I don't think there's ever been a written rule stating that pictures must be shot with Pentax equipment, just an unwritten understanding that those shot with other brands are disqualified from actually winning (although in the past a couple of non-Pentax/Samsung winners have slipped through the net). Nothing's changed as far as I can tell, you can still enter non-Pentax pics and receive critique on them but you won't be considered for a podium spot.

Which seems fair in a Pentax weekly competition...

I had a Vivitar 400/5.6 in TX mount which I sold on eBay earlier in the year. This was the only shot I took of it that shows the lens side of the mount - it looks similar to yours but not quite the same to me, might be just the different viewing angles though.

[IMG]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/hefty1969/IMGP5958.jpg[/IMG]

Now get yourself an M42 adapter and you can use it on you K-m. Add some extension tubes (M42 ones are cheaper and easier to find than K mount) and you'll find it's a lens that's very well suited to macro work.

Nice judging Mike and thank you for the highly coveted second place.

And well done to Aiki, my favourite too. Looks like the weather in Estonia has been better than here in the UK in the last two weeks!

Yes, his older work was. He was previously sponsored by Canon and then "poached" by Pentax (putting him in an envious position of not having to pay for equipment). Now he is sponsored by nobody but continues to use Pentax equipment which is paid for out of his own pocket.

Which all rather goes to prove what I was saying; I'm sure you could give Ben a Casio point&click (no offence Casio owners) and he'd still come up with the goods because of his talent, not the equipment he uses.

Take bits off and prod them - my personal favourite method of camera repair

The lens you speak of sounds like the Tessar. Not the best in the world wide open but a little stunner once it's down to around f/4-5.6, really nice colours and negligible distortion too. Plus being a Tessar it's small and light and this particular example has a front element that is recessed far enough to never have to bother with a lens hood - overall you should find it a pleasure.

I think you'll find that for most "normal" eventualities Pentax glass is quite able to hold its own against Canon and Nikon. In fact I'd go as far as to say it can hold its own against Zeiss and Leica too.

I think the problem here is in the perception of what makes a "pro". If you mean someone who shoots wildlife, sports or topless Z-list celebrities from a distance of a mile away then yes, those people are almost certainly going to be using Canon or Nikon equipment as they are the only two companies that supply those long fast lenses. But these people only make up a tiny proportion of "pro" photographers; for every paparazi out there stalking the latest Big Brother reject there are hundreds of wedding, portrait, fashion, landscape, product, forensic, medical, astronomical, fine art, etc pros who simply don't need a 400mm f/2 lens!

For those (the vast majority of "pros") there is nothing in the Pentax line that is in any way inferior to the offerings of the big two. Pentax don't have the resources to cover every base lens-wise so it makes sense to concentrate on the sorts of optics that 95% of people actually want and - more importantly - buy.

It would be interesting to know how many of those who cite the reason for swapping systems as being "the availability of long fast lenses" actually then go on to shell out their hard earned cash on one of them? I'm guessing those that do are very much in the minority...

Rubber won't last forever and mould gets everywhere in the end - the best you can ever hope to do is prolong the life of equipment!

But you're quite safe in your assumption that you can freely mix your equipment - the unaffected won't go down the same road unless it's kept in similar conditions, and now you know what to avoid I very much doubt that's a mistake you'll be making.

As for cleaning equipment (cameras and lenses) I've always used lighter fluid and it's never let me down yet. Swab it on gently with cotton buds and polish off any residue with a microfibre cloth.

In that case it makes sense! Thankyou

Ben doesn't always come back to his posts but I'm sure he won't mind me saying he uses a K20D and several Pentax lenses. He's one of the few photographers I know of who've actually made a convincing case for the DA12-24 as a portrait lens - something I would never have dreamed of using it for! He also uses the Limited lenses to very good effect.

Ben is living proof that you can be a successful professional photographer and still use Pentax gear. What makes him a success isn't the equipment he uses but the skill and expertise that he has - something that we can all perhaps aspire to.