Hey guys,
I recently bought a Pre36 Iscorama lens off ebay. After getting it in the mail, I noticed that the Taking Lens was not as described. The seller described the taking lens as having an M42 mount but instead I got a lens with a MinoltaSR mount. Another issue was that the aperture ring was very difficult to twist and when I did close the iris down, none of the iris blades were visible, meaning, the iris blades are either missing or jammed up completely. Now I understand that the beauty of this lens is the ability to use other taking lenses which I have been doing but I feel a little cheated because the original taking lenses is useless. I spoke to a few of the Iscorama repair guys and they believe it will cost around $400 if it CAN be fixed. I've been talking to the original owner and he wants to make the sale correct so I'm asking you guys, the community, what do you think the TAKING LENS is worth? If it can't be fixed, how much do you think I should be asking as a refund? Is it worth 50% of the total cost of the package? 20%? I'm not sure.. Bernie from Super 16 Inc. (funny guy) said that it should be worth 35-40% but I haven't heard anything else to say otherwise.
A side note, if I can successfully fix this issue, is it possible to use a MinoltaSR adapter to EOS without having to get an adapter with a corrective lens? All of the MInolta to EOS adapters I've seen have a corrective piece of glass within them that fixes the flange issue. I've considered the option of paying someone like Duclos lenses to hack off the minoltaSR mount and permanently install an EOS adapter but that is sure going to be pricey.
Thanks for the help guys. Other than the crappy taking lens, the front element is completely pristine and producing really amazing pictures on a 5D mark II. The lens really transforms your camera into something magical.