I suspect you'll want one of the MZ series bodies, and as you're planning to use the 43mm I'd suggest going for one which supports the aperture ring (much, much easier than flicking a control dial).

In general the single digit MZ bodies are better specified than the double digit ones. Have a look here for specifications.

There is a battery grip available for the MZ bodies to allow the use of AAs rather than CR2 cells, but it does make them a bit taller so this might not fit with your aim for a compact walkabout camera. Worth buying if you see one though, there were loads being sold from the USA brand new for under £10 including postage a while ago.

As for film I like Ilford HP5 for black and white. It's 400 ISO, very tolerant, and produces crisp, contrasty images without noticeable graininess. I find it works very well for handheld shooting year-round. If you decide you want to get into it a ten pack can be bought for £32 via Amazon, and I reckon it eventually costs me about £4-£5 per roll to cover the film and a share of the chemicals to develop it at home.

I still buy slide film from Boots, it's pretty decent stuff IMO. I suspect it's a rebranded Fuji product and it's good for a bit of nostalgia. 200ISO and perfectly acceptable results, although I do notice the limitations of my film scanner when I compare the scanned images to the projected originals.

That's the problem I have with all compacts and camera phones. They simply aren't heavy enough to hold very stably, and the size/shape doesn't help either.

Yup, keeping an eye out for the Rondinax 60. Tricky part is making sure all the bits are there, as obviously they're useless without the film guide. Also rethinking the "buy it from a dealer" as I see a fair number on ebay from dealers at lower prices with guarantee of some sort. Spotted an ETRSi for £220 which will be mine if they still have it after payday.

Alternative venues have been secured, cheaper too! We managed to get permission from the Forestry Commission to use their land for training events ages ago which is unlikely to be withdrawn providing we behave ourselves!

Do Jessops buy a lot of advertising space in the mag by any chance?

I never cease to be amazed by magazines in other areas which will at one point say a product is great, then when the updated version turns up a year or so later the original one gets described as poor. However, truly honest reviews seem to be an increasingly risky business - manufacturers seem more inclined to threaten legal action or withdraw future review samples rather than responding to reasonable criticism by improving the product.

I've always associated Kenko with filters?

That's impressive. Haven't looked at 120 film prices for ages, I shot a couple of rolls back in the '90s with a Lubitel 166U (horrible, but good fun for £30 new), so I know how to handle the stuff.

The Bronica is definitely happening, I just bought a 150mm f4 for it. At £60 it would have been rude not to really...

Just wrestling with grid references for a 4x4 event in a couple of weeks. The venue we were going to use have suddenly decided they want to charge silly money so they've been politely told to jog on, and a new B&B has been located. Suspicion is that the group we're all former members of (before leaving as it was being run as a dictatorship with the constitution routinely ignored if you annoyed the chairman) have leant on the original venue.

I think I'll be on Ilford HP5, still got Dad's old Paterson universal tank somewhere which can take 120 film and the cupboard under the stairs is dark enough to load it. It's a case of reducing the number of variables - it might be a completely new format but I know how HP5 behaves as it's all I use for 35mm. I also have the chemicals handy to develop it.

Just researching the availability of polaroid-type film to fit their back. Apparently it was intended for Polaroid 88 but I've seen someone on Youtube getting a Fuji product to work.

Pizza? Our Tesco just started selling deep pan ones again, which seemed to have disappeared for a while. Three for a fiver is a good offer when you have two auxiliary freezers...

Well I suppose it is single-minded about comestibles...

The flooding might be useful to media outlets, problem is they're already stuffed with people willing to hand over their wobbly iphone shots in return for getting their name on the telly.

"Send us your flooding pictures" must be the best economy measure they've ever come up with - no need to pay photographers or even have an in-house photo editing unit, just pick the few usable ones from the thousands which will stream in!

Yes, I know, but I didn't want to clutter the forum up with my indecisive ponderings!

The Pentax MF systems are right out. 6x7s seem to have grabbed the collectors and even rough ones are going for daft money, 645 lenses will probably rocket in price now as the 645D has appeared.