Stop whingeing. It's in stock right now at Park Cameras:

http://www.parkcameras.com/cameras/slrcameras/pentax.htm

Also, for less money, at B&H in New York.

G

Actually, John, Pentax used a bridge circuit in the meters of these cameras which balances out the voltage. Within limits, the voltage does not affect the accuracy of the meter. This means that a 1.5v battery CAN be used.

http://www.aohc.it/batte.htm

The other difference between the SP1000 and the SPII (the best of the stop-down cameras) was that the former lacked a hotshoe.

G

Your questions are anwered here:

http://www.aohc.it/indexe.htm

I have an SPII with a faulty meter. The simplest solution is a second-hand meter from Ebay.

G

I wonder if the card you have is a little rough around the edges. I don't seem to have the problems you are having.

Why not just run a fine nail file gently along the edges on the sides of the flash and see if that does the trick?

George

The *ist D strikes a blow for the common man. It gives the best results with the cheapest flash-gun.

I have tried the D with all sorts of different lenses and various flash-guns, and I find that putting the camera in Manual and using an old gun on Auto (for instance the AF240Z) gives consistently good results.

Using a digital TTL flash with the camera on Auto sometimes works well, and sometimes doesn't. It just isn't reliable.

The same problem appears to affect other makes of digital camera, too.

G

It's probably the best image-viewing software you can get, and it also allows simple image editing and manipulation, like cropping, adjusting levels, colours, etc.

And it's free!

Incidentally, you are obviously not used to using Google. If you tap "Irfanview" into Google you'll find it immediately.

http://www.irfanview.com/

George

Had you considered the free space you get from your ISP?

Using Irfanview, you can make thumbnails, an HTML thumbnail page, and individual HTML pages for each of your pictures with just a few mouseclicks and no HTML knowledge.

If you need some other HTML pages, just do something simple in Word, and save as HTML.

G

The SFX will work with any Pentax "K" bayonet lens ever produced, including all the variants like SMC Pentax-M, -A, -F, -FA, -FAJ. However, the image produced by the DA lenses will not fill the whole frame, so avoid these.

There is a new SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm macro lens which is quite good, and which you can buy new. It fills a 35mm frame despite being optimised for digital.

Second-hand, you will find it quite easy to locate one of the Pentax 100mm macros. The auto-focus ones are called SMC Pentax-F or -FA.

The Pentax macro lenses are all excellent. If yours wasn't a macro, then the M 1:2.8 100mm comes up occasionally, and it is a lovely small lens. The macros are a lot bigger, but they are amongst the sharpest lenses ever made, and you won't regret buying one.

Although there are a few third party lenses of good quality, you will find plenty of Pentax lenses available, especially on Ebay.

It's difficult to advise on shops, as you haven't said which country you live in.

G

I don't think you can blame customs duties on Ebay. You'd have got stung if you bought the lens from a New York store.

In fact, given the reputation of some NY stores, you might have been stung twice over.

I think "CAVEAT EMPTOR" applies to buying anything second-hand, not just Pentax cameras.

George

PS: I am not surprised Jessops are down-playing the second-hand market. Most cameras shops are awash with old kit that they cannot sell.