If I wasn't aiming for a K-r (and also trying to save for a summer of 4x4 events and vehicle upgrades) I'd be sorely tempted by a 16-45mm at the quoted prices!

Looks a nice example - you need the M 28mm f3.5 to complete the set now! You could also add the AF200S or AF160 and the Winder ME II.

As for values my advice would be to look at ebay. Chrome ME Supers are fairly common as are the 135mm f3.5 lenses. The 50mm f1.4 is a bit harder to find and seems to vary between £50-£100.

I looked at this recently when I went through a hankering for a 6x7. MF gear seems to be holding its value very well indeed (I saw battered and heavily used 6x7 bodies going for over £100).

Put simply I don't think "small budget" and MF fit together, assuming you want a Pentax! The Bronica ETRS/ETRSi system seems slightly more sanely priced in that £200 will get you a body, lens, viewfinder and 120 film back with maybe a speed grip thrown in, but from what I understand it isn't in the same league where build quality is concerned.

Sad to say, all the major chains seem more interested in getting staff who can sell loads while being paid a pittance than in employing people who have a clue!

Argos' photography section is usually good for a laugh too. They have some very odd ideas about why you'd want certain features.

He was a very fine cat, a very fine cat indeed.

If you're after a 35mm, SRS still have the new DA 35mm f2.4 for £150 which is probably the best 35mm out there in value for money terms. Very sharp, auto focus, and cheaper than a used FA 35mm f2.

The 35mm f2.4 does cover full frame (not that this makes any difference with current Pentax DSLRs but it'll work on film bodies which have the contacts).

The DA Ltd may be better but it costs over twice as much. I really doubt it's quite that much better!

Buy the DA 35mm f2.4, it's a superb compact standard prime. I find it a lot more useful than a 50mm on digital as the field of view is wider (not far off being equivalent to a 50mm on film).

I've now tried two towns and a small city for camera gear in charity shops and drawn a blank! I reckon it must either be going straight to ebay or being chucked rather than donated.

I may well do - it's a bit too nice to take scrambling around hillsides though! I'm more likely to take the KM I've loaded with Ilford SFX and do some infra-red shots too. Only snag is that you don't really want to go too far from the car with two cameras and a tripod...

I do have the 40mm f2.8 which usually lives on a black ME Super as a pocket camera. It was amazingly handy for wandering around various European towns last October.