If buying Russian / soviet lenses, get it from a reputable dealer with a return warranty. Generally, if you get a good piece, most models are actually very good. If buying used... very often, the pieces are no longer in pristine condition due to use and age. These were not made to the same tolerances as Pentax gear. ... but most Soviet lenses are still pretty good with a little servicing. Again, one has to differentiate soviet vs Russian lenses. The soviet made ones up to the mid 80s were actually quite good - especially export pieces. The russian ones made today (post cold-war) and the Ukraninan and Belarussian ones are not as good as the soviet days... but may operate better simply because they're new and/or younger. Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 13:22:17 +0200 From: "Philippe Trottier" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: Russian lens Living next to russia, here is what I know... Have it in your hand and say I take that one... mail order is not a good idea. Special Order, custom made, prototype are in general very very good. Production series is a weak point, their optical designers are hard to beat... If you have a non coated lense a guy in California could probably Multicoat the lenses for you, but then the cheap price isn't a valid argument. Forget the return and money back system. they work on a sold as-is... very few have warranty system... if they do humm well might take long... I liked what I saw from the 1000mmF10 russian mirror lense for only 150$ ... not a bad price "NEW" Philippe - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
