To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the Pentax-A 28mm as they only offered it in f2.8 form. The old M 28mm f3.5 is a much better lens, to the extent that you put up with the fiddling required to use it in return for the far sharper photos. It'll essentially work in full auto mode with manual focus if you set it to Av, although it'll always pick f3.5 which may or may not help. I find it's fine for quick shots (recording that one-off blink-and-you-miss-it moment, for example).

It may just be that my A 28mm has a scruffy front element with numerous scrapes on the coating, but the general opinion elsewhere on the web seems to be that the K or M 28mm f3.5 is a better lens. It's also a good deal cheaper than the A series 28mm!

You don't actually need the darkroom or the freezing attic - have a look at the thread on here about Rondinax developer tanks. I develop HP5 to negatives using one of those, three measuring beakers and the kitchen sink with a simple watch to time it. No mess, not much smell, and I cut out the printing stage by scanning the negatives and then printing the ones I want from the computer.

I agree that it is fun to use paper, an enlarger and the trays of chemicals, but I get more than enough satisfaction from opening the Rondinax lid and pulling out the finished negatives before hanging them up to dry.

Dented filter rings can be straightened and the aperture may just be sticky with age - try unbolting the lens mount and putting a couple of drops of lighter fluid on the mechanism.

The law is actually pretty clear on self-defence, you're allowed to use reasonable force if you believe that your life is in danger (as anyone would when confronted with an intruder in their home). That can include hefting a makeshift weapon, however it needs to be something that a normal person might have in their house and grab in such a situation (no battleaxes!). Personally I find that I tend to leave the pole I use for opening the upper half of sash windows by my bedroom door, older people may find that they habitually leave a walking stick there...

What you are not allowed to do is shoot them in the back while they're running away, or chase them down the street into someone else's garden and then beat them to a pulp (to quote two infamous cases). Self defence ends when the assailant has gone flying out of your door with their Kappa shell suit turning an unpleasant shade of brown!

Sounds like the usual "money for drugs" sort of thieves, they're not particularly intelligent.

A few years ago my parents had one of two bikes stolen (locked to a bike rack at a supermarket). The scumball responsible was evidently from the shallow end of the gene pool as they took a £100 Halfords special and left a £400 Giant ATX!

Nope, you were right the first time!

Thanks to the crop factor caused by the DSLR using an APS-C sized sensor a 50mm lens on a DSLR is equivalent to a 75mm lens on a film SLR. This is why wide angle primes are now very sought-after.

As for the P30T modes:

With the lens set to A the camera is in Program mode (turning the shutter dial does nothing).
With the lens set to an aperture and the shutter dial set to A, the camera is in Av mode.
With the lens set to an aperture and the shutter dial set to a speed, the camera is in M mode.

The 28mm f3.5 is definitely sharper than the f2.8 in my experience, well worth seeking out.

Do not buy the non-SMC Pentax-A 28-80mm (this one), it's terrible and you're better off putting the money to something better like an M or A series prime. To be honest I'd probably use the P30T in aperture priority anyway as it doesn't display the aperture in Program mode so you've no idea what it's doing. Depth of field is much simpler with these old lenses as you have a scale on the lens to help you decide what aperture to use.

The old Pentax-M 40-80mm is a decent lens and often seems to go fairly cheap - an influential forum and review site gives it an unjustified poor reputation, my example has proved to be commendably sharp. You can see a sample image taken using the Macro/close up function of the lens here.

You won't find a better zoom than the 18-55mm cheaply - it's a great lens. Save your money for some primes at focal lengths you use on a regular basis.

That's the same as the first one I posted - Pentax offered it in black and silver. Yes they are AF, mine was the first lens I bought for my K-m as it was cheap and a bit longer. I used it pretty effectively on a motorsport event where 55mm wouldn't have been long enough, although now I'd use my 135mm prime instead and put up with manual focus.

I would agree that something with a 200mm top end would be more useful - I have a 28-90mm and it doesn't see a huge amount of use. There is a place for lenses in this focal length on a DSLR as sometimes things are a bit too far off for 55mm but you don't want to lug a big heavy zoom about.

Take a look at this - it's all manual but a great lens.

It has extra range but personally I wouldn't bother unless it's very cheap, it's not a particularly impressive lens. Mine lacks contrast and isn't especially sharp.

The old Pentax-F 35-70mm seems to be well thought of, and personally I'm quite fond of this lens - not the best but a fine performer and cheaper than the 35-80mm.