:
There are Seagull cameras (a few different variations) on eBay any give day. I just need to remember I want another one when I have money.

are they any good?

Donald Qualls · Sep 26, 2024

GaryFlorida said:
are they any good?

Define "good". The lens on the one I had (which I got very cheap because the leather(ette) was missing off the front panel) had a coated triplet f/3.5 80 mm and produced good images. Its focus screen is nothing special, but I presume a bright screen could be installed and/or a microprism or split-image center spot focus screen adapted from another similar TLR (or maybe the newer ones had that, I've only ever handled that one). When I got mine, they were running about the same price or slightly less than a Yashica 12 on eBay (but eBay was fairly new then, and mislisting bargains were everywhere). They're short on luxury features (manual cocking shutter, red window advance) but it was a knob focus rather than the geared helical I'd learned TLR on (Kodak Reflex II -- much better camera, IMO, but needs 620). Easy enough to load and unload, too; nothing complicated.

MattKing · Sep 26, 2024

Toyocaflex - one of a bunch of fairly similar TLRs from post WWII Japan.
It was free - which is about as cheap as they come.
It came from the estate of a friend's uncle who besides being a very active photographer was also an inverterate thrift store visitor,
It almost appears to be unused - leather case and cardboard box included.

And this is the sort of thing you can do with it:

"Play of Light"

MattKing
Sep 25, 2024
5

A detail from the net shed at the Britannia Shipyards historical site...

GaryFlorida · Sep 26, 2024

MattKing said:
Toyocaflex - one of a bunch of fairly similar TLRs from post WWII Japan.
It was free - which is about as cheap as they come.
It came from the estate of a friend's uncle who besides being a very active photographer was also an inverterate thrift store visitor,
It almost appears to be unused - leather case and cardboard box included.
View attachment 379497

And this is the sort of thing you can do with it:

"Play of Light"

MattKing

Sep 25, 2024

5

A detail from the net shed at the Britannia Shipyards historical site...

wow, thats excellent!

AnselMortensen · Sep 26, 2024

That Toyocaflex is very similar to many other TLR's with the Tri-Lausar lens...most are made by Tougodo. (Sp?)
Many were made and badged as Skyflex, Miloflex, among others. Very Yashica-esque (is that a word? It is now!)

rippa_the_hutt · Sep 27, 2024

This Toyokaflex I never heard of, but it indeed looks like a most interesting camera.
I have both a Seagull 4 f3.5 and a bunch of Lubitels I got from poland (lubitel 2 and 166u), some quite old.
The Lubitel 2 is made from a very nice material but finding 27mm push on filters can be a real pain.
The 166 I truly love: it's VERY light, it fits 40.5mm filters, the shutter is dependable and it actually produces very good results. Most of the internet examples sporting blurred photos are probably due to defective samples or to the users not knowing about lens sync on these soviet TLRs. The viewfinder is a bit strange though, it's a plain "brilliant" design from the 30s with the addition of a small ground glass patch in the center to allow focusing (but that takes a bit of getting used to. You also need to place your eye in a precise spot in order to clearly see the image). Never had a light leak into one.
The f3.5 Seagull feels like a old brick, and finding a neckstrap for most of them can be a problem as it uses a weird pin attachment.
The mechanics is sound (expected from its weight). Optically I had results that are difficult to tell from my father's Zeiss Ikoflex in terms of sharpness (we often use FP4/HP5s, so no fancy t-grains). Filter thread's still the 40.5mm, so very convenient. If you're into double exposures YMMV, as mine has always refused to allow me to do so. I don't trust its self timer as a couple of times it jammed the shutter, so never touch it, and I usually set the shutter speed before cocking the shutter, as I noticed the lever (already quite stiff) can get even stiffer after cocking.

henryvk · Sep 27, 2024

I've had two Seagulls and while the lens is decent, the shutter I've found to be quite frail. One of them had the lightest fall off of a car seat onto the foot mat and the shutter seized up.

My Lubitel otoh has experienced a number of falls and it's still going.

Here's the Seagull, also taken on expired Agfa Portrait 160:

SMD · Sep 27, 2024

This thread spans almost 20 years. Seems prices for TLR are going down now.

Cheveuxroux · Dec 3, 2024

FWIW, I purchased a Lubitel 166 and a Seagull WWSC TLR cameras from Calumet Photographic in the 1990s.

Lubitel 166 light weight and compact dimensions made it easy to carry on trips but produced some vignetting and I eventually stopped using it due to gradual increase in resistance over time when advancing film past frame 6.

The Seagull has a 3-element lens and a film wind crank.

Viewfinder is better than the plain ground glass of the earlier versions.

I always used the cameras without a light meter using the sunny 16 exposure method.

Shutter maximum speed limited to under 1/300 sec.

I am satisfied with the Seagull image sharpness as I was shooting at F16.

Current prices bid for the Seagull version I own have been nearly identical to its 1990s retail price while the Yashica TLR is much more expensive but possesses better specs and a better reputation for shutter reliability.

Supposedly the turn of the century Seagull 4-element lens version was better than the Seagull 3-element lens version, but retailed for more than a used Yashica TLR.

blee1996 · Dec 4, 2024

I like both Lubitel 166U and Seagull 4A-105 (triplet lens), both produce more than decent photos.

crispyambulance · Sep 8, 2025

I have a few TLRs, but the two I use the most are a Zeiss-Ikon Ikoflex Ia with a Novar lens, and a Super Ricohflex with a Ricoh Anastigmat. Both are triplet lens and though they might have the slightest of vignetting, they're very fun to use. Love the sharpness of the Zeiss, love the light weight of the Ricoh. Both needed a CLA but I got them cheaply (100 CAD for the Ikoflex, 20-something for the Ricoh? It was in a bundle). I'd love a Ciroflex Model F with the 4-element lens and the 1/400th max shutter speed!

eli griggs · Sep 8, 2025

The Argus 75 with its bulb flash unit and the brightest fresnel view 'glass' I've ever seen.

Bakelite body, 127 format, classic styling.

Kino · Sep 8, 2025

Ricoflex Dia (Diamond and Diamond M) and Rolleicords can often be found for around the $100 mark if you keep an eye open.

I think the Dia is equal to the Rolleicord in build quality, but not as plentiful on the market. Of course, just about any Yashica TLR is also good and plentiful...

davela · Sep 14, 2025

The Yashica A is fantastic IMO for what they sell for. It is a simple camera with a knob wind, but it gets the job done with a very decent lens and it is light for a TLR too. A little up the price ladder is the Yashica-Mat, probably the best made of the many models of the Yashica series in my view. The Yashica-Mat has a crank style rapid advance too like the Rolleiflex (it's essentially a copy of the Rolleiflex Automat, but a good one). If one can afford to pay at least $200 or so, Autocords are really as good as any 3.5 Rollei I've used, and better than some. The Autocord taking lens is exceptionally sharp and the camera is a pleasure to use.

Peter Schrager · Sep 14, 2025

Kino said:
Ricoflex Dia (Diamond and Diamond M) and Rolleicords can often be found for around the $100 mark if you keep an eye open.

I think the Dia is equal to the Rolleicord in build quality, but not as plentiful on the market. Of course, just about any Yashica TLR is also good and plentiful...

I have a very nice Ricoh Diacord for sale here on Photrio.....these cameras are way underrated!

spark · Sep 14, 2025

My first TLR was dad's old Argus Super 75. Waterhouse stops for the lens (8, 11, 16 IIRC) and a single speed shutter. It took great pictures and had a very bright viewfinder. Although the take-up spool needed to be 620 size, you could load a roll of 120 film. These cameras have got to be pretty cheap now.

eli griggs · Sep 15, 2025

spark said:
My first TLR was dad's old Argus Super 75. Waterhouse stops for the lens (8, 11, 16 IIRC) and a single speed shutter. It took great pictures and had a very bright viewfinder. Although the take-up spool needed to be 620 size, you could load a roll of 120 film. These cameras have got to be pretty cheap now.

I love mine, and it's the camera that I'd pull out to use in a "toy camera" photo contest, my old Diana a distain second, if sharp images are my goal, tlr and all others valid cameras to enter.

.

blee1996 · Sep 15, 2025

My toy pseudo TLR is the Voigtlander Brillant (early metal version): probably the smallest among pseudo TLRs, uses 120 film, and has a good lens/shutter (Skopar in Compur) combo.

JPD · Sep 15, 2025

davela said:
The Yashica A is fantastic IMO for what they sell for. It is a simple camera with a knob wind, but it gets the job done with a very decent lens and it is light for a TLR too.

Indeed, and it only has speeds from 1/10 to 1/300 so no slow speed gear train that would gum up, so the Yashica A seldom needs a CLA to function properly. If slower speeds are needed you would have the camera on a tripod anyway and you use the B setting. My grandfather had a Yashica A and it produced very sharp photos that enlarged well, even though it had the earlier "inferior" Yashimar lens instead of the improved Yashikor.

My grandfather gave his Yashica A to me to play with when I was 6 or 7 years old and it's not in the best state now, but I bought one with Yashikor lens as a present to my dad on his 70 birthday. He can't really use it anymore due to his health, but perhaps one of my nephews could try it someday, so we will keep it in the family.

Fun Cheap TLR's

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency