I don't think you're going to get very fast for not much cash, sadly.

The Tamron should still be pretty rapid to focus. I always suspect that AF speed has more to do with the maximum aperture than anything else, and the image quality looked much better than that of the Sigma in the comparative shots posted on that site.

The tricky part seems to be finding a camera with a full PK AF mount (as opposed to the "crippled" mount) which can still set aperture from the body.

If they offer shutter priority auto then you can force the use of the desired aperture by changing the shutter speed, a bit of a kludge but it seemed to work on the Super A just now.

It certainly should work on a P30/P30T in program mode, you'll just have no control over the aperture (and won't even know what aperture it set!)

I'll try it on my Super A now and see what happens, watch this space.

Right, tried it. The Super A was able to read the aperture from the lens and presumably set it too. I can't see why the P30T wouldn't manage this.

I'm probably going for the Tamron now, having seen those test shots. The screw drive AF would also mean I could use it on something like my SFX, should the urge strike me.

If you want cheap then I think your best bet is either the Pentax-F 70-210mm or Pentax-F 80-200mm, both are quite slow but are compact and produce decent images. I know I'm keeping my 80-200mm as I doubt it'd get much as part of a trade-in and it'll be handy for situations when I don't want the size, weight, or expense of the Tamron.

Not many of them left in the UK now. I do know the filming of "Ashes to Ashes" got through a lot of spares (think they had the last door glass from Audi), although they did try to use standard Audi coupes dressed up to look like a Quattro for the riskier stunts.

Interesting bargaining technique - shades of the dealers who ask "what do you want for it" during a P/Ex deal because they hope they'll hear a lower figure than they're willing to pay. Not something you'd expect from a respected broadcaster compensating for their copyright infringement!

Some of the MZ series also support power zoom (although only the powered zoom and lens retraction functions), not entirely sure which but obviously they have the extra contacts.

I could still do with a new focus screen for my MZ-10, although I'm avoiding spending anything for a month or so as I'm saving for that Tamron 70-200mm f2.8!

I think the PZ10 was sold as the Z10 in the UK?

Have a look at the Dimitrov K mount site to compare specifications. Personally I'd want the MZ6 as it can be programmed to leave the film leader out (handy for those of us with Agfa Rondinax dev tanks).

Don't worry about batteries by the way - Pentax made a battery grip to allow the MZ series bodies to run from four AAs.

Hmm, evidently I need to buy up all the slide film I can lay hands on then (with a view to encouraging its continued production!)

I've yet to hit the formula for PPing scanned slides, my scanner just loses so much detail and gives them an odd colour cast when I compare a digital image to the real slide projected the old way. I've even considered keeping an eye out for one of those slide copying attachments and using the K-m to scan them.