Bump

I've got an unbranded refconverter somewhere that fits M series viewfinder (no idea if it also reverses the view),

FS: Various film era lenses & bit's 'n pieces:

For sale, prices shown include UK postage (happy to bundle and adjust accordingly). Lenses have slight dust but no fungus inside them:

1) Pentax SFX(n) ever ready case (tatty): I didn't even know they made these until an SFX arrived in it: £10

2) SFX(n) AA Battery grip: The real deal (not mistaken for the 2CR5 grip): £25

3) Pentax F 70-210 f/4-5.6 (non-SMC, AF problem): When auto-focussing on my K-5, the focus rings sticks half-way through it's travel and the camera thinks it's hit the end-stop and refuses to drive it further. Manually focusing is OK - treat it as a manual focus KA lens: £20

4) Pentax FA 28-80 F/3.5-4.7 Power zoom lens (PZ A/S mode switch broken, tatty): Unfairly graded in the PentaxForums lens reviews IMHO (I think they're better than the later 'silver' FA versions). Zoom ring gives the impression of being gritty but they were all like that when new due to the PZ mechanism. Basic PZ function works on my K-5 & K-1: £20

Thanks for looking.

John.

Bump

Sadly my AF280T appears to have given up the ghost

Bit late to this one, but I also have this lens and hood, the hood on mine is also fiddly to attach - likewise, it will fit properly if you're careful to seat it properly.

Most independent 'KA' lenses are dual Pentax KA & Ricoh P (Program) mounts and have both sets of pins. This appears only to have the Ricoh pin. As above, the 'P' on the aperture ring is Ricoh's version of 'A' on KA lenses.

General wisdom from the web would suggest you need to remove the Ricoh pin. I have removed mine (see below). The profile of pins seems to vary by manufacturer from fairly 'sharp' to smooth & rounded (as does the 'sprung' mechanism pushing them out).

I'd recommend this procedure for removing it (takes 5 mins): link

John.

I wouldn't advise disassembly. You have to be extremely careful, the capacitors are huge and are able to store huge amounts of energy (usually at very high voltages). They store the trigger voltage for the tube (which is always hundreds of volts irrespective of the voltage across the hotshoe contacts).

Electrolytic capacitors are polarised (marked on the can), you need high quality and precise soldering anywhere near them. A 'normal' electrolytic capacitor is the size of two LR44 batteries, these things are the size of C cell batteries.

I had a tiddler flashgun stop working - GN 28, despite my attempts to drain the charge (the fault was between the TEST switch and the cap), I received a huge belt from the capacitor (along with beautiful iridescent blue sparks...).

I lost interest in 50mm lenses when I bought my 43 - the focal length suites my needs much better. The only advantage a 50mm gives me is a better 'portrait' length on APS-C. My needs may be more complicated as I shoot film and need an aperture ring.

From what I've read, the F/FA 50/1.7 have better flare control than the FA f/1.4 (the front element is recessed a bit) - then again a simple rubber hood fixes it. My experience suggests the F lenses AF slightly faster than FA lenses (less damping of the focussing ring) , but they give less feedback when manual focussing as a result.

It was a later branding of non-pro Ektachrome - I've an old roll somewhere branded as 'Ektachrome Elite' IIRC (different branding may have been used in the US). Mine didn't come with mailers. It went away with the rest of Ektachrome.

I much preferred Kodachrome, I shot roll after roll after roll - it was £7 for 36 exposures including processing.