C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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tlr-medium-format
The Lubitel (1949) is the founding model of the Soviet TLR line produced by GOMZ (State Optical-Mechanical Plant) in Leningrad. It predates LOMO's involvement with the name and establishes the bakelite-bodied, triplet-lens TLR formula that the Lubitel 2 and all subsequent variants carried forward for nearly five decades. The taking lens is a T-22 75mm f/4.5 three-element triplet. Shutter is a basic mechanical leaf with a more limited speed range than the later Lubitel 2 - top speed of approximately 1/100s versus the later model's 1/250s. No meter, no rangefinder coupling; entirely manual operation. The body is moulded Bakelite throughout.
Reference
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C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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About this camera
The 1949 original: GOMZ's Bakelite Soviet TLR that started one of the longest-running budget medium-format lines in history.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 (12 x 6x6 cm) |
| Taking lens | T-22 75mm f/4.5 (triplet, 3 elements) |
| Viewing lens | ~75mm f/3.5 (uncoated) |
| Years | ~1949 - ~1956 |
| Shutter | ~1/15s - ~1/100s + B, mechanical leaf |
| Flash sync | ~ |
| Meter | None |
| Modes | Manual |
| Body material | Bakelite |
| Weight | ~620 g |
| Battery | None required |
GOMZ (later renamed LOMO in 1965) began producing the Lubitel in 1949, loosely drawing on the design language of German budget TLRs such as the Voigtlander Brilliant. The name "Lubitel" means "amateur" or "enthusiast" in Russian, signaling the intended market. The original model was manufactured through roughly the mid-1950s before being supplanted by the refined Lubitel 2 in 1955. The Lubitel 2 added a faster top shutter speed and incremental refinements while retaining the same bakelite body and T-22 optics. LOMO continued the line through the Lubitel 166, 166B, and 166 Universal until 1996, making the original the ancestor of one of the longest-running TLR production lines outside Japan.
The Lubitel Original is significant as the starting point of a design lineage that produced millions of cameras. Where the Lubitel 2 and later variants are relatively findable, the 1949 original is substantially rarer and is primarily of interest to collectors documenting Soviet photographic history rather than shooters seeking a working TLR. It demonstrates GOMZ's early attempt to democratize medium-format photography for Soviet amateur photographers at a time when any format smaller than sheet film was a relative luxury in the USSR.
For shooters, the original Lubitel is strictly inferior to the Lubitel 2: slower top shutter speed, the same triplet optics, and a body that has had another seven or more decades to develop cracks. Its photographic output is identical in character - bakelite-construction vignette, soft corners, moderate center sharpness - but with a narrower useful shutter range.
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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