A bunch of people with LBA are probably the wrong ones to ask for objective pricing advice, but here goes. I want to find a new home a couple of SMC-A lenses – a 50mm 1.7 and a 28mm 2.8. I just don't use them. Both are in excellent condition, with no marks, smooth focusing, clean aperture blades and crystal-clear glass. I couldn't find any in the classifieds and eBay prices are all over the place. Any suggestions?

There seems to be growiing interest in transferring digital files directly to film. The basic technology's been around for years in the printing industry. And I read somewhere that at least one major library or museum is photographing its archive prints on to film. Sounds like film is the new digital, although I've yet to produce an image anyone will want to see in 200 years.

Apologies – can't find a way to edit the above post on my tablet. The program at the root of the mystery is Iolo System Checkup, not System Mechanic, although I've used both.

I tried several of these "clean-up" utilities over the years, with mixed results. Oddly, I'm now receiving daily emails from System Mechanic telling me my subscription will lapse unless I renew my payment details before August 30 2014. Haven't used it in years and no sign of direct debits. Mystery.

Time certainly flies!

Thought I'd give the new system a try with a photo stored on my Android tablet. It must have taken half an hour to find the bloody thing in the labyrinthine file structure. (Note to self: stick to my steam-powered PC in future.) Anyhow, it seems to have worked, so full marks for the new set-up.

Like Jak, I think it would be helpful if you could tell us what you want to achieve. However, the Affinity website does say this: "Work in any colour space
RGB, CMYK, LAB, Greyscale. End-to-end CMYK workflow with ICC colour management, and 32-bit per channel editing."

I'd check out Affinity Photo from Serif. It's extremely competent software for a very low price, less than £50. I've used Serif products for many years in preference to PhotoShop (which I still have on my PC) and I'd be surprised if you can't achieve everything you want with Affinity. It's available in PC, and Mac and iPad versions. Lots of good reviews on the net. Check it out here: link

If you're concerned about the trigger voltage of a non-Pentax flash, this gizmo will solve the problem: link. I use one regularly with my venerable Vivitar 283, which has a trigger voltage that would fry these newfangled electronic cameras. It also solved a problem I had with an old Achiever flash, where the polarity of the synch connection was opposite to modern standards. This wasn't an issue with the mechanical trigger switch on old SLRs but could pose problems with the newer electronic systems. It also has a a synch-cable socket, if that's the route you choose. Here is a handy guide to the trigger voltages of many older flashguns: link. It's widely reported that all Pentax-branded flashes, from whatever era, all safe with DSLRs.

Good luck.

Al

My mate Andy the ornithologist, as he grandly styles himself, agrees with you – a newly fledged juvenile winchat.