Thanks for the offer, but those are the later sort - I think the top one is for an M-series and the lower one for something like a Super A.

The one that came with my KX is wonderfully flexible, unlike the M-series type. I'm not sure whether this is due to the weave/fabric or the fact that it's over thirty years old, but it's as flexible as the thin leather Spotmatic ones.

To be honest the "always on" meter never bothered me on the KM or K1000, the KX has taken some getting used to as you have to leave the winder lever out and then half press the shutter to turn it on, pushing the winder back in switches it off.

Talking of the KX, I've just developed the first roll of film from it and it looks good. Will scan the results tomorrow when it's fully dry, but it looks pretty crisp from a brief inspection.

I've got a bit of a soft spot for the KM, after getting my hands on a very tidy example and partnering it with a 55mm f1.8. I don't suppose you've got an original-style webbing strap and fittings for one? They weren't the same as the M series straps being larger and chunkier, and while my KX has an original strap the KM doesn't.

Edit, an idea for another conversion:

How about a K2 with the aperture window from the KX? I wouldn't see it as wanton destruction if it created a working camera from a pile of bits, and I know it must be possible as the K2 DMD had one.

I've just tried it as a teleconverter and the results were horrible - I get better shots by using the 200mm f4 on its own and cropping the image!

Does the fact that the open part in the TC is tiny make any difference to its usability as a macro tube? It just looks as though it might vignette as the hole would only be about 2cm across. I don't want to pull all the glass out and then find that it doesn't work as a macro tube either...

Edit, glass is out. All the elements were in a metal tube that screwed into the centre of the TC, so I just unscrewed the lot without damaging anything. If anyone needs fuzzy photos of cows (like my test shots before deciding to convert to a macro tube) then I can easily re-instate it!

I've seen the K1000 with timer/DOF preview before. Someone on the other site created one when they sent a KM with a battered top plate in for a repair along with a tidy top plate from a K1000, as the two cameras have pretty much identical top plates it was a simple swap. The KM also has the twin sync sockets, unlike the K1000.

The K-mount Spotmatic looks like a K1000 with a Spotmatic top plate and possibly the lens mount surround, judging by the fact that the black trim around the front of the prism housing doesn't look quite right?

I have been considering doing that with my old Jessops PKA 2x TC - unless these are particularly good? I would naturally remove the glass with my lens spanner rather than bashing it out.

Not too shabby, a bit soft but decent colour reproduction. Unfortunately it feels plastic but it's lightweight and the only bit you normally handle (zoom ring) moves smoothly. It isn't a constant f3.5 either - it's f5.6 at the long end. Well worth £20 though IMO.

I just leave them in a warm, dry room for a few days if I've used them in a damp environment. Don't zip them up in a case or bag, let the air circulate around them and they should be fine.

Thanks chaps - I think the one I was looking at is the shoot-through sort. I'll probably order one and see what happens.

Just wondering whether an AF200T (my off-camera flash, with an AF240Z on the camera and a simple optical trigger for the off camera unit) would be powerful enough to make an umbrella useful? I have seen a few umbrella/bracket kits on ebay for about £12 and I'm tempted to buy one and have a play with off-camera bounced flash, as I have a spare tripod to mount it on.

I would guess that you need a decent amount of light output in the first place to make the reflected light from the umbrella useful?

I recently bought a black ME Super which was described as "working". To put it short, it doesn't, but as I only paid a tenner for it and it's pretty tidy I'm not sending it back (it's worth that as spares). I'm just wondering if it's repairable...

The fault is that the shutter hardly ever cocks. The wind on is fine, but it isn't cocking the shutter. Very occasionally it will, but not reliably. Weirdly if you leave it for a bit then wind on it'll cock. Leave it again and it will do it again. Try to wind on, click, wind on, click and it won't work! Any ideas? I have looked at a website dealing with ME Super faults but my problem sounds more as though something needs to be wiggled to free it, rather than the camera needing to be completely dismantled.