Good write up The only thing I would add to that is:
Only Pentax know what tolerances they work to on their bodies and what tolerance
they can afford to allow on a converter.

The worst I've ever come across with 3rd party stuff was with a
German made Novoflex Bellows.... the lens thread was so undersized
that nothing would screw into it..... possibly there was another
1mm pitch thread that was just under 42mm? Novoflex stuff
is usually spot on and expensive.

Sounds like he wanted to help you with the "Upgradings"

What is the point of such poor quality photographs

If Pentax made a camera that turned out stuff so bad you'd
all be moaning!

Great shots Simon.... I used to get very good service
off Alfashop when I had Alfas (6+ years ago)

Russian engineering tends to be very crude and it's rare for them to even turn out two items that are the same

The Genuine ones should be in a box like this:

link

Or in a plastic pouch.... can't see any of them on ebay... even in the completed list.

There was an instruction sheet with the plastic pouched version, but it's rare to find one that complete.

Only Pentax know what tolerances they work to on their bodies and what tolerance they can afford on a converter.

Check you mail I've got a Genuine one to spare

Perhaps a fan (heated if possible would work).
Have a look what's available for CCTV cameras

It's probably someone from Nigeria who wants
to deposit some money in your bank account

He's looking for a Genuine one Not some junk that will get stuck on his camera

Both great, but the first one is truly amazing
such fine detail

You can pick them up for £30 - £60 on Ebay. Gossen are about the best and they do available light as well. I'm starting to use the meter again outside for normal shots. It's quick and more accurate using the invercone/dome. The Gossens work like a camera with Av and Tv modes.

This one is too pricy, but the photos good link

You put the top line LCD on "f" and press "M" the meter then waits for up to a minute for a flash going off. With my camera I use a radio trigger so I can hold the meter in one hand and fire off a shot with the other. It gives a direct f stop reading immediately. I could just lay the meter on a table and walk back and fire the flash or if all the flashes are on slaves I could fire the lot with a small flashgun.

With a meter you can easily check if the manual 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/16 etc.
settings are correct on the gun they rarely are

This is quite a good tutorial on studio flash setups with a cordless meter link


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