I know they changed the design of the Rondinax tanks, as I've seen later ones which are clearly made from plastic. Mine is definitely bakelite and has a box which I'd date anywhere between 1920s-1960s in style, it looks rather like the old Hornby Dublo train boxes of that era!

Not really - I expect it to be quite handy on film as it goes from wide angle to a standard 50mm (and also covers the "perfect" 43mm). Given I mostly shoot landscapes it'll be a useful range. The same lens was later rebranded as an M series, however according to the photos this is the original and slightly rare K version.

I don't tend to use the manual zooms on digital other than a few test shots to make sure that the lens is behaving itself.

Thanks for the advice on the switch - it would explain why it doesn't always beep as I've been taking photos from various distances. The green auto mode is surprisingly handy as most lenses hit a sweet spot at about f8, you just have to be a bit careful not to select red auto mode with lenses that can't open up to f4 as it won't work!

The viewfinder stays bright on all K mount lenses - the camera stops them down as part of the picture taking process. M42 lenses don't have this coupling (at least, not one which works on K mount bodies).

The main advantages I find are that you can use Program mode and the metering is a bit more stable with the A series. I find that stop down metering with the K and M series is pretty much on the money down to f11 or so - go smaller and it starts underexposing.

I've got one of their dot matrix printers here, still worked when I last tried it a few years ago...

I've been looking at those Ortofon Concorde headshell/stylus things and trying to work out if they'd fit my turntable. I know mine has a bayonet-type fitting for the headshell which looks the same as the one I see on the Ortofon part, but I'm not sure how standard this fitting is?

Can't right now, I found a K 28-50mm for £25 this morning which will be going on my KX...

One question about the AF200T. The on/off switch has a position marked with a musical note. I understand that this has something to do with auto exposure and it does occasionally make beeping noises when set to this. What I don't know is whether a lack of beeps means:

The flash has managed to talk to the camera straight away, hence no beeps as they signify flash and camera negotiating

The flash has tried to talk to the camera but given up

The beeper has a loose wire

Any ideas? I always get the blinking flash icon in the viewfinder and the camera switches to the correct aperture when the flash is ready (which is enough to tell me that it's talking), I'm just a bit baffled by the beeping noise.

There was a useful link on the first one of those sites - instructions for the 120 version of the Rondinax tank (which might be even older than I thought - I didn't realise the design was pre-war!)

Somewhat astonishing build quality given that it's still working happily with Ilford HP5 and modern chemicals. In cold weather it's best to put it in the airing cupboard for a couple of hours before use to allow it to reach 20C.

It uses 200ml of developer - I just mix it as and when I need it as the neat stuff keeps longer than the made up solution. You agitate the film by turning a knob on the side every two seconds, this rotates the spool. It wouldn't be suitable if you had to process a batch of films but given I tend to get through a roll every couple of months it works for me.

I think ELO's "Out of the Blue" has to get an honourable mention with that gorgeously detailed spaceship/logo (and then the internal image when you open the album).

I've got two copies of that - one normal, the other with the blue vinyl!

I may still keep my eyes open for an AF280T as the bounce flash would be handy. I just don't see the point in spending £60 on one when I don't use flash all that much anyway. The AF200T should be an improvement on the built-in flash as it is.

From what I can see of the Cobra flashguns they don't have the green/red auto modes? This would make them a bit useless for me as obviously TTL doesn't work with the K-m, but the older auto modes (a protocol dating from the Super A days IIRC?) do work. I mention Cobra as I have a side mount bracket for one of their flashes, but no flash to go with it. I think it was intended for the generation before the "AF" suffixed flashguns.

That's the other snag I hit with AF bodies (and the MZ-M would have the same problem): They completely rewind the film. In order to develop film in the tank I use the leader needs to be left out, as you cut it straight across and clip it onto a rubber strip which then pulls the film onto the reel. This means that the film is loaded in a light-tight box so I don't need a darkroom or changing bag. Apparently the Z1 doesn't do this (and the Z5 could be programmed not to) but they seem hard to find and fairly expensive.

It's called an Agfa Rondinax if anyone else is interested, they're not hugely expensive to buy used, just make sure all the parts are there. It's also crucial to make sure that the first CM or two of the film feeds into the film guide properly, or you'll just get a horrible mangled mess. Providing that it starts feeding correctly (and you can check this with the lid off in daylight - the only film you expose is that which is exposed while loading it into the camera in the first place) then it works perfectly.