If it's oil (it usually is) then there's nothing you can do about it beyond send it off for cleaning. Depending on what you value the lens at, it'll be worth it or not. Certainly given the financial value of the lens, then it's bin fodder. Personally I'd get it cleaned as it sounds like you've got a really nice one, and a clean will buy you another twenty or thirty years with it

I've not done a HUGE amount of IR on the K100D, but on my old pocket digi I found small apertures worked best, as IR light focusses in a different place to visible, so it helped keep thing sharper. Try to include foliage too as it takes on an almost white glow. Can't wait to see your results

Sturdy tripod for them long exposures

You can't actually buy a poor quality hard disk mechanism, the only differences are access speeds these days. Given that data transfer is crippled by the relative slowness of USB, it doesn't really matter what the mechanism inside is.

As for the outside part, I have a soft spot for the Western Digital MyBook range, as they stand upright (like a Book!) and take up less space than most.

If opting for a small unit containing a 2.5" hard disk (laptop size) bear in mind that although perfectly good, they are much more fragile than a 3.5" device. In other words, you stand less chance of it surviving being dropped on the floor (not that you'd intend to, of course!) The upside of small devices, as mentioned previously, is they don't require an external power supply.

I use both types, a Mybook 500gig unit, and a tiny non-branded 2.5" device with a 200gig drive in it.

Speed-wise, eSATA will be hands-down the fastest data transfer followed a long way behind by USB2.

I'm happy in a Tamron-related way this evening - just found my ancient and trusty Tamron 80-210/3.8-4 languishing in a shoe box in the wardrobe that's full of my "just in case" stuff. I loved that lens, saved my overtime money for months to buy it. Wrapped up with it was a couple more 35mm Flektogons (ten-a-penny in the 90s), another 135mm Sonnar (stunning lens), a Pentax-M 50/2 (damn, just bought one on ebay last week!), a Russian Flektogon copy (Mir-1 from late 50s) and the Industar 50/3.5 that I've been hunting high and low for.

It was a bit like rediscovering old friends

...so I have no excuse not to go and take some photos I 'spose

Yes of course it does

I'm liking the quality of the 18-55 Mk1, but I dislike the stiff 'jerky' operation of the zoom ring. Have I just got a dog or are they all like that? It would possibly be fair to add that I tend to judge lens handling by all my old metal lenses that are smooth and gorgeous by comparison. Yes, gorgeous is a technical term

Ooh, I was wondering what to do this evening, think I'll have a play! My second ever night exposure:




K100D + Cosinon 55/1.4, 15s @ f16, ISO 800. Gave it a slight tint and contrast increase for a kind of mono feel. Illumination was from a single 60w bulb under the car port.

Nothing worth writing home about, but I feel inspired for more after dark photography!

Starting to fairly seriously think about a K-m as spec-wise it suits me just fine. I'm wondering if anyone has one that regularly uses older manual lenses. 90% of what I do involves old manual PK and M42 and wanted to know of any issues. Probably a bit soon to know the problems though.

Welcome Greytop! I'm a bit jealous of your Oly. I like small cameras, and Oly take a bit beating in the size/performance stakes

Enjoy the K20d