The A3 isn't that bad. At least it tells you what shutter speed it wants to use, even though you only get a button which overexposes by 1.5 stops for backlit subjects in place of exposure compensation!

We might get some sun with the promised snow. I know the lighter ground and relatively bright skies tend to help with balancing exposure. Today we've got light grey skies but no direct sunlight, so there's a horrible imbalance which plays havoc with the narrow exposure latitude of slide film.

As I understand it the KM meter averages rather than being centre weighted? I seem to get the best from it (when the subject is shaded or when the sun is likely to confuse the meter) by excluding the sky, setting the exposure, then composing and shooting.

Watch out for PK/R lenses with the Ricoh pin. I handled one recently which had an "R" setting after f22, presumably this is for the program mode on Ricoh bodies.

(The pin gets jammed in the screw drive of Pentax AF bodies, making lens removal very complicated).

Or the KX. More of the same but a more sensitive meter along with aperture/shutter speed in the viewfinder. You still have to do the work, but the camera gives you a bit more information to work with. About the only downside is that the match needle display isn't that easy to read in low light - the MX's LEDs are more useful there.

I do have a soft spot for the KM and will be using mine to fire off a roll of slide film when we next see some sun.

TBH I tend to use HP5 all the time. The grain is more than fine enough for day to day use.

I have also tried SFX with an IR filter, which is a bit complicated but good fun. I've got a roll of Delta 3200 on the go at the moment, just waiting for a suitable situation to finish it off. Given it's now £7 or more per roll I don't want to use it on anything run-of-the-mill.

I have plenty of film bodies but that's mostly for their different characteristics (and the fun of trying to get a complete set). If the K5 ever drops into my price range my K-m will probably be handed to my younger brother to replace his old bridge camera. I don't need more than one DSLR body as I tend to stuff my MX and 40mm pancake in the bag too if going away overnight.

I do think SDM has improved, as I don't seem to read as many horror stories as I used to. Didn't someone mention a professional's blog where he talked about Pentax changing the SDM motor design and fitting an upgraded one to any lens sent in for repair?

The horror story involves Beetlejuice turning up to fit it, then coming down the following morning to find the kitchen back to how it was before he started...

What's scary about that article is how many of these shopping centres are owned by one firm. I've never seen a "no photography" sign at St David's or Cribbs Causeway (Cardiff and Bristol respectively) but do notice the security goons obviously itching to have a go when I wander past with a camera.

Not that I have any interest in shooting in either location as they're some of the most bland identikit architecture outside a Barrett estate!

The 18-55mm is my only AF lens wider than 28mm. I feel no particular urge to replace it as for the few times I want a wide angle lens it's perfectly satisfactory. Try it around f8 or so for best results.

If you end up with the DA-L lens you can buy 3rd party copies of the Pentax lens hood rather than spending almost as much as the lens cost on a genuine part. They clip on just like the real thing and are the same shape, the moulding may be a little rougher around the seams but it can easily be smoothed if you're bothered by this.

The 40-80mm seems to have attracted the silly BIN price crowd (£45 and up from a brief check!) Could try a BIN of £20-£30 and see if it goes?

I paid £20 for mine a year or two ago but seldom use it aside from as a walkabout lens on an ME Super on holiday last October. It was a pleasure to use around Diekirch, although not really up to the standard of the 40/2.8 and 120/2.8 pairing I carried around Speyer.

The main problem is barrel distortion at the 40mm end, although it could just be that I noticed it more there due to the fact that I was shooting buildings (where straight lines will show it more). It's sharp enough though and the macro has its uses. Some of the poor reviews complain about the handling, to be honest I've never had any complaints with the two touch design.