Transparent (Pb,Ln)(Sc,Nb)O-3 (Ln = La,Ce,PrNd) ceramics were fabricated from fine powders prepared by chemical method and by two-stage atmosphere sintering technique. For the chemical method, clear aqueous solutions with nitrates (lead, lanthanoid, scandium) and peroxo-nobium complex ions resulted in a chemically homogeneous powder by coprecipitation. In the sintering method, biaxially pressed green pellets were sintered in an oxygen gas atmosphere and a relatively high partial pressure of lead oxide at 1100 degrees C. Transparent PLnSN ceramics were obtained. However PLnSN (Ln = Ce, Pr Nd) ceramics were less transparent than lead lanthanum scandium niobate (PLSN) ceramics. The reasons why the attempts to fabricate the transparent ceramics have only limited success are discussed on the basis of powder processing, the lattice parameters of perovskite structure and grain growth on sintering.