Rise of "The Amateur"

The Lubitel's history dates back to the very dawn of Communist Russia. Immediately following the twilight of World War II, the venerable LOMO (Leningradskoye Optiko-Mekhanicheskoye Obyedineniye) factory of St. Petersburg began production of an brand-new TLR (twin-lens reflex) camera called the "Komosomolets", or "Young Communist." Design-wise, it actually wasn't too innovative, as it was an exact copy of the 1938 German Voightlander "Brilliant" camera. No, the remarkable feature of this "Young Communist"-cam, was its low cost and easy accessibility for amateur (and less well-heeled) photographers. Several years later in 1949, this concept was brought to full fruition with the introduction of the original Lubitel, which literally translates into "Amateur." With its flashy new features and improvements, the Lubitel went on to move over a million units throughout the world. This incredible success was only succeeded by the next generation, Lubitel-2, which doubled the "amateur" volume by selling two-million units from it's introduction in 1955 to its last breath in 1980.

Which takes us to the Lubitel 166B - the camera you see before you. Its production run lasted from 1980 to approx 1989, and pristine, functional units are becoming more of a rarity with each passing day. Taking the best features of the past, especially the 75mm "Triplet-22" lens, and the "ZT-8" shutter with a 1/250 top speed, this new "amateur" came clothed in a lightweight yet strong "thermoplastic" body - bringing the weight down to a hang-from-your-neck-friendly 1.5lb (.5kg). With this innovation, the distinguished Lubitel line grew into a true amateur's friend - a simple, convenient, and fun camera that (1) allows the beginner to easily learn the basics of medium-format photography and (2) allows the seasoned professional to have a great time with a fun, unique item. For the record, the Lubitel's images are dead gorgeous, and (despite its name) it is easily capable of decidedly non-amateur shots. We at Lomography are proud to offer this beautiful piece of our very own heritage - a classic beauty that's been over 50 years in the making.