Sputnik

A huge number of really strange cameras have been created in the Soviet Union, and one of them is Sputnik. Sputnik is a stereo camera manufactured by LOMO from 1955 to 1973.

sputnik lomo

In fact, Sputnik was a TLR camera with two shooting lenses. More precisely, it was a redesigned Lubitel TLR. This camera took two photos at a time. If you look at these photos through a stereoscope, you can see the effect of a three-dimensional image.

Specifications

  • Type: stereoscopic triple-lens reflex camera
  • Manufacturer: LOMO
  • Production period: from 1944 to 1973
  • Format: 6x6cm on 120 film
  • Lens mount: fixed lenses
  • Lenses: two Triplet T-22 4.5/75 lenses
  • Focusing: round ground glass in the center of the viewfinder
  • Shutter: leaf shutter with shutter speeds from 1/10 to 1/250 sec.
  • Viewfinder: mirror parallax viewfinder from Lubitel-2
  • Flash synchronisation: sync socket “X”, at any shutter speed
  • Selftimer: mechanical
  • Weight: 840 grams
sputnik lomo ussr

The camera is designed for amateur and professional stereoscopic photography on black-and-white and color 120 film. Like the original Lubitel cameras, this camera has a frame size of 6x6cm. And just like the original TLR, the Sputnik camera was made of fairly high-quality plastic.

Sputnik is equipped with two fixed Triplet T-22 4.5/75 lenses. Focusing was carried out using the lens, which is located between these two shooting lenses and has an aperture of 2.8.

lomo stereo camera
sputnik

Just like in Lubitel, Sputnik has a waist-level viewfinder. Focusing is done using a small round ground glass in the center of the viewfinder.

When focusing, you need to understand that the looking lens and taking lens is not the same thing, which means there is a slight parallax.

lomo sputnik
soviet weird cameras

The Sputnik camera first had shutter speeds of 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, then 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, and the latest models also had a B shutter speed. For a stereo camera, this is a pretty good set of shutter speeds.

The device is equipped with a self-timer, which means that you can take three-dimensional selfies.

lomo camera
sputnik camera

You can view photos only through a special device, which means that in addition to Sputnik itself, you will need to purchase a stereoscope.

From the side, the camera looks very strange, so if you want to stand out strongly among other photographers on the street, this camera is made specifically for you. Maybe people will not even understand that this is a camera.

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