Is this the best cheap medium format film camera?

In search of the cheapest, 'useable', medium format film camera, I hopped on eBay and ended up buying a Lomo Lubitel 166B TLR. In this video, I test it out, make some images, and face a few struggles.

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DISCLAIMER
Some of the links above are affiliate links, where I earn a small commission if you click on the link and purchase an item. The money I earn helps me make this type of content consistently.

[KyleMcDougall]

What's your pick for the best 'cheap' medium format camera?

[rf]

Ha I remember buying this camera at Freestyle in LA back in the late 90's for around $30ish. I still have it. Love freestyle.

[otto]

The focusing gear went off of alignment after front lens rim had fallen off. This is why photos turned soft. Nightmare with 166 B model, but still curable.

[samsen]

Nice. But a few points:
- The loose frontal ring is an issue with your copy. I didn't have this in my experience.
- Once you dropped the frontal ring (That is geared with the focusing lens) you lost your focus, due to malalignment of the gear, thus the OOF remaining films.
- If you haven't toss the damaged camera yet, I have a great suggestion for you and maybe for your next clip. Very easily you can remove the lens that is in place by screws, having axis from film chamber (Back of camera). And if you dissect it out, you have a great medium formate lens that can be adapter to any mirrorless (Via a tad of ingenuity and a cheap helical focuser). And then imagine the endless opportunities to test the lens or even adding a focal reducer, speed booster for another clip of fun... Go for it, if not too late but I have feeling it is already late!

[vincentvk]

6x9 folding camera's can be found cheap and produce some beautiful large negatives.
Thumbs up for the improved music :)

[leonkrug]

I'd love to see more videos like this of cheap film cameras

[UglyCameras]

Voigtländer Brilliant, Yashica A, Pentacon Six TL/Kiev 6, Kowa Six, Kiev 88, Fujifilm GX680, Fujica 6x9, Mamiya Press, 6x9 technical cameras, Moskva 4 and 5, Mamiya M645, Pilot 6 or Kalimar Reflex and similar...the list goes on! Nothing quirky here, just old-fashioned goodness.

[danielseale]

That double exposure was actually really great! Probably my favorite out of all you took with the camera

[andreasschroder]

I shot like 20 rolls with my Lubitel 166 Universal and I was very happy with image quality. That being said, I almost exclusively do landscape and street so I never shot wide open with this lens. But the good news is that you can stop it down to F32 and still get a great image. My main issue with the camera - and the reason why I bough the Yashica Mat 124G - was the manual film advance. I too shot so many double exposures or left so many frames blank because I winded just to be on the safe side... it was just a huge waste of money... Otherwise, when you are a disciplined operator, you can decent shots out of these things...

[jackoho]

Well now that you’ve done a video on it, it’s not going to be cheap anymore ;)

[AleksUsovich]

I've shot this camera exclusively as my first medium format camera and still love it. I've also got a 6x6 Zeiss folder and an amazing Kiev 6C/ 60 that I love dearly. I enjoy the Lubitel tons still and have even made a TTL viewfinder adapter for it so I can use my Kiev 6C viewfinder on it instead of the near useless waist level finder. The Kiev 6 TTL finder also has a meter on it so my Lubitel is also able to use the light meter. I enjoy the vignetting that the lens produces although I mostly shoot at f/11 or f/16 so I hardly see it in the photos. I'd recommend the Kiev 6C or 60 to people looking for an affordable medium format camera; just make sure it was cared for or had a clr done recently. Really enjoyed this video and hope to see more "cheapest" cameras in the future!

[FrankyBabes]

I love mine - I always go to it when I want to do deliberate double exposures. Once you get your eye in focusing becomes a lot easier

[IonutNecula]

I was literally looking at this camera on ebay before I watched this video!
Great review and it was also cool seeing you photograph around Portsmouth. I've lived here for 3 years now since I started university and it's interesting how you find subjects more easily when you're new to a place

[billierae]

Ah my home city! Im a photo technician at the local uni and I love when students arrive and capture the city in a different way.

Thanks for this video, really useful to know what its like as we do get a lot of interest for medium format but not everyone can spend £500 +

[puppetmastercoaching]

Been shooting my Lubitel since 86 :) Still have a soft spot for it. Use a tripod and a cable release.

[JakeBorchenko]

My first medium format camera! It was an original my father gave me when I started getting into film photography.

[maciejstruski]

Today I finally assembled mine. It had some serious issues, but with help of one parts donor I made it literally brand new

[thethirdman]

8:10 that’s why we use camera neck straps. They will also help with bracing when you are using longer shutter speeds.

[zguy]

These less expensive 120 cameras are still very capable. I use an 70 year old triplet lensed folder as the backup to my Mamiya 6 because the quality holds up really well if you shoot it right.

[LouderPictures]

More people should praise your B-roll, great video as always!