Clarky's sending the Voigtlander over did you say?

Does that mean yours is for sale?

I think the 35 + 77 are a good choice for travelling light - I'd rather carry them than bulky zooms personally.

Of your remaining lenses I'd possibly consider the 16-45 for the wider shots, but if you're happy stitching then I don't think it's absolutely neccessary.

People managed for years with just a 50mm and a 135mm on their film cameras - your two serve much the same purpose.

This is an easy one - it doesn't exist.

There are fast and sharp lenses out there but they aren't cheap (three or sometimes even four figures).

There are fast and cheap lenses out there but they lack image quality.

There are cheap lenses with good IQ but they're slow wide open.

Take your pick of which two features you need the most because you won't get all three I'm afraid.

Quick run down of Pentax lenses:

DA: Current designed for digital lenses, cover an APS-C sensor, no aperture ring (aperture control from body only). Autofocus.

D-FA: Current lenses designed for digital or film, cover 35mm, with aperture ring (aperture controlled by camera *or* lens). Autofocus.

FA: Previous range designed for film, cover 35mm, with aperture ring (aperture controlled by camera *or* lens). Autofocus.

FA-J: Previous range designed for film, cover 35mm, no aperture ring (aperture controlled by body only). Autofocus.

F: Previous range designed for film, cover 35mm, with aperture ring (aperture controlled by camera *or* lens). Autofocus.

A: Previous range designed for film, cover 35mm, with aperture ring (aperture controlled by camera *or* lens). Manual focus.

M: Previous range designed for film, cover 35mm, with aperture ring (aperture controlled by lens only). Manual focus.

K: Previous range designed for film, cover 35mm, with aperture ring (aperture controlled by lens only). Manual focus.

M42: Screw mount lenses used with an adapter. Aperture set by lens only. Manual focus.

In addition there are "*" and "Limited" lenses in some of the ranges which represent the top-of-the-range models.

All these lenses will work on any Pentax DSLR. Pentax cameras with a "crippled" mount (all DSLR's) lack the mechanical feeler to allow open aperture metering with the K and M series lenses, but you can set exposure using stop down metering instead.

For a full run down with more detail have a look at Bojidar's website - the Bible of all things Pentax K mount.

I bought a joblot of tripods/monopods/heads at auction for a snip and the Benbo is the one I'm keeping. I think it's a Model 1 but it's certainly quite an old one (made by Kennett Engineering - the original manufacturers). I took it out this afternoon and shot some photos of it to illustrate my points above:

Up against a high wall

[IMG]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/hefty1969/Benbo%20tripod/R0011531.jpg[/IMG]

Up alongside a low wall

[IMG]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/hefty1969/Benbo%20tripod/R0011532.jpg[/IMG]

Laying alongside me "sniper style"

[IMG]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/hefty1969/Benbo%20tripod/R0011534.jpg[/IMG]

Overall height at full extension

[IMG]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/hefty1969/Benbo%20tripod/R0011538.jpg[/IMG]

I'm still keeping the 055 too though...

I spotted the listing when it was live but didn't bother watching it as I just assumed it would go for silly money - gutted!

Shame we can't see the identity of winning bidders on eBay any more - I've a feeling this one's probably from Australia and called Clarky...

Have a look at enlarging lenses - there are plenty about and they don't fetch very high prices these days. They are naturals on a bellows as they are designed to have a very flat field of focus, hence making perfect macro lenses.

Most enlarging lenses have a 37mm thread, some use a 25mm thread (like my Schneider Componon). I bought a pair of step-down rings (M42->M37 and M37->25mm) fairly cheaply which between them let me mount just about anything.

As for focal length I find lenses between 50mm and 100mm to be the most useful range - the shorter lengths will provide the greatest magnification but the longer ones provide a more comfortable working distance, so it's all about finding a compromise that suits your subjects really.

It's not the central column that's the problem, it's the three legs that are fixed at 120 degree angles to one another (which is true of all tripods except those of the Benbo / Uniloc design).

To give an example, if I wanted to take a photo of something at the base of a wall then a traditional tripod will only let me get so near before (at least one of) the legs hit that wall and I can go no further in. Moving the centre column to a horizontal position will allow me to push the camera further but at the same time you lose a lot of rigidity (the further the camera is from the centre of the tripod the more it tends to flap around with the slightest touch). With a Benbo design all three legs (and the central column) are moved independently so I could arrange to either have the front two legs splayed at 180 degrees or even pointing up and supported by the wall itself, with the camera always close to the centre and hence very rigid.

Another example of where I've found this design to be helpful is where I have been laying on the ground taking low-level photos. With my Manfrotto it was never very comfortable as to get the camera to my eye I always seemed to have to lay across at least one leg; with the Benbo I can splay the legs out alongside me and have the camera sat slightly offset - much more comfortable!

If you have a shop near you that stocks a wide range of tripods I would recommend taking your camera down there and trying a few out before actually buying one, that way you'll have a better "feel" for what each does and how easy they are to use.

That tab is present on all older K-mount lenses and was used by cameras such as your KM to determine which aperture had been selected. Later bodies (including the digital ones) don't have the "feeler" to locate the tab but it won't foul anything either.

Judging by the photo I seen nothing to suggest that the lens won't work perfectly well on your K-7. You'll need to activate the custom menu option that allows use of an aperture ring, then the camera will need to be used in (M)anual mode with stop-down metering.

Maybe the person who told you it would jam wanted to sell you a new lens..?