Get a P30n/P30T

Well made with an electronic shutter and a choice between P, Av and M modes depending on lens. Also supports Program flash. About the only snag with them is that they won't work at all without batteries, but a couple of spare LR44s are hardly a massive bulk to lug around. Thanks to their plastic body panels (the chassis is metal, so they're as mechanically reliable as the earlier bodies) they don't seem hugely popular and can be found for next to nothing body only. It will even work with full frame-compatible DA lenses although you'll be stuck in P mode with no indication of what aperture the camera has picked.

If you want AF then look for an SFXn, big and chunky but apparently tougher than the MZ series.

If you want a proper classic then look for an MX or KX. Both are 100% manual with the batteries only powering the light meter. They will however cost more than a P30T, so I'd still suggest that if you want to try film without spending much.

That might have been me!

The film is Ilford SFX. Used without a filter it behaves like any ISO 200 B&W film, but add the filter and you get the full effect.

It is developed using standard B&W chemicals, the times are slightly different but it's all explained on the inside of the film box.

I found it worked best with a fully manual camera as apparently some automated metering systems can't handle the effects of the filter and will expose incorrectly. You will need a tripod as you simply can't compose or focus with the filter attached, I opted for setting the shot up normally, then adjusting focus for the IR marker, adding the filter, and knocking seven or eight stops off the shutter speed.

I found shooting at f22 best as depth of field will cover slight focus errors that way (in fact with my 28mm lens I was able to leave it set to infinity and still get perfect landscapes). I used it in a KX and KM so spent a lot of time with the shutter set to "B" timing the exposures with a watch, you will also need a cable release for obvious reasons! Exposures of eight seconds were common, I even saw thirty seconds on occasion and once or twice 90 seconds.

It does work best when there's plenty of direct sunlight about as this makes the IR effect kick in properly.

It's good fun to play around with but you do need considerable patience and locations where you can set up undisturbed for five minutes or so at a time. I was happily wandering around the Elan Valley with extended tripod over one shoulder and KX over the other, but obviously you can't really do this in city centres without attracting unwelcome attention.

Look for an SFX/SFXn if you're hunting them on ebay, this was the kit lens for these cameras. Often cheaper than buying the lens alone.

Sadly the answer is "not really"

The DA lenses lack an aperture ring so they default to the smallest aperture when not mounted on a camera in the usual manner.

If you want something cheap and cheerful to play with a reversing ring then look for one of the Pentax-M 50mm lenses. The f1.7 is regarded as the sharpest but the f2 is no slouch either. As these have an aperture ring they can be set to a chosen aperture and will hold this when reversed.

I don't use the SFX anything like as much as I should, so I suspect it'd just go from sitting on your shelves doing nothing to sitting on mine doing even less! Thanks for the offer anyway.

I just find I prefer the KX/MX handling. I have two MXs which seem perfect and a KX which is nearly so aside from a self timer which sets itself off rather than waiting for you to pull the trigger lever down after winding.

I don't really understand why anyone wants earlier 35mm lenses now the DA 35/2.4 and 35/2.8 Macro Ltd are available.

Ok, I have a Super Tak and Pentax-M 35mm f2.8 too but I'm using them on film bodies where the DA lens isn't much help (lacks an aperture ring), I wouldn't pay £80 for them. I strongly suspect it's due to collectors who just want to complete the set, rather than being after lenses to use.

Sadly, I think there was a slow decline in build quality. Not all that surprising IMO - everyone else was building products down to a price, and Pentax would have had to follow suit to remain competitive. The MZ series in particular have that infamous drive gear, while this can be replaced it's a scarily complicated job for an amateur and getting it done professionally will outweigh the value of the camera.

My SFX feels much better built than my MZ-7, to compare two upmarket bodies of their respective generations. I should probably hunt down an SFXn before they all disappear!

Where is he checking prices? It may have some bearing on whether they seem to be rising or falling.

I know the Dimitrov site's suggested prices and those of the other forum's review section often have little relation to those on ebay UK!

I know the feeling Kris!

I don't see myself buying the 16-50mm even though it would be the perfect partner to my 50-135mm, mostly as when I want anything shorter I also want a physically smaller lens. At the moment I use the DA 35/2.4 as a walkabout lens, but I'd probably buy a DA 21mm Ltd to complete the set. I seldom use ultra wide angles, around 28mm on digital/40mm on film seems to be my ideal.

I also wish I could still use my DA lenses on all my film bodies. I've probably had more use from the K120 than the 50-135mm for that very reason.

What baffles me: Surely they're less likely to sell a true macro lens to the average consumer who thinks their kit zoom is already a macro lens (because it says it is on the lens)?

I'm talking about the sort who don't use websites or read magazines, and therefore would assume that the zoom they already have is just like any other lens labelled "macro".