I fear you are being optimistic in hoping that people exist who:

a. Want all the things you are selling, and
b. Have £2,500 burning a hole in their pockets.

Better, I would suggest, to sell everything separately. Slightly more work, but much more certain, and you will realise more money.

G

Well, according to Pentax-User time, I sent a message at 04:15, which was actually closer to 13:00, if memory serves. Somebody please ask them to change their clock.

G

Well, I don't agree, despite having had my fair share of mishaps.

Your insurance premium doesn't just pay to replace what you lose or break, but it also pays the salaries of the insurance company's staff, and all the other overheads. What's left (quite a lot, usually) pays dividends to the shareholders.

By all means insure your house and car, but most other things are best not insured. Over a lifetime you will save a lot.

G

The Super A is the prettiest camera Pentax ever made, and the MX is not far behind. They make a lovely pair. You're lucky to have such nice examples.

G

A propos a recent thread involving an unusually young Santa wearing two hats. You expressed what I took to be a positive opinion.

G

What are you trying to shoot, Redbus? And with which body? I presume you have experimented with the in-camera focus adjustment?

In most cases, stopping down a little will allow DOF to take care of minor focus problems,but if you are shooting wide-open it's another matter.

The problem SHOULD be consistent, so with some practice you will be able to anticipate where the focus will be, and adjust accordingly. But it shouldn't be necessary to go to such lengths. As Bill B says, you should consult the retailer.

G

Jessops????? Good grief.

You have only yourself to blame when SRS are so close.

G

When I was at school, I used a hand-me-down Kodak Retinette. Another boy in my class received a Pentax for Christmas. In today's money it would have cost over £3,000, which seems a lot for a Christmas present for a 15 year-old.

But the camera was a joy to behold, and to hold. My father had a Miranda D at the time - a ground-breaker in its day - but the Pentax just seemed much nicer, and I became determined to have one.

It was eight years before I could afford my own Pentax, and I have never considered any other make of 35mm or digital SLR.

Interestingly, both cameras were Spotmatics, though different variants. The range lasted from 1964 until 1975, which would be unheard of today.

G

Thanks. It's a while since I was a newbie.

G

PS: Going clubbing on Wednesday?

Good choice, Sasha.

I would just venture one word (well, OK, about sixty) of advice.

Point and shoot cameras are designed to produce usable images straight from the camera. Serious cameras can be set up to do the same, but they are capable of much more. The secret is to learn the rudiments of the black art called post-processing, which means fine-tuning the quality of the image (crop, focus, contrast, colour, etc.) using your computer.

If you don't do this, in my opinion you will have wasted your cash. But don't worry, you won't need to invest very much time or money before you are richly rewarded. And it's fun, too.

Good luck.

G