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It appears that everyone seems to have their favourites. The Super-A is very good (I've had three and sold one, still have two - only one still works). It's manual mode feels clunky to me, which wouldn't be an issue if it had an AE lock. Oh and wearing a cap throws the viewfinder LCDs into darkness...

I don't have an ME Super (but do have an MEF with broken AF sensors), it is a very good camera (better in manual than the Super-A) and most likely to fall within your budget because there are loads of them about.

I'd suggest avoiding the ME, MV1, MG, A3 as they have limited manual modes, likewise the P30 (no Aperture Priority) but the P30N/T do.

Another option is an MZ-M (manual focus version of the MZ AF range). This does have some advantages - it will (with the battery grip) run off AA batteries, it does have an AE lock, it's DOF preview does work properly with the lens on 'A', you get Manual, Av, Tv and P exposure modes and it has the 'classic' control layout (but not build) and the finder is a penta-mirror arrangement.

Hi, the three you mention are probably the best options to consider based on availability. Personally I'd also consider a P50 purely because it has an AE lock. Using a centre-weighted only camera in aperture priority having got used to Hyper modes fills me with dread - I haven't a clue how I used to do it?

That said, my choice would be a K1000, the reasoning follows:
1) You will be buying an old camera with uncertain history, many of the electronic cameras I have bought off ebay have had various electronic faults (not necessarily immediately apparent).
2) The MX is a great camera but more expensive, I have two but they feel too delicate compared to my K1000s.
3) I've two K1000s (both bought off ebay - one for £15). They both work despite not perfect seals, they're built like tanks (even the ones with plastic top/base plates) and I never worry about losing/damaging them.

The only real negative is that focussing and metering in low light is difficult (there's no split image only a ground glass circle and the metering isn't particularly sensitive in low light).

Does it have to be Pentax? There are loads of K mount ME-Super & K1000 clones out there from Cosina, Miranda, Vivitar and others and various Ricoh bodies of similar spec.

John.

Buying the bag was more to give me a smaller, more versatile bag than my camera bag than concerns over security in Madeira. Something to put my binoculars, phone, water etc. in while on days out. The old bag is a worn out, black, 'old fashioned' camera bag which is pretty useless for anything else (and particularly bulky with all the padding and accessory pockets). I'd have filled it with gear and wanted to travel light. Equally, my traveling partner would have been dismayed by the sight of it (and would probably have been right).

I flew Jet2.com - 10Kg hand baggage and put the bag in a larger bag for the flight.

I've started to put some images in the gallery, with more uploaded to flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/john-halliwell/sets/72157633162006166/

I'm considering a wider lens - not the 15mm (it didn't seem to offer much more over the wide end of the 17-70).

John.

Hi All,

I'm just back from a trip to Madeira and thought I'd share a few observations from the trip. This is the first time I considered traveling with only one body and one lens (K-5 & DA 17-70) - it was a holiday and I was originally only going to take a compact until the day before.

As I didn't want to take an obvious camera bag (and my only option was too big, too old and too tatty), I randomly bought a smallish bag the day before the trip (National Geographic NG2346 Midi Messenger). I bought this blind (i.e. without trying it for size) and it was ideal for the body & lens together (lens hood reversed). It wouldn't take the battery grip attached to the camera - I decided to leave it at home.

When packing the kit I didn't think to take any other lenses, I wouldn't have taken any primes, but after the aggro of packing, hand baggage weight limits and traveling were over, I did feel I could have taken my Sigma 70-300 - which would also fit in the bag but not when mounted. I missed a lens longer than 70mm on a few occasions, and a couple of shots would have benefited by a wider lens (I don't have one).

Once at the hotel, the K-5 & 17-70 together would only just fit into the safe, next time I'll take a body/lens cap pair so I can separate them. I could have done with a polariser (I don't have a circular one), but otherwise I didn't really miss anything else although I finished the trip with only 50 shots remaining in the SD card (finding them whilst on holiday over Easter wasn't easy).

Photos of the trip were the usual mixed bag of the good, the missed and the average. The gear performed well as expected and being able to take the grip off made it much more travel friendly.

I hope this is of interest/use to somebody.

John.

Hi, I've just returned from a holiday where the only lens I took (K-5) was my DA 17-70 (I haven't used the other lenses listed). For that purpose it was a great choice (perhaps a tad short when I wanted more reach...), as an 'all-round' lens it worked very well.

I find the SDM so much nicer to use than the screw-drive lenses I have (F 50/1.7, FA 28-80 & Sigma 70-300). Some might tolerate the noise of the screw-drive lenses more than I, but once I'd seen (heard) the difference, I think it compliments the K-5 very well. As it's SDM only, if you have other bodies this might be a consideration.

As has been mentioned it is quite bulky, if traveling as an only lens, I'd recommend taking a body/lens cap pair so you can separate them if needed (i.e. to fit in a hotel room safe) - my K-5 (no grip) & 17-70 only just fitted into a safe as a unit.

I only use the genuine adapters, although I don't understand why they are now so expensive. I bought mine in the '90s when new from Pentax they were £20 ish. Obviously a lot has happened since then, and bringing new life into the M42s is now more prominent with web auction sites provide a world-wide market. I can remember trying to give away good lenses in the '90s and nobody wanted them at all (fortunately for me).

I understand wanting to keep the adapter on the lens may have advantages, but you're risking jamming something unless you check the adapter is mounted correctly to the lens before doing so - minimising the advantage to some degree.

For Sale: Pentax MV1 instruction booklet. Reasonable condition (slight coffee ring on the front cover - TORCH, GLOVES & JEANS written on the back).

£5 with UK postage (paypal as a gift preferred).

John.

When I tried to watch it it continually restarted (I doubt I got 3 minutes in). However I have to agree that film is great and a K1000 is a great camera to shoot with.