On that basis I agree - though the P30n has another advantage - a shutter speed dial instead of those fiddly buttons. MES was my first SLR but I never much liked the buttons. However I used aperture priority mode almost exclusively so it was not a real problem.

One other advantage of the MES is thet the flash sync speed is relatively quick (125) and - importantly - mechanical. So the camera can be used without batteries if necessary. Oh and you can put a winder on the MES but not the P30n.

The super A still wins hands down - though it has that rather ugly translucent window on the pentaprism and it still has those buttons.

P30 has DOF preview but only Program mode in auto and no cable release socket

MES has a cable release socket the (more useful) aperture priority mode but no DOF

Sell both and get a super A??!! (best of both worlds - and TTL flash metering) or perhaps a P30n/t (which would be cheaper and has the cable release and an aperture priority mode)

Practical Photography reviewed ultrawide digital zooms in their May edition and gave the Pentax 10-17 both Best Buy and Best on Test!

There is a dedicated closeup lens (actually a dual element lens) which screws into the the front of the Sigma Apo Macro 70-300 which makes it a genuine 1:1. The results are pretty good if you can keep the lens stable - which is not so easy when it is 9 inches long fully extended (11 with the hood) and no tripod mount on the lens. But then what other options are there for a 300mm 1:1 macro lens??!!

Extension tubes get you closer to the subject (with higher magnification) not further away. As to maker, make sure you get a reputable maker so that there are no fit/jaming problems. Also make sure they are 'auto' tubes (which means you get automatic stopping down of the lens on shooting). Otherwise anything will do.

Bowmore Legend is good - but the Bowmore Mariner 15yo is delicious.

Oh and try Ardbeg

Yes - but the postal address is wrong - last I was there they had moved to smaller premises (just up the road) and I got the impression trade was not so good. Things are becoming less and less repairable these days.

I've had a couple of lenses with sticky blades fixed (the M35/2 and the M85/2) by Camera Repair Direct (which was local to me) - cost me about £35 for a full lens service and they have been fine ever since. I'm not sure if they are still in business though - their website seems to have vanshed. However I guess this gives a good idea of the likely cost of service.

As I understand it, three Pentax bodies offer 'true' wireless flash - the MZ-S, thr MZ6 and the *ist D. All of these will control the AF360FGZ via the 'pop up' flash on the camera. So all should be able to work with two off camera AF360FGZ flashguns. The *istDS and (I think) *ist DL need to have an AF360FGZ on the hotshoe to operate wirelessly with other AF360FGZs.

The M40 2.8 does indeed have five blades

The pentax K mount page

http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/

gves the number of aperture blades in its lens descriptions.