I've heard it's not all that great actually so you better send it on to me instead. I've got a nice M50/1.7 I'll swap you for it..?

I never realised they were quite so compact!

I have to say that I fundamentally disagree with this statement - sorry!

Nobody knows what they're doing the first time they try something - we all make mistakes and we learn from them, for many (like me) that's actually the fun part!

If you can bag an old lens off eBay for a couple of quid then there's really nothing to lose - if you can fix it then you've got a lens for a bargain price, if you can't then the small amount you've paid in cash can be offset against the lesson you learn (hey, education costs! ).

If the lens in question was something of high value like an FA*200 Macro then I'd agree that the cleaning would be best left to experts, but if it's something like an old Helios 44M (for example) I'd say go for it - you never know unless you try!

I do concur that the fungus could be anywhere, although from experience (I've bought a lot of fungus ridden lenses at knock-down prices over the years) it's usually on the edge of a glass element. If it's got between a cemented pair of elements then I'd say forget it - trying to seperate them to get at the fungus will be nigh on impossible. I've been lucky in so far that I've more often had lenses where the fungus has been on a single element and therefore relatively easy to get at. Your mileage may vary...

A couple of tips:

While you disassemble the lens you'll probably find it helpful to take photos as you go along - referring back to them is a great way of not ending up with "spare parts" when you've put it all back together again.

Also, work over a smooth surface with a big lip (I use a cake tin) because small parts have a habit of appearing and disappearing as you move along. Most lenses will contain at least one tiny ball bearing (for the aperture ring click stops) which I guarantee will make a bid for freedom by heading for the nearest carpeted area - never to be seen again.

Good luck anyway!

In addition to the screwdrivers (and use good quality ones, not the cheapo ones you get in general purpose tool kits) you'll probably - depending on the lens in question - need some sort of ring wrench. You can sometimes improvise with things like rubber bungs from the ends of walking sticks etc.

As for removing fungus, there are some good tips here on different methods to try, although if it's etched into the glass itself then there's probably little you can do.

Good luck!

Hello *waves*

Welcome to the forum - excellent photos!

My two favourite things: cameras and cars. I've been drooling over Caterhams for about as long as I can remember so I loved your albums, more of the same please!

While $800 does sound steep, compared to the prices well-used FA*85's fetch it almost seems like a giveaway!

I use PS5 (and used PS3 before it ) and they've all had the ability to convert between RGB and CMYK files. John's right in saying that the results will look the same on your monitor, however, Photoshop allows you to view a "Gamut Warning" on the RGB file that will show you the areas that can't be accurately reproduced in CMYK (a bit like the flashing areas of under/over exposure warning that are on the camera).

I still find that my ancient copy of Photoshop can do 99% of the tricks that the latest versions can do and can be had for a song on eBay etc. The only thing it really lacks is the ability to open RAW files (of any description) as it pre-dates the digital camera revolution. Hence I use the bundled Pentax software for conversions and if I need to work on a particular file further then I save as a TIFF and open that in PS instead. Actually not as inconvenient as it sounds!

Cropping the bumper aside, I do like the angle, the colours and the way you avoided your own reflection in the chromework - not always an easy thing to do with these subjects!

Bravo!

I've used the K10D in a thunderstorm (trying to catch pictures of lightning and failing miserably) with a non-weathersealed lens and neither camera nor lens were any the worse for it, however, it was my "cheap" DA18-55 kit lens - not one of my precious primes...

The only precaution I took was to stick the lens through a hole in a plastic bag and secure it with elastic bands - this did an effective job of keeping water away from the lens mount (as mentioned above; the area that's not protected unless you're using a sealed lens).

The K10D (and K20D) seem to be able to take quite a bit of punishment in their stride but don't be tempted to put one *under* water; they're sealed against moisture not pressure.