It would be well worth looking at a Pentax P30. It won't take Takumars without an adapter- it uses the A series lenses which are just as good and will do exactly what is asked for in the original post. Set the camera on Av ("auto" on its one dial) set the aperture on the lens, focus and shoot. Alternately, you can use it as a full manual job if you want.

This is a mega maligned camera simply because they styled it with a plasticky look. It's wonderful to hold and use, it gives first class results - and you can pick them up for peanuts on E bay. There are loads of lenses available at bargain prices (you can get a superb 50mm f2 for next to nothing).

It certainly does - thank you!

No offence taken whatsoever - these are exactly the sort of constructive comments I was looking for.
I was thinking about my own comments in the last monthly competition and whether I could, indeed, live up to them ............. not quite!

Thank you both

Great detail - well worth the discomfort.

These must be related to shield bugs - their heads are the same shape with identical eye layout and they poke out of the carapace in exactly the same way.

The usual problem with any vivid, bright yellow flower is blowing the highlights
So I set out to avoid it and learned, in the process, what lovely flowers they are.
Suggestions for improvements will be most welcome because I haven't quite cracked it yet.






















All taken with a K5 and Macro Takumar 50mm

Marvellous set of photos - blow the focus - you recorded it !

I can only offer the obvious territorial dispute, especially as she turns up with nest material. The closest I've seen is females having a set to over possession of my compost heap !

The automated software has been putting bogus end dates on the competitions recently.
It has just done so again with Drofmit's "Natural abstracts" and closed it for judging only a day or so after it opened!! (He probably hasn't seen it yet)

Super shots
Dublin is one place I really have to visit

Just a thought.

There is a pair of roll-film holders on the slide copier of the Pentax bellows set up. Could you use that outfit to "scan" a roll of 35mm negatives into one's DSLR, and if so, what sort of quality would you be likely to get?
I've got one of those, I've got some old film cameras (but no developing tank) (damn).

Womble wrote: ... Only odd in the sense of "who makes a 30mm lens?"

Pentacon do (did) It's M42, looks a bit like a Flektogon and it's a stunner.