You may find that M42 lenses don't meter properly on the K-x, I know they don't work on my K-m even with the genuine adapter. I've tried all combinations of settings and they always end up seriously underexposed.

There is a solution if you want to enjoy the SMC Takumar brilliance on a K mount without an adapter - buy the original SMC Pentax (sometimes called K series) lenses. These will still embarrass modern glass with a bit of skill on the part of the user - I have the 28mm f3.5, 55mm f1.8 and 120mm f2.8 along with a couple of zooms. The 28mm and 55mm are sharp enough to shave with wide open and just get better as you stop down.

There are essentially three types of K mount lens. The all manual ones like the K and M series (SMC Pentax or SMC Pentax-M) which will fit but are manual focus and will need you to use stop-down metering in Manual mode. The A series (sometimes called PK-A fit by 3rd parties) which will work in all exposure modes but are still manual focus, and the auto focus ones which work just as your DA lens does.

Stop down metering isn't hard to use, and some of the old K or M lenses make it very worthwhile. If you see a K or M 28mm f3.5 for £50 or less in good condition then buy it, you won't regret doing so.

Do beware lenses with the Ricoh pin - this is in roughly the same location as the AF drive screw on your kit lens and as a result jams in the Pentax AF drive making it impossible to remove the lens. Some other brands also fitted this infernal device - I have a Tokina PK-A fit 28mm and a Jessops-branded teleconverter with them, although both of those have a rounded pin which doesn't seem to cause any trouble. Yes, I did try them on my spare MZ50 body first to make sure it wouldn't jam the K-m!

Hmm, I'm beginning to wonder whether it's worth the risk! The MX seems to be the only reliable M series I own (others being a black ME S with flickering LEDs which is ok if left for a while to settle, a chrome ME S with metering which reads about two stops underexposed, and assorted jammed or partially working MV/MV1/two more ME S). I might just use it with my Metz 45 CL-1 instead (has a sync lead)...

Weirdly my old KX and KM keep clattering along merrily despite being older. The KM is still on its original light seals and mirror foam which is only just showing signs of needing replacement, the KX has had all its foam replaced and is now my favourite film body alongside the MX. Both are older than I am by a few years!

I have an MX on which the flash hotshoe doesn't work, but the sync sockets do. Any ideas? The circuitry is obviously ok as the sockets are fine, I'm just not sure whether there's some sort of internal switch to select one or the other?

I'm thinking about popping the top plate off and investigating when I finish the current film as it could be something very simple like a loose wire or bent contact below the hotshoe. Anything I should know? I realise the top of the winder lever is a reversed thread but what about the top of the shutter speed control?

Now I have a suitably small flash and winter is approaching I'd like to get it working, as the rest of the camera functions perfectly. It did come with a sync cable/hotshoe adapter but that just annoys me - it shouldn't need it!

The old Pentax-M 40-80mm has a surprisingly decent Macro mode, it's more like close focus but it's pretty sharp. I took this with it a few months ago:

[IMG]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x21/Kingofthemountains/IMGP1346.jpg[/IMG]

Bear in mind that the cheap extension tubes won't work with your DA lens as they don't have the Auto contacts to set aperture. You'll need a lens with an aperture ring to allow you to set it manually if you want to use them.

The A button is most likely an indicator light rather than a button - it probably lights up when the exposure is correct if it's anything like other flashes.

The AF160 is quite low powered. I only tried it on my K-m after buying it for my ME Super (which has no built-in flash at all, so a pocket-sized flashgun to go with the pocket camera is great). I will be taking it on holiday with me for that reason, the fact that it will also fit and work with the K-m is a bonus.

There is an AF240Z here for £12.50, I'd buy that in preference to an AF160.

Look for an AF200T. The Red and Green Auto modes work on digital, at least on my K-m set to Program mode the aperture and shutter speed switch to the correct values when the flash is charged. The AF200T also has a switch to vary power output in manual mode which makes it useful as a slave flashgun if you decide to go further later on.

What I've found is that the K-m won't support TTL, but it does have support for the '80s vintage Program flash mode. The AF240Z works very well with mine in this way, if you set both camera and flash to P then change the ISO setting the aperture changes to suit.

The AF160 and AF200S will only work in manual mode, although providing you set the shutter speed and aperture to the values they expect they're pretty handy. I've used my AF160 a few times as it's tiny but slightly more powerful than the built in flash, providing you set the camera to what the flash expects the results are good. It also gives you a flash ready indicator in the viewfinder - what other brand would keep the same protocol to communicate that for over thirty years?

IMPORTANT - before you go plugging any old flashgun onto your K-x check the trigger voltage. Genuine Pentax units are fine but some generic flashes have high trigger voltages which will fry a DSLR's trigger circuits. Tiny, cheap flashes can be some of the worst offenders - I have an old Sunpak unit powered by a couple of AAs with a trigger voltage of 200v+ which I will never use.

I paid about £110 for my A 200 f4 (and then another £40 to have the undeclared fungus removed). Given I've seen them for £150-£200+ elsewhere I didn't do that badly. If you want that focal length with an A setting then I've heard that the SMC Pentax-A 70-210mm f4 is of a similar standard, however those are getting stupidly expensive now!

I've read that the A 135mm f2.8 isn't as good as the older M 135mm f3.5, which is much cheaper.

Bear in mind that it's still very possible to buy black and white film and home develop it, you don't even need a darkroom if you have one of the Agfa Rondinax developing tanks (like mine) and a film scanner.

Yep, but equally they seemed to be implying that backwards compatibility was an advantage on the Nikon.

I did wonder whether the sort of person who takes camera buying advice from which is really likely to buy a £1500 Nikon DSLR!

Their car reviews are dire. I remember them having a real moan at the Discovery 1 and talking about mechanical problems which can't all affect the same vehicle - they'd be possible on the 200TDI or 300TDI but not both!

Especially when they then pick a photo which portrays the subject according to the editorial line of the media outlet. GW Bush always seemed to be portrayed with his mouth open looking gormless, for example!