While I was working on L2Camera — a  project related to Lubitel cameras — I learned the following three things.

Firstly, these cameras are simple and therefore reliable, repairable, maintainable, and they are equipped with decent glass lenses.

Secondly, they are available in abundance - several million of these cameras are spread around the world, mostly in Eastern Europe. My experience shows that you can find a good used Lubitel camera for $10. Compared to the newly produced Lubitel 166+ model sold by the Lomography society for almost $400, ten dollars is nothing. I have had no hands-on experience with the 166+ model, but I believe it is nearly identical to its ancestors.

Thirdly, out of perhaps a dozen that I went through my hands, only one Lubitel camera was capable of producing good photos. Maintenance procedures like cleaning, oiling, and lens aligning didn't help. It took me rather a long time to figure out the reason and come up with a solution.

For those who want to have a fully functional Lubitel camera, this project describes the inherent problems with Lubitel cameras, and offers some practical solutions.

I will describe the technical issues in more detail, and then move on to share my solutions.