I've got one of those. Styling is very much of its time, isn't it...

If the camera isn't finding focus with the f1.7 then it's likely to be even worse with the f1.4.

Is any point in the images sharp? I'm just thinking the camera may be locking focus on a point other than that which you intend, and at f1.7 that's a very tight distinction.

I have used 50mm on digital a few times and find it a bit too long. 35mm is much handier.

Have a look around on the forum for a guide as to which lens series have what features, all K mount lenses will fit your K-r but some will do more than others. The old manual primes are gorgeously made and will still produce superb images but they can be a bit of a handful and I wouldn't recommend them for action photography. Any Pentax autofocus (F, FA, FA-J or DA/DA-L) lens will work just as your kit lens does.

There has been a K series 50/1.4 on ebay for a while now for £100, I've resisted the urge so far although it'd go perfectly with my film KX...

I'm waiting for a 50mm f1.2 to be listed BIN for £30 as an f2...

There are still some bargains. I found a brand new boxed T2 front cover (replaces the front of the ever ready case for an M series camera to protect a longer lens) for £2.98 including postage a couple of days ago. At that price I decided it was probably worth having!

You need a tripod and something like an ME Super with the split prism focus screen now. Oh, and a suitable landmark a decent distance away. I use a hillside which I would guess to be about five miles distant and which has clear line of sight from my bedroom window. Set the camera up on the tripod and adjust the lens until the two halves of the prism line up perfectly at infinity.

Hmm, see, the advice on the Dimitrov K mount site is that the grip for the Z series bodies is just a bit of moulded plastic (it doesn't enable the use of other batteries).

There are AA grips for the MZ series and the SFX/SFXn. The former bolts to the base of the camera with a plastic rod holding the contacts which pokes up into the camera's battery holder, the latter simply screws on in place of the standard battery holder.

If you do go for the Super A then you can use TTL flash (any flashgun with "T" on the end, generally) and the Winder ME II will also fit. There was a special faster motor drive for this body but they're a bit hard to find, the ME II works perfectly and runs from 4x AAs. You do have to remove the finger grip from the camera to fit the winder but that's just a matter of turning the securing screw with a coin and sliding the grip upwards to unhook it.

The Super A has one huge advantage amongst Pentax bodies that only a handful share: It can meter for ISO 3200 film. Handy if you fancy experimenting with Ilford Delta 3200 for low light work, where the LCD display is more visible than that of most of the other bodies able to use said film.

Well I can beat that 28mm...

There was some joker trying to get £196 for a Pentax-M 75-150mm f4 on there today, describing it as "very very rare". Uhh, no, it's a pretty common lens and worth about £20-£30. A fine performer but not worth the best part of £200!

Are you after a 50mm or the equivalent of a 50mm?

Thanks to the DSLR sensor being smaller than a film frame the field of view of a lens has changed. 35mm on a Pentax DSLR is roughly equivalent to a 50mm lens on film, and there are two excellent lenses of that focal length depending on your budget - the DA 35mm f2.4 or the DA Ltd 35m f2.8 Macro. The former is an absolute bargain at £150 and is the modern equal of the old M 50mm f1.7.

Fungus always used to be a good way of scaring bidders away, leaving those of us willing to clean lenses with bargains. Anyone paying £40 for a faulty common lens needs their head examining!

To be honest, the older cameras (pre-af) seem to keep going forever providing they haven't been abused and were working on arrival. Those with electronic shutters tend to have more precise shutter speeds than those with cloth mechanical ones (where the springs age and tension alters over time). That said, I shoot colour slide in my MXs regularly and exposure seems on the money.