I have a couple of M 50mm f2s that I've cleaned fungus out of. Both have something of a dust problem now (unavoidable) but the mould seems to be gone.

I really wouldn't fiddle with a zoom, all I did with the 50s was to unscrew the front element group and clean the mould off the elements with a cotton bud dipped in vinegar.

I might point out that we had twenty plus years of IRA bombings without any of this paranoia. Media and government alike seem intent on scaring us now, rather than attempting to inspire any blitz spirit and saying "bring it on, you don't scare us".

Anyone see the news item a day or two ago about a terrorist suspect who'd been filming things with his mobile phone and commenting on them as potential targets? Did it seem like a carefully managed slap down against the photographers rights campaign to anyone else?

Mine has a slight ding in the top plate and the hot shoe doesn't work. Aside from that it functions perfectly, even the little window to show the aperture in the viewfinder works. I would take the top off and investigate the hot shoe but I'm not inclined to risk dislodging the aperture indicator, besides which the sync sockets are fine. I'd say it's a K1000 but with less of the hair shirt and more useful features.

I definitely agree on overpriced, the cheapest I've seen one for was around £65 and that was not in the best of condition.

If I found a good one for £60 or less I would consider it, but I'm not paying the £100-£150 I've seen quoted. For similar money I could buy an M 50mm f1.4 which is a far better lens and would also work well with my newly acquired MX.

I use the Lowepro "Sliplock" stuff. I have a pouch for the camera, a few lens cases, and a couple of the general pouch things for filters, etc along with the belt/shoulder straps rig to carry it all. The beauty of this system is that it can be customised to a pretty much infinite degree, so if I don't want to look too obvious with the full rig I just take the camera pouch and one other with a couple of lenses in.

I suppose some of the components are probably bolted together by hand...

I find it terribly sad that Jessops now only seem interested in selling memory cards, batteries, and paper to the point and shoot compact crowd. I instinctively looked at their site while finding the best price for a K-m, only to find no Pentax gear whatsoever and that they've completely dropped all used equipment. I guess they must have been hit badly by ebay, as people can cut out the middle man and get the full price for their unwanted kit rather than what a dealer offers (and then adds their mark-up to).

The M 40mm pancake has a slight problem - people think it's rare and prices are set accordingly! By most accounts it just doesn't match the 50mm f1.7 for image quality and having seen a photo of one on an ME Super it doesn't look much smaller than the 50mm. They're not much cheaper than a 50mm f1.4, which I'd rather have.

I'm also quite inclined to hunt out a 35mm lens (M or K series), as with the crop factor that would be very close to a 50mm on digital. They often seem to go for sensible money too.

True - I should perhaps have mentioned that I have the M and A 50mm f1.7, I was looking at the Industar as a bit of a curiosity. I'll probably leave it and put the money toward an M 200mm f4 instead, that'd definitely be worth having.

Just wondering if anybody has used one of these lenses, and what they thought of it? They're cheap for a pancake, and while a bit slow by 50mm standards I'm quite tempted. Would I be throwing money away or are they worth having, assuming I paid under £20 for one?

I realise that I'd need an M42 adapter, in fact I'd probably be looking at one of the 3rd party ones with a view to using it to convert the lens to a K mount. This trick would avoid the problems some have had with non-genuine adapters getting stuck on Pentax bodies, as I'd remove the clip from the adapter and use a spare lens mount to mark and drill a hole for the locking pin.

I think those talking about longevity might be on to something. Some of the tales I've heard of the way pros treat their gear make me wince!

Oddly, I'd rather buy an LX than a K7 at the moment. DSLRs will always go from being state of the art to last year's model, the LX is pretty much the ultimate film SLR.