Look at the Lowepro range - the Lens Case 1M should be ideal. Well made, sensibly priced, has a belt loop with velcro closure (meaning you don't have to take the belt off to fit it). What's not to like?

Do please check the measurements - I've not tried my DA 35mm in this case but it's an excellent fit for a K 28mm f3.5, which is similarly sized.

Ebay can supply the lens wrench/spanner (try searching for both terms). It's basically two prongs which can be adjusted for different diameters of lens.

Not so sure about colour. Think about it, I doubt the multicoloured K-x will have sold as well as the plain black ones, and of the colours the red and white will presumably be the most common as they were available for longer than the others. I suspect you may find that the hideous ones are actually more valuable in years to come due to their rarity.

Thanks for that - I've tried to make sense of it but they seem more interested in telling you what the criteria are for a "watch" or "alert" than they are in telling you what the possible effects are!

I have had fungus professionally removed from a Pentax-A 200mm f4, cost around £40. I will attempt to deal with more common lenses myself, but given that was both quite rare and expensive (by my standards) I felt it safer to let a pro sort it out.

The 28mm should be easy providing you can get the front element to unscrew. AFAIK it's mechanically identical to the later version of the M 28mm f2.8. I have one of those with some fungus and have failed miserably to get the finishing ring to unscrew (it has instead been slowly chewed up by my efforts), as the part is plastic rather than the metal found on earlier lenses.

The only modern lens I've tackled was a case of fungus on the rear of the front element. I simply unclipped the finishing ring, removed a locking ring and then unscrewed it before cleaning, reinstalling, resetting infinity focus (using an ME Super body on a tripod, as the split focus screen means you can tell when it's spot on while using a hill several miles away as a target) then reinstalling the locking and finishing rings.

Why am I now thinking of the "Bumper Dumper" as seen on the Top Gear Arctic Expedition, but attached to a tripod rather than a Toyota Hilux...

It's unlikely to jump huge distances to other lenses IMO.

You can usually remove it with vinegar on a cotton bud, providing you can get the lens apart. I've done this with three M 50mm lenses, a K 28-50mm zoom and an FA 80-200mm zoom, all cleaned up perfectly although they have rather more dust inside now (almost impossible to avoid). You'll also want a microfibre cloth, surgical-type gloves (check if you have a latex allergy) and a lens wrench/spanner along with a set of jeweller's screwdrivers. All are easy enough to come by.

I don't think you really need special equipment to reseat elements in older lenses. Newer models with lots of plastic do rely on specific torque settings from what I hear, but for K, M and probably A series you just need to make sure everything is properly settled (the right way around and in the right place) then tighten the securing rings slightly more than finger tight. I've been unable to detect much difference between the 50mm f2s I've cleaned up and the mint one on my K1000.

I personally think the old Pentax hard lens cases have a lot to answer for. Both lenses I own which came with their cases had fungus, and I suspect that the fact the cases aren't breathable didn't help. I usually use Lowepro cases with a silica gel bag tucked into the mesh pocket in the lid, lenses stored in this way have no such trouble so far.

Is there likely to be any adverse effect on satellites, specifically the GPS ones? Could do with knowing whether I'll be able to trust position fixes this weekend!

I came across a good one a while ago (can't remember the link). A customer had managed to crack the front element on a rented lens, but before sending it off to be repaired the rental firm took a few shots to demonstrate what effect the damage had on IQ.

Surprisingly the answer was "very little"! The images didn't look bad at all considering the fact that the front element was essentially only held together by force of habit. One to bear in mind if you're ever offered a desirable lens cheaply because the front element is scuffed...

Interesting to see them backpedalling in the most recent post - it's gone from "DSLR users might ask themselves how they managed without one for so long." to "Some will like it and some won't."

I think they may be realising that their early hype is in danger of turning off potential buyers who're now expecting a hologram generator which fits to the hotshoe and projects an AI version of a great photographer of your choice to advise you, and will in fact be getting something like a strap/case/support!