I've never done any experiments with it but I would wonder if it changes with the mode you select (for those cameras with action/landscape/macro/etc)?

Yep, that sounds about right (all the envelopes I have quote a Warwick PO Box).

I really don't see them discontinuing it. I don't know any other high street retailers who still sell slide film and I doubt it's a huge cost to them to keep in stock.

I can only comment from the perspective of having resprayed some alloy wheels (the paint is still attached after two years and a fair bit of mud, so I must have got it right). I used fairly coarse paper to smooth the surface and rough up the original paint, then a guide coat of primer to check the finish followed by more sanding, more primer, and finally the top coat. After that and the silver rim paint were applied (body coloured centres with silver rims) I gave the whole thing a couple of good coats of clear lacquer and left it to dry for a day or two before refitting.

Yep, the liquid you use for Zippo and similar lighters. It's pretty volatile stuff so evaporates quickly, but leaves a slight residue which will help lubricate the mechanism.

Damn, that's where I keep going wrong!

My theory of first aid: Keep the red stuff inside by any means. If they're making a lot of noise then it means they are breathing. Look at the quiet ones first!

I don't think it's the aperture so much as the rest of the lens. The 28/2.8 isn't as good as the 28/3.5, but they're completely different designs. I'd imagine Pentax looked at the older K 28/2 and decided there was no way to update it for the M series, hence the 2.8.

The 30mm's sale price was most likely boosted by its rarity - I know K series glass seems to go for a premium now even when it's something which is a great lens, but not a huge improvement over the M series (such as the 55/1.8 compared to the 50/1.7). That said, I have a weird enthusiasm for the 55mm as the field of view is just a bit more useful on digital for allowing you to stand at a safe distance from subjects in low light.

Just waiting for the inevitable slew of ME Supers with 50/1.7s listed for £200 BIN, from people who don't realise that the lot in question reached that price solely on the rare lens!

Can't be - the two ships had slightly different designs (Titanic was possibly slightly longer and had some promenade decks enclosed) and the mini subs exploring the wreck have found that every part number on her matches those on the Titanic drawings. It'd be one impressive insurance fraud to change all the cast-in part numbers on every marked component of a ship without any of the workforce involved saying a word...

Interesting - I have an S-M-C Tak 135/3.5 and a K 120/2.8 (along with the significantly more common M 135/3.5) but have never managed to snag one of the f2.5 versions. I quite like the 120mm as it's compact, fast, and produces pleasant images. Possibly a little soft wide open as it was apparently designed for portrait use, but stop down a bit and it's very sharp. Not bad for £65 from a proper camera dealer!

On mine I unscrewed the baseplate and put a good squirt of the stuff into the shutter mechanism, which is between the winder shaft and the mirror box. That plus a bit of gentle prodding with a fine screwdriver of anything I could find caused the camera to unjam and drop back into working order. It isn't always successful but it can be worth a try as the fluid should just evaporate rather than leaving a sticky mess for the professional repairer to deal with.

I wouldn't try it on something you paid good money for, but this ME was only £5 or so and I thought it'd be good for situations where I don't fancy risking anything more valuable. It then turned out to be an Italian market one (has a chrome disk on the front next to the lens mount) so has been replaced by a battered MV1 for the same job!

I think you must mean the Takumar Bayonet 135/2.5? The Super Takumar has an excellent reputation and eventually spawned the K series version.

If I ever see one for £60 I'll be biting the sellers hand, arm and torso off to grab it!