Update - I managed to get the back end of the 28-50mm apart after some more unbolting, it now has some dust but no fungus! Even more amazingly it went back together ok and I think it works.

If the Takumar 50mm f1.4 is anything like the later SMC-P 55mm f1.8 or the M 50mm f1.7 then they're pretty simple to work on. I've rescued a couple of fungus-infested 50mm f2s, on both of them the infection was on the front of the forward element of the rear group, so all I had to do was unscrew the finishing ring, unscrew the front element group, swab the fungus off, polish clean, and reassemble with as little dust as possible.

You can probably kill the growth completely, assuming you can get to it. I find vinegar on a cotton bud works very well for neutralising and removing it.

Prime lenses are the simplest to work on, but you'll need a lens spanner to do it properly.

Now, if anyone knows how to get the plastic light shield thingy off the back of an SMCP 28-50mm zoom? I got most of the fungus out but couldn't remove the rear element group to finish the job.

The Cosina would be fine providing that it has an "A" setting on the aperture ring - if it's auto focus then it probably has.

Indeed, a friend of mine is setting up his giant telescope to watch it, but unfortunately I'm stuck in the local theatre providing cover for their normal lighting operator while he's on holiday. It does look as though it'll be cloudy though, so I'll be surprised if they see much.

Oh please no. I always think "rap" should have a silent c on the front!

Pentax prog rock anthem maybe?

I remember the City Rover. They wouldn't let Top Gear test one. Says it all I feel!

Many people blame Clarkson for the demise of the British car industry. It was more a case of him pointing out that the products were dire and that you could get a better car for the same money. The Rover 75 was a fine car and got good reviews as a result, unimaginative parts bin specials like the Marina got panned and rightly so.

I've heard of that with heavy haulage contractors and unexpectedly low bridges.

There are a few other lorry-related tricks that I learned from a book about early ferries. If you want to fit a truck into the side alley of a small ship then you pour soapy water on the deck, grease up a lump of tree trunk, wedge it in place, and then watch as the trailer wheels slide sideways on the deck with the trunk pushing them into the space.

Ah. Oops!

I rather assumed they all did as so many of them do!

Well, I just offered £10. Will report back on whether I'm successful!

I do think it'd work well for what I do, as I tend to hit the following problems:

Strap around neck - look like a stereotype tourist, never good!

Strap over shoulder - takes ages to get camera into shooting position, plus tends to slip off

Strap wrapped around wrist - works well, but takes time to get it properly settled and you then have a camera dangling from your wrist

Weirdly, I'd had a similar thought. Saab usually get ignored by the mainstream motoring press in their mad rush to give wonderful reviews to anything German, but they make cars that go and handle superbly and they seem to have managed to become the premium brand for people who don't want to follow the herd. The 9-3 TiD in particular has a split personality which swaps between big lazy cat, Concorde, and insane tyre-shredding monster depending on when you prod the right hand pedal!

It's especially good at winding up mid range BMWs and Audis. See, they can't quite shake it off...

So in camera terms that's the fact that all current Pentax bodies have shake reduction, can use any K mount lens, and take standard SD cards/AA batteries. Features which other brands seem unable or unwilling to match, and at least one of which will enable them to comfortably beat comparably priced CaNikSon products.