If it's really nice, then £99 from a dealer is perhaps not too much. However, they do come up on Ebay from time to time, and if you wait I expect you'll find a nice one for rather less than £99.00.

Bear in mind that if you hope the camera will last another ten years (as it should if it has been in amateur ownership), a six month guarantee is only covering 5% of its life with you.

G

You can't post pictures directly to this forum. You have to link to a picture that is on another website.

G

It's not so much a stupid question as a stupid price. But perhaps some sucker will buy it.

I remember reading an interview with Mark Birley of Annabelle's nightclub. They had a drink on the list that was priced at £200.00. When asked how he could justify such an outrageous pirce, he said he couldn't, but there was always some idiot who would buy one.

G

Both will shut off when enough light reaches the camera. You can adjust the output of each gun on the flash unit, and also by placing the unit closer to or further away from the subject.

The great advantage of digital is that you can experiment at no cost until you get it right.

I certainly don't think you need to match the guns.

G

At least lenses can't talk back (at least, not yet). All they can do is gaze at you reproachfully with a one-eyed unblinking stare.

My heart goes out to that other great collector, King Saud. He had over a thousand wives. Just think of it, cover your ears, and shiver.

G

Mac,

That's the problem with Pentax lenses. I suggest you sell them all and buy Canon. That way, whenever you produce a bad picture, you can credibly blame it on the brand.

G

Yes, indeed.

I've not tried any of the really expensive malts, but many years ago I bought some port in Lisbon at the Port Sellers Association (or some such thing). The purchase being made, the nice people then said, "Here is something we think is rather special". They gave me a glass of '45 Noval (or it might have been '48 ).

Words can't describe it. It was so supremely wonderful that it was impossible to believe that anything could taste better. I didn't ask the price, or even if it was available for sale. I knew that I couldn't afford it, but I still have the memory.

G

Mac,

Malt is a difficult subject, and I am no expert, so I shall quote Hugh Johnson:

"Most distinctive of all are the malts from the western islands Islay and Skye. They are known by the strong peaty smell and flavour which gives them a slightly medicinal character..............those who like them will drink nothing else."

I have an unopened bottle of Glenfiddich knocking around somewhere. I never have an unopened bottle of Bowmore. It's an acquired taste, but once acquired, nothing else will do. As you rightly surmised, it was the only thing I thought worthy of gracing a table alongside the Limited bags.

If you feel like experimenting, look out for the Islay malts. Laphroaig and Lagavulin are very well thought-of, but I prefer Bowmore. It tastes a bit like liquid smoke, so be warned.

My suggestion is this. Buy a bottle, and pour yourself a glass. If at first you don't like it, persevere. Buy six more bottles, and drink them over a prolonged period - say a week or ten days. At the end of that time, you'll either love it or hate it, and if the latter, nobody wil be able to say you didn't give it a fair chance.

Happy drinking.

G

In another thread, I gave my (oft-broken) rules for lens-buying. But, as we togs know, a picture is worth a thousand words.

So, here is wisdom distilled; a vision of happiness for some:




For the uninitiated, those snazzy leather bags are what Limited lenses come in.

G

Mac,

The Super A is designed to stay on 1000 sec for the first three exposures when you close the back so that you can load the film quickly. With the lens cap on on in auto mode, it would otherwise set a shutter speed of 30 seconds and take for ever to load the film.

Trust the Pentax engineers - they know what they are doing.

G