Is this a toy? No. For starters, this is a fully mechanical and manual twin lens reflex camera. In fact, the word ‘lubitel’ translated to amateur. The name implies this camera can be wielded by anyone, even a kid! In all honesty, I was a little underwhelmed when I first held the Lubitel 2 but hear me out first. Here was a camera that’s made to look like a toy with its plastic build and simple mechanics and operation. The plastic body may not be to the standards that others might want to feel in the camera, that high-quality ruggedness and sturdiness. However, wielding this camera somehow makes me feel like I’m not afraid to get a bit extra adventurous with it. It’s incredibly light. The operation is extremely simple but effective. It’s also a pretty decent-looking camera! I’m used to the complex number of knobs, flicks and switches of other TLRs and SLRs cameras I have that it made me feel rather lost when holding the Lubitel 2. However, I was too curious to witness for myself the impressive performance that this camera so discreetly tried to hide. The time has come for me to dive in to this.
I purchased my Lubitel 2 for just AU $50 off a local seller on eBay. It arrived safely and was packed well (thank you, seller!). You’ll find plenty of these Lubitel cameras on online shopping sites along with more popular and more advanced Lubitel 166B. I’ve found the prices have varied but usually range upwards of AU$100. I was pretty lucky that I scored mine at half that amount. Otherwise, I would have probably not gone out of my way to buy this camera just because I already had two other TLRs - the Yashica 635 and the Rolleicord III. I’m glad I found this camera at such a cheap price because I wouldn’t have paid any more for it due to a few quirks that I wasn’t too keen about.
Upon further inspection, there was a fairly large piece of the side of the camera missing. However, this was hidden when the door was latched on. In my film roll test, this proved to be no issue and there were no light leaks. I was very lucky with that. The film door itself does feel quite flimsy but does lock into place firmly. Again, I shouldn’t be expecting too much out of this camera given it’s overall plastic-build. If there was one thing I really appreciated about this camera, it was how easy and light to carry it around. I was even happy to throw this in my bag but I would recommend keeping it in its intended case or away from sharp objects like your keys!
On the film door is a red-coloured little window that allows you to see the film number printed on the back of the roll. By forwarding the advance film knob, all you need to do is to stop when you see the number shows up in the window. Unlike other TLRs that I’ve used where the film advance knob will automatically stop when the next shot is ready, you’ll need to rely on your eyesight and good light to be able to see the number. While it may depend on the film roll brand you use, but I struggled so much with being able to see the number through that red-tinted window. As a result, I lost maybe around four shots due to this. A tip: make sure you are in direct light to see the number, otherwise you’ll most likely lose out on a few shots.
Opening up the viewfinder, I was welcomed with a ghastly sight of a scratched up magnifier and dirty glass that reflected a rather awful and mould-infested mirror. Given how old this camera and years of storage it might have had, I was unsurprised by the usual dirt and grime that comes with these older film cameras. However, mould had taken over the mirror. I could see it through the viewfinder. I had a bad feeling that the mirror was beyond hopes of repair. And I was right.
Firstly, I dismantled the top of the viewfinder, which was fairly straightforward by unscrewing three screws semi-hidden on the sides and on the bottom. After unscrewing them, I was able to remove the top part of the viewfinder to gain access to the glass and the mirror. I was hoping that a little and gentle clean with isopropyl alcohol will remove the mould or whatever it was it looked like on the mirror. Sadly, this proved to be the wrong move. The reflective covering rubbed off in my attempts to gently wipe it off. The mirror quality on these cameras were pretty sub-par and not like those you find on other SLR cameras. As a result, I ended up having to toss away the mould-decorated mirror and bought a pack of new ones at the craft store. I can’t say if the original mirror had any particularly special about it, but at this stage I couldn’t tell. Swapping out the mirror with a new square-shaped one from the craft store did work. Now, I can clearly see through the viewfinder. If your Lubitel 2 camera comes with a dirty mirror that’s beyond repair, this is a fairly easy fix. Other than the mirror, there was just a lot of grime and dust internally. I washed the thick glass part with lukewarm water and gentle dishwashing liquid and wiped away the dust and grime with the help of a Q-tip and microfibre cloth. I think I had to do this several times before I felt comfortable with the fact that this camera was in an acceptable condition. Other than the mouldy mirror, the scratched magnifier, the internal dirt and grime, the annoying red tinted window making the film forwarding process difficult unless you are under direct light, I pushed forward with making this camera good enough to use again.
The same thing could be said with the case. Either this camera has seen its fair bit of use, which is great, or the years haven’t faired so well on the material. The case can still be used and, surprisingly, there is no mouldy smell! However, you’ll probably not see me swinging this case around so candidly. I’m afraid the strap might break!
After a clean and overhaul, the camera is now workable! Not that it wasn’t to begin with but the state and condition it was in would have made the experience rather unenjoyable. See that clean and shiny glass?
The question now: how does the camera perform and did the film roll test go? I decided to use a roll of Kodak T-Max 400 but didn’t realise that B&W development normally takes longer and is more expensive than regular C-41 developing. Well, now I know! One thing I found common in all of the reviews I read about this camera was how decent and sharp the lens performed. I had lost a fair few shots due to the issue I had with the red window viewer. In the ones that were successful and despite one of them being underexposed, the photos turned out sharper and clearer than I thought! For a camera that’s made to feel like a toy and operation so simple and basic, I was truly surprised. It is sharp for what we get at face-value. It was easy to compose my shots. While it was a bit hard to clearly see what was in focus due to the scratched magnifier and the spot-focus on the glass, it was easy to compose my shots especially for scenes that were set at infinity. One thing I did find was how easy it was to accidentally hit the shutter when cocked. The shutter is a small little switch that’s incredibly sensitive. I think this was another reason why I had lost a few shots. Other than that, I found the overall lightness made my composition strangely easier and quicker to do than my heavy ones. I used to think using heavier cameras helped with stability, but it was different with the Lubitel 2. Perhaps it was because of the lack of knobs and levers to change this and that setting that made it just that easier to use. Like using a point-and-shoot camera, I felt liberated with using this camera because I felt like I could spend more time composing scenes without having to worry about changing so many other settings. To summarise:
Pros:
- Incredibly easy and light to use and carry around.
- Although the body is plastic-build, it is sturdy.
- The limited amount of settings makes it easy to operate (this may be a good or bad thing for some)
- The lens quality is sharp and you will get pretty nice shots when shooting under good and bright-lit settings.
- These cameras can still be bought for a cheap price. Be warned, you pay what you get.
- This is an inexpensive and fun way to get into medium format TLR cameras as a casual hobby! The films and developing costs will be what costs more in the long run.
Cons:
- The quality of the camera is not that great and is probably a reason why you can get this camera for cheap.
- If you’re after a fully manual experience with various settings like mirror lock-up, multiple exposures, you’re best looking at other TLRs from Yashica, Mamiya, Rolleicord, etc.
The amount of time I spent on the overhaul and cleaning was because of the years of use and eventual storage. Other than that, I cannot fault this on the camera’s quality itself. While I my initial impressions were really less than impressive, I’m thoroughly surprised and happy with the Lubitel 2 overall. For any one that wants a simple-to-use TLR, this is a good option to go for. This may not necessarily be a first choice for those wanting to try medium format because I assume those who want to try this format are already experienced with 35mm and are wanting a bigger format to shoot with. When used in favourable lighting and when wanting to use a casual medium format TLR with little bells and whistles needed, I don’t think you can go wrong with this fun little camera.
