Small world, I went to Aber uni!

This has also answered something I've been wondering about my P30t, what strap would it have originally had.

Considering the trouble people seem to have with SDM lenses I have to say I wouldn't buy any (even if I could afford them). Maybe when the technology has been refined somewhat, but at the moment it just seems to be an expensive disaster waiting to happen. I'll stick with my K/M/A/F/FA lenses as they seem much more reliable!

Enjoy it - the P30t was probably the last of their manual SLRs (manual focus and wind on), a very nice camera. You can download the manual free if you're not sure about anything, just try googling "Pentax P30t manual".

In that case I think Bojidar Dimitrov would like to hear from you - his entry for the lens is based on educated guesswork rather than having spoken to someone who's used one! http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/lenses/primes/extreme-tele/K2000f13.5.html

Is it as much of a handful as it looks? I get the impression that you'd need a broadcast-quality tripod to keep it right side up and a very stationary subject to get the focussing right.

I think I'd rather have the K 2000mm lens that mostly seems to have existed in the Pentax price lists. It looks like a waste paper bin with a K mount on one end!

Bear in mind that we're talking about the original K series lenses here (although Pentax have made very few bad lenses at any stage of their history). They weren't officially known as the K series but as they were the first to feature the K mount the name has stuck in enthusiast circles. Generally they're badged "SMC Pentax" followed by the focal length and aperture - if there's a -M or -A in there it's a later lens.

Just taken a photo of my K 55mm, which has the standard lettering for one of these lenses. Illumination was helped by using a hand-held torch during the 1 second exposure, hence the slight shine but it's usable:
[IMG]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x21/Kingofthemountains/IMGP1346.jpg[/IMG]

I think the 35-70mm probably struggled with the average camera buyer. If the dealer is offering you a 28-80mm that is cheaper then you're likely to pick that, especially if you're planning to use the thing for holiday photos. I know my SF7 came with the non-SMC Pentax-F 28-80mm, and I always get the impression that this was the standard kit lens for it.

There was one on ebay for £5 last time I looked, but I'm not sure if it's had any bidders yet. My wallet has been mauled by a couple of nice manual zooms (M 40-80mm and K 85-210mm f4.5) not to mention the awaited bill for cleaning my 200mm f4, so I won't be bidding on it!

The 80-200mm isn't that bad. No dents and optically it's perfect, there's a bit of paint wear but of the sort that you'd expect on a lens that has been carried around in a well-padded bag for long periods.

The 75-150mm has good reviews, it usually seems to be a good rule of thumb that the shorter the zoom range the better the performance. I've not given mine a proper test yet, waiting for the weather to dry out a bit so I can spend time fiddling with manual exposure settings and tripods.

I now have the Pentax-M 40-80mm too, as I spotted one in good condition for £20. I was a bit unsure what to expect as it gets indifferent reviews, but a quick bit of playing with the macro setting produced this:

[IMG]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x21/Kingofthemountains/Macro.jpg[/IMG]

That is a roughly 100% crop of an image of a pile of cork table mats, chosen as they have an interesting grain which makes them good for testing sharpness. I forget what aperture that was taken at, but even wide open it produces perfectly acceptable results.

I know with the smaller Stealth Reporters you can take the foam padding out, certainly my D100 is like that.

Generally I have to say that it's a great bag, really nice to handle. I just wish the sliplock loops on the ends were a bit wider. I only seem to be able to fit the matching loop on my lens cases through the middle of the three loops on the bag, so I can only attach a single extra case to each end of the bag.

P.S. if you do decide to buy one have a look at Amazon's prices. They seem to have heavy discounts on some Lowepro bags at the moment, my D100 was £33 (£80 rrp!)

I sometimes wonder if the MZ-60s are going up because of the 28-90mm lens. I know it's not into 50mm prime standards of sharpness but I'd still suggest it for anyone looking to add to their kit lens without spending too much. A reliable performer with good reach. Mine coped surprisingly well with Top Gear Live, despite the low light and fast action.

My MZ-50 cost me £10 (and another tenner for post) last year. I was after the 35-80mm lens as it's a nice compact design that I thought would be a handy short telephoto on a DSLR, unfortunately it didn't quite meet that expectation!

I occasionally look for an SFXn with the F 35-70mm lens. Prices of the SF series don't seem to have gone mad yet, and that lens seems to have a pretty good reputation.