You're dead right. I got three sets of 36 prints back from Jessops on Friday and they are awful. The colour has a greenish tint to it and the pictures are grainy and lack detail across the entire focal range. Anyone would think I took them with a 35mm throwaway, in fact similar ones my friend took with his digital Pentax Optio when we went to Switzerland are far better. I think my problem is down to the film. I was using Jessops Diamond 200 because a new roll is included in the cost each time you have a film developed by them. I have had the same problem before with this film but never with Fuji or Kodak. Can anyone recommend somewhere that does good digital prints from 35mm film but doesn't include giving out junk film as part of the cost?

Thanks for your comments gents. Now does anyone know what the various letters after the lens width mean? All I've ever needed to know in the past is whether or not it's an "A" fit!

I do mostly landscapes and buildings and usually take 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 50mm and 100mm lenses when I go out because I prefer fixed focus to zooms. Based on the adverts I have seen in the magazines, Pentax don’t do many digital lenses and the small number they do make are mainly zooms. Choice of lenses would be very important if I bought a digital SLR and from what John wrote earlier it seems my lenses would not cover the range I want. I would use them as a back-up but not all the time, so unless Pentax introduced more lenses I think I would go for one of the Canons or Nikons that are similar in size and weight to the *ist.

I will carry on with my 35mm equipment until it’s no longer possible. When I change to digital, what will I need to replace these lenses?

15mm
20mm
24mm
28mm
50mm
100mm
135mm
200mm
300mm

These are all Pentax PKA lenses and from what I have read so far, their value is decreasing by the minute.

I haven’t looked into buying digital equipment and I know very little about it. However, I will not be buying anything like those big Nikon boxes.

I have had problems when trying to contact Jessops. A lot of their stores have an 0845 telephone number which gives a choice of options. The High Street Belfast branch had a lens I was interested in, so I tried the number five times. Twice it redirected me to the fax machine, and three times I got a message telling me they were busy and was then cut off. If ever you call someone and don’t get through but instead they cut you off, you will realise how annoying it is. I won’t be using any branch of Jessops for used items again.

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately, I took the back off and tried to fix it myself (I wasn’t going to pay again) and lost a microscopic copper-coloured spring. I think it fell inside. When I tried to find it by unscrewing more parts another spring I hadn’t noticed got bent and broke off so it was time to give up. I think I found the problem, though. Screwed into the inside were two metal leaf blades that pressed up against the aperture ring and sprung out when I took the ring off. One stuck out much more than the other, so I unscrewed it and bent it back slightly. Then I lost the spring and broke another so it was all a disaster, but I have another 50mm/1.7A and a 50mm/f2.0A anyway, so I was prepared to take the risk.

Does anyone know what is causing this problem: I have a Pentax-A 50mm/f1.7 lens that came with a Super Program body I bought last year. Externally the lens is in excellent condition. However, turning the aperture ring is a difficult job. It sticks, and when I try to turn it, it grinds. Turning it one stop is often impossible and it feels like it is locked into the “A” setting when it is not. I paid £36 to have it repaired, which I now regret, because it improved temporarily but is now worse. Having it repaired again is not something I would consider. I will either put up with it or bin it and buy another.

I just came across this topic because I was looking to see if there were any comments on zoom lenses in the 35-70mm format.

I have just bought a Pentax-A 35-70mm f3.5-4.5 lens on eBay but I have not yet taken any pictures with it, as I am unimpressed. I cannot fault its condition, as it is excellent-plus. However, it has a loose feel and the front of the lens barrel wobbles when trying to focus. For some reason it will focus on a distant object as much as half a centimetre before the focusing ring gets to the infinity mark. When I turn it all the way to the mark, the image is out of focus. When viewed through the split-screen in the viewfinder a vertical object is completely out of line.

Has anyone else experienced this problem with this particular lens type? I am wondering whether it is a fault with my lens or just a design fault with all these lenses.

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Hello guest. Sorry I can't help you on this, but that's because you are me before I logged in.