Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/03/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Dear Richard: Here are a few suggestions for your sister: 1. We have a problem here with forged Leica gear. If your sister is not careful, she might bring you home a Leica Luxus that turns out to be a FED Suxus. Don't buy anything that says 'Leica.' Talk about counter-intuitive. 2. In Moscow, she will no doubt visit the enormous flea market at Ismailovsky Park. Have her look for 20mm f5.6, 50mm f2 "Jupiter-8", 85mm f2, and 135mm f4. Everyone tells me the 50mm f1.5 "Jupiter-3" is great, but I've never seen one in working order. Give your sister a lesson on how to properly inspect a lens - simple stuff. 3. What kind of new equipment are you interested in? The Jupiter store on Novy Arbat has lowered the price of the Horizon panoramic camera to $300. And the Kiev 66 medium format can be bought in GUM for less than $150. Send me a shopping list if you want more specifics. 4. Ask Sis to visit the Photographic Museum in Riga, and give her a ten-spot to drop in the collection plate. Two years ago, the museum had their Minox collection (the Minox 'spy' camera was invented and first produced in Latvia) stolen, and they need help to replace it. When I arrived, the museum was closed - but when they saw I had a camera, they let me in anyway. In Riga, they love photography (the bars all seem to be decorated with the work of local photographers), so a little support for them would be nice. Best wishes, Tom Lavrakas Moscow lavrakas@matrix.ru