Thanks for the heads-up on the factory! That's some news I can use. -Aaron
-----Original Message----- From: Bob Shell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subj: Re: mirror/cat lenses Date: Tue Feb 7, 2006 7:20 am Size: 1K To: [email protected] On Feb 6, 2006, at 6:41 PM, Fred wrote: > Which VS1, Godfrey? I have found the VS1 600/8 to be quite good, > but I was > disappointed in the VS1 800/11 (two samples, too). The 800 seems to have been somewhat of a dog. I've known a number of people who bought them and none of them were satisfied with it. The 600 was a different animal, one of the better cat lenses ever made. I did an article on cat lenses some time ago and for the article I shot with a lot of them, including the astonishingly expensive Zeiss Mirotars. No surprises that the Mirotars were best in terms of sharpness and contrast, but somewhat surprisingly my 500/8 Rubinar came in next. The Tamron 500/8 was among the top performers, too. Now this isn't to say that you will get great results if you rush out and order a Rubinar from that Russian web site. As with all things Russian, quality control on these is all over the place. But it seems to have been tightened a lot in recent years. Of course you can pick up the Rubinars for about $ 100 if you happen to be going to Lytkareno, just outside Moscow. I ordered my 500/5.6 direct from the factory for under $ 100 and had a friend of mine who lives in Moscow pick it up and ship it to me. The factory won't ship one-piece orders to individuals, unfortunately. Bob
