buying a medium format camera

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butche - 07 Dec 2006 05:35 GMT

I'm interested in buying a Lubitel medium format camera, can some one
tell me where I can buy one other than ebay or used. I live in Canada
for now is there a company in Canada in Canada that sells the lubitel
or the Holga cameras.

Butche

buscht1927@yahoo.ca

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Duncan - 07 Dec 2006 07:02 GMT

Lomo have international 'Embassies' around the world and can supply these
cameras.

http://www.lomography.com/

Duncan

> I'm interested in buying a Lubitel medium format camera, can some one
> tell me where I can buy one other than ebay or used. I live in Canada
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> buscht1927@yahoo.ca

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Lassi Hippeläinen - 07 Dec 2006 08:57 GMT

> I'm interested in buying a Lubitel medium format camera, can some one
> tell me where I can buy one other than ebay or used. I live in Canada
> for now is there a company in Canada in Canada that sells the lubitel
> or the Holga cameras.

You dare mention the crappy Voigtländer ripoff in the same sentence as
the glorious Chinese engineering masterpiece! Shame on you!!!

-- Lassi

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Peter Irwin - 08 Dec 2006 00:57 GMT

> I'm interested in buying a Lubitel medium format camera, can some one
> tell me where I can buy one other than ebay or used.

The Lubitel hasn't been made since 1996, and I doubt anyone
has a big supply of brand new ones. Why not ebay?

> I live in Canada
> for now is there a company in Canada in Canada that sells the lubitel
> or the Holga cameras.

Holgas are sold by <http://thecamerastore.com> in Calgary.
Downtown Camera in Toronto used to sell them, and they may
still, but I haven't noticed them on display recently.

A Holga is a very different camera from a Lubitel.
The Holga is a simple plastic box camera with a simple
lens which is famous for producing interesting effects.
The Lubitel is a plastic pseudo-TLR with a focussing
triplet lens and a five speed shutter.

I've lined the inside of my Lubitel with flock paper to
reduce internal reflections and at stops of f/11 and
smaller the results could be mistaken for the product
of a good camera.

You can buy a good medium format camera on ebay for
surprisingly little money. This year I bought an
original Yashicamat in nice condition for US$75.00,
and a Kodak 66 model 3 folder for UKP2.18 plus UKP8.00 postage.
The Kodak 66 is a better camera than the Lubitel and
the Yashicamat much better.

Peter.

Signature

pirwin@ktb.net

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steven.sawyer@banet.net - 08 Dec 2006 02:42 GMT

>> I'm interested in buying a Lubitel medium format camera, can some one
>> tell me where I can buy one other than ebay or used.
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
> The Kodak 66 is a better camera than the Lubitel and
> the Yashicamat much better.

You're folder has a visual focusing mechanism e.g. rangefinder, ground glass
screen? Lubitels will deliver, but there appears to be a reasonable amount
of variation and so a few people who have ended up with lemons will bad
mouth the camera. Kiev USA also I believe, used to sell new Lubitels.
There is a Yahoo group for Lubitels which is fairly active. The key to
using the camera is to stop down as much as possible. Also the focus screen
can be calibrated for the use of the magnifer or without - but not both as
the "brilliant" screen itself is actually a lens. Try yours out with both
and see which method it's calibrated for.
Steve

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Peter Irwin - 08 Dec 2006 03:18 GMT

> You're folder has a visual focusing mechanism e.g. rangefinder,
> ground glass screen?

No, but the distance is 1.5 times the height of an object
which fills the viewfinder. So if a person is around 5' 6"
tall and takes up 2/3rds of the viewfinder height, the distance
is a little over 12 feet. This estimation method works fine
at f/8 with a 6x6 folder. Heights are a lot easier to
estimate accurately than distances.

> Lubitels will deliver, but there appears to be a reasonable amount
> of variation and so a few people who have ended up with lemons will bad
> mouth the camera.

I have a Lubitel and a Sputnik. This give me a sample of
three lenses. They are ok at f/11 and smaller. I find
the ground glass spot on the lubitel/sputnik viewfinder
to be not particularly easy to use.

Peter.

Signature

pirwin@ktb.net

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Paul Friday - 11 Dec 2006 21:52 GMT

>I have a Lubitel and a Sputnik. This give me a sample of three lenses.
>They are ok at f/11 and smaller. I find the ground glass spot on the
>lubitel/sputnik viewfinder to be not particularly easy to use.

Had a Lubitel for a while back in 1980. Gave nice sharp results, but it
was a royal pain to use. That clear viewing lens with the little matte
spot was next to useless.
I bought a second hand Yashica TLR, which I still have. Far better
results and much easier to use.

Signature

Paul Friday

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Rosemary - 12 Dec 2006 02:41 GMT

> I bought a second hand Yashica TLR, which I still have. Far better
> results and much easier to use.
> --
> Paul Friday

I just sold my Yashicamat 124G (which I bought new) with lens hood and
caps to KEH. Maybe they've still got it. :)

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steven.sawyer@banet.net - 15 Dec 2006 00:46 GMT

> In message <elalhq$d7u$1@dns.ktb.net>, Peter Irwin <pirwin@ktb.net> writes
>>I have a Lubitel and a Sputnik. This give me a sample of three lenses.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> I bought a second hand Yashica TLR, which I still have. Far better results
> and much easier to use.

Yes, the "dot" is a pain in the backside. I think it could be replaced with
microprisms, however that would mean spending $200 on a $40 camera.
Steve

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