The Family: LUCILLE (LOMO Lubitel 2)

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 Introducing: Lucille

hello! i figured, in the interest to getting to know each other, you and i should become better acquainted. to that end, i thought i'd make a series of posts showcasing all of my cameras. yes, i do give all my stuff human names. what's life without whimsy?

so. let's head back to the heady days of 1962.

a photo of an all black lomo lubitel 2 tlr camera with a neck strap.

first of all, let's explain this camera a little bit. i'd imagine, much like myself at the beginning of the year, a lot of new film photographers won't have ever set eyes on a tlr - or twin lens reflex - camera. let's talk about that!

unlike an slr - or single lens reflex - camera, where you look through the viewfinder and through a series of mirrors see directly through the lens, a tlr two twin lenses, hence the name. the viewfinder isn't something you hold up to your face like an slr or point and shoot; instead, you open the flaps up at the top of the camera and, holding the camera at waist height, look down into the window below. the lens you're looking through is the one at the top of the camera - known as the viewing lens. on this particular camera, you can then rotate the lens which focuses both lenses simultaneously, ready to take your shot. the bottom lens is called the taking lens as that's the one that actually takes the shot.

this camera is fully manual. you'll need a light meter (i use a free app literally called 'light meter free') to tell you what how to set your camera's aperture and shutter speed, adjust accordingly, and then use the very pleasing levers on the outer ring of the taking lens to cock the shutter, and fire.

a photo of a wall with the word "hont" spray painted onto it.a double exposure. one is of the view from across a footbridge, the other is of a wall with the phrase "ACAB" spraypainted onto it.a photo of an electrical post with various wires coming out of the box at the top of the post.a view of the wide river clyde, flanked by trees.

due to all the dials and levers, not to mention the waist-high viewfinder and the fact that when you look through the viewing lens you're looking at a horizontal mirror image of what you're actually photographing, there's a learning curve here. i'd still say i'm far from an expert, but when it comes to metering i'm a lot better at judging the light levels by eye. a lot of that comes from practice, and a bunch comes from learning about techniques such as the sunny 16 rule - well worth a google if you're interested.

as i said before, this camera's range is from the 1960s, designed in bakelite in the former ussr for the novice market - "lubitel" is literally "amateur" in russian. these cameras were cheap, cheerful, and - thanks to taking the much larger than 35mm 120 film produce gorgeous photos with much finer grain.

and one fun quirk: once you've taken the photo, it's on you to wind it on to the next one. the camera won't stop you from taking another shot right on top of the one you just took. you need to remember to wind that on... or you could, in fact, not.

a double exposure - one shot is a flat block, the other is cherry blossoms.a double exposure - one is a gothic building, the other is the yard of a gravestone manufacturer.a black and white double exposure - one shot is of a suspension bridge tower, and the other is the view over the bridge itself.a double exposure in black and white - one is of a building in a city, the other is the street.a double exposure of the finnieston crane twice.a double exposure - one is my hand held close to the camera, and the other is of a scene by the loch side.

another thing about this camera - if you're looking to get into medium format (120 film) photography, these cameras are cheap to buy, but with a notable asterisk. while this, and the more popular lubitel 166 are plentiful online and reasonably priced, they're also very very old. cameras of this age can suffer from that perennial vintage camera lover's bane: lens fungus. this is, as the name suggests, a living fungus attracted to the dark and humid, and lives on lens glass. i lucked out with my camera, it looks like it's brand new despite predating my birth by 20-odd years, but just make sure you check the photos in the listing, check the listing itself, and if in doubt, ask the seller. 

a double exposure, one shot being leaves and texures, the other being a solitary figure by a cliffside overlooking a beautiful loch.a photo of two boats flanking a wooden jetty at the edge of a loch.a double exposure - the loch and mountains in the background are overlaid with trees.a double exposure - flowers in a hanging basket overlay a rack of postcards outside a tourist trap.

ok, so, if i had to sum this camera up:

Pros:

  • 120 film is great - larger image, better resolution
  • teaches you how to use a manual camera
  • fun to use piece of actual history
  • look at it. it's a work of art.

Cons:

  • hard to repair if it's in need of such things
  • cheaply built and prone to light leaks
  • 120 film may be cheaper to buy, but you only get 12 shots and developing costs can be pricey

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