I opened an old K 28-50mm zoom last week (had a fungus problem, still has some as I couldn't get the rear element group apart but it's nothing like as bad as it was). The main problem was resetting infinity focus - I resorted to using a TV transmitter mast about 4 miles away and adjusting until that was in focus with the lens set to infinity.

I would not, however, even try an AF zoom. I once attempted to fix a spares or repair 28-80mm which was a complete disaster. On the plus side, it provided all the Power Zoom switch parts that were missing from an otherwise perfect example of the same lens bought a few months later!

The F 35-70mm is a lovely thing, especially on a K-m or K-x. It's probably the best sensibly priced compact AF lens you can buy. Mine came attached to an SFX for £30, which I thought was pretty reasonable. Just don't get it confused with the F 35-80mm which is horrible!

What further complicates matters is that some competitors (Lance Armstrong for one) are simply not built like normal humans. His lungs are much larger than a normal person's and he almost seems to have been born to cycle, judging by how well his body deals with the requirements of the sport.

I firmly believe that he wouldn't touch drugs, given his history. I'm slightly surprised that he hasn't had more trouble with allegations though, as I bet the French don't like it one bit when an American wins the Tour on a regular basis!

I'm not sure if it's set up in the same way as my K-m, but as delivered that would automatically pop the flash up in green mode and fire it as and when it felt the need. I swiftly discovered how to turn it off, so that the flash only comes up when I press the button (otherwise the camera meters and shoots without it). This will avoid the "flashgun firing into thin air" problem that seems to plague a lot of photographers.

One trick (that I've been using of late to check that the camera is recognising an external flash): Take the lens cap off, point at a dimly-lit subject and half press the shutter to make it focus and meter. Keep an eye on the aperture and shutter speed settings, then pop the flash up. They should change to take account of the fact that the flash will be boosting the available light.

You could also try taking a photo of a dimly lit reflective surface - if the flash is working you'll see a burst of light in the resulting image.

One thing which occurred to me with the planned VAT rise - will the import duty threshold also go up to £20? I assume that it's set at £18 as this is easier than making it £17.50, or 17.5% of £100...

The camera is definitely detecting the flash, and it can't be a coincidence. When I change the ISO with both devices in Program mode the camera changes the aperture to match the correct aperture at that ISO, so it's clearly aware of the flash and is adjusting itself accordingly. I doubt that it's changing the flash output but it seems to be matching the correct settings listed on the back of the flash.

I know I "should" be in Manual, but I tend to use Program with the E-dial set up to shift exposure settings. That way I know a grab shot will be ok, and if I have a few more seconds I can tweak the settings to get a specific aperture. I've hung onto this with flash for now as I'm still figuring out how to do tricks with it - Manual will come in when Program no longer does what I want.

I'm a bit worried now. My roll of Boots slide film still hasn't reappeared. I have a horrible feeling that it might have gone to the old address - as you might expect, I just put it in the envelope and posted it, rather assuming that they'd have put the right address on it!

There wasn't anything particularly exciting on there, but I would like to know that I'll get my next roll back after posting it...

I started with a K1000, but I wouldn't recommend them to anyone now. An MX or KX is a much better bet! I especially like the neat trick to show the aperture in the viewfinder, but the depth of field preview and self timer are useful. Neither has any automation, both have mechanical shutters so the batteries are only used for the light meter.

I have an MX with a few scuffs and a ding in the top of the prism housing, but it works near perfectly. I currently have the Winder MX and an M 35-70mm zoom attached to it, producing a wonderfully hefty old camera. On the other hand, I can unbolt the winder, swap to the 40mm f2.8, and have a pocket SLR. I find it a bit handier than the KX as the light meter uses LEDs, which show up better in low light than the indicator needles on the KX. That said, the KX is a very nice camera to handle and mine is one of my three "user" bodies, along with the MX and ME Super.

Couldn't agree more. If I want a 52mm filter I will search for a 52mm filter. Attempting to sell me one by clogging up my search results for "Pentax" won't work!

Ebay's search thing does seem to deal with "lense" - it seems to look for parts of words, so typing it properly as "lens" will still show the wonky listings.

I've just taken to searching "Pentax" on a daily basis. There aren't usually that many new items per day and it doesn't take long to scroll through.

In the event of finding a WW2-era mask be careful. Some or possibly all of these used asbestos in the filters, if the filter is still present then it could pose a health hazard.

Thanks Stefan - I'll have a play and see what happens. I've been experimenting with bouncing the flash off the ceiling today with (usually) good results, although you need to be careful of overhangs, fireplaces, etc casting a shadow.

I will have a play tomorrow and see how dark the edges get if I shoot with the lens set to 18mm and the flash at 35mm. It may not be too bad if I bounce the flash.