Nope, no ABS on mine but I have driven other vehicles with it in snow and it's a pain!

I've managed to avoid windup so far although the centre difflock occasionally doesn't want to disengage. I find that dipping the clutch usually works, if it really comes to it you can reverse to make it pop out but that's not really suitable if you have three vehicles behind you on a narrow trail.

I'll be looking for 120 B&W film before long, as I'm after a Bronica ETRSi (looks a very cost-effective route into serious MF gear).

Does anyone still make 220 B&W film which can be processed using normal Ilford chemicals? As I understand it 220 lacks the backing sheet over the entire roll, so more film can be crammed onto the reel giving more exposures compared to 120.

Oh, I've done that before now. I found that it's essentially impossible to get a Discovery drifting on snow or ice if you use the normal tricks (never even think of trying the handbrake, you will wreck the rear diff or halfshafts as it works on the rear propshaft). Just drive normally but assume that you need a lot of space to stop and it will do the rest.

I don't have ESP, turn traction control off where fitted and find ABS annoying. While wonderful on wet roads it's a lethal nuisance on snow or ice as it effectively disables the brakes!

Well at least the HP5 is a known quantity - given how it behaves in 35mm format it should be very spiffy indeed in 120!

I'd be fine apart from the "Get as close as you can" part. My ice and snow driving is based on keeping well clear of everything else!

Indeed, I'm actually coming to the conclusion that "Dust Alert", "pixel peeping" and other borderline OCD antics are the curse of digital photography. They worry people with perceived faults which are either down to the camera being confused (dust alert kept telling me I had sensor dirt with some lenses, but not others) or that simply won't show up in the real world. I'm forever wading through tables and graphs in search of some actual photos to base my opinion on!

My approach to lens testing involves the garden wall from about five metres at f8, then maybe an interesting flower or leaf from as close as the lens will focus with the largest aperture.

If it is an SMC Pentax 50mm f1.2 then buy it. Cleaning fungus from a 50mm is dead easy, although with that one I'd probably get a professional to do the job rather than wading in with my usual cotton bud and vinegar. Assuming it's built similarly to the 55mm and the M 50mm then you won't even need to disturb the focusing mechanism - the element groups simply unscrew from the rest of the lens and can then be further dismantled to get at fungus on the inside. That said, in my experience it usually seems to form on the front element of the rear group or rear element of the front group, presumably as these are exposed to the air via the aperture lever slot. Damp can get in but unless the owner stores the lens somewhere warm and dry after it won't leave.

The problem with the 40mm may be separation of the rear elements, I've read that this can be a problem although mine doesn't display it. If you're patient ebay UK prices are usually £70-£100 for a tidy example. I would not have paid the £150 I've seen elsewhere but for £70 I'm happy, it's a neat little lens.

AFAIK the lens mount surround, self timer lever, and winder lever/top are the same as on other M series bodies, so you could swap them with black ones from a broken MV1 (not exactly hard to find). The baseplate would be harder.

I noticed the Samyang prices seem to be climbing too. I quite fancy their 14mm f2.8 as I'm very happy with the 85mm, but wish I knew why it goes for anything between £50 and £100 more than the 8mm fisheye depending on seller!

The fisheye looks good, but the 14mm is full frame and has an aperture ring so I could use it as an ultra wide angle on my film bodies too.

Looking at the empty box seller I see they too are attempting to shift a Pentax-A 28-80mm (not SMC) for daft money. They are not worth £60, more like £20 or less. You can get a Pentax-A 35-70mm which is a much better lens thanks to the SMC coating and constant aperture for less than that.

Weirdly that's the easy part for me. I'm quite happy going straight up or down slopes, it's the 40 degree leany bits that worry me.

I do think the standard driving licence should include some off-tarmac experience, just because it does a lot to teach people how to drive on snow and ice. The same techniques work on most loose or slippery surfaces. Just be very gentle with your right foot, assume the brakes won't work and drive accordingly.