Hi Bob,
Almaz lenses typically won't fit or work properly on other K mount bodies.
Basically, there are only two that were produced serially - Volna 50mm and Oberon 200mm. Both do fit Pentaxes without problems. All other lenses that were designed for Almaz only exist as prototypes. Leftovers were sold after the project was closed.
I think the Almaz is the best built of all the Russian/Ukrainian SLR cameras. They were made for use by professional photographers.
Think again. I would consider it one of the worst... I do collect russian cameras and do live in Estonia. Our country was a part of Soviet Union those days (and we are still next to Russia), so we have tons of russian cameras here. However, I see no more than couple of Almazes per year and most of 'em are nonrepairable crap. Self-timer jamming, that can happen to early variation can be repaired quite easily, compared to other, much more serious flaws.
When production started, Almaz had all possible problems from desing flaws to poor assembling quality. Also, it needed materials, that were used only for military products back then. Many of those were replaced by more available ones, that resulted extremely high failure rate. During the years, quality improved, but flawlessly working Almaz right-from-the-line still was a rare beast. Most cameras needed repairs and adjustments before they could be sent out from factory.
Myself, I do own a bit worn, but technically flawless Almaz-103 made at 1986. Previous owner (a russian sailor) said, that the camera has shooted about 200 rolls and was never failed or repaired). I consider myself very lucky...one of the rarest items of my collection.
BR, Margus
