Numer two is a great composition - I have some ancient SFX 200 somewhere - did you use any filtration?

Lens wise: An S-M-C-Tak 20/4.5 & Lenny's Super-Tak 85/1.9 (both filling gaps in my Tak line-up).

Body wise: a K-1 (about time my FA lenses had some exercise).

Rangefinder wise: Zorki 4K & Jupiter 8 (well it's got a 'K' in the name).

To make room, I'm busy shooting test rolls through other bodies before selling them on - P30, P50, A3000, possibly a Spotty and maybe some more...

Welcome to the forum, as mentioned above, we'd love to see some images.

John.

By chance, I've stumbled upon a copy of 'Buying Cameras' from June 1992 (£1.75) with a mini-review of this lens (simply don't ask how..). On the cover we've got "Close-up Answers', 'Glamour Answers' (of course), 'How to take pin-sharp pictures' and 'Buying Answers'. In the news section we have the Leica APO-TELYT-R 400mm f/2.8 at a 'whopping' £8750 (inclusive of VAT - phew!) - remember these are 1992 £'s.

We also have a full page advert for the Pentax Zoom90-WR under a running tap "Under conditions like these other cameras break. Ours snaps." and 5 (yes five) advert pages for the Z-1 and a dealers list of those who stock it (hundreds). On the back cover is an advert for the Konica Aiborg (google it).

In 'Close Contenders' we have the mini review of the Vivitar Series 1 105mm f/2.8 (£230): "This typical Series 1 offering provides a first rate optical performance and good handling. The 105mm focal length means you can work at a fair distance from your subjects and still get frame-filling shots. The lens produces life size reproduction without the need for add-ons."

The data section at the back has the following:
Pentax K1000 (£160): Rock solid beast will outlive many of its competitors
Pentax Z-1 (£550): The best Pentax AF SLR to date.
Pentax LX (£630): The only true professional choice from Pentax.

I wouldn't necessarily knock the experience & knowledge you'll get (either for weddings specifically or more generally) by doing more (assuming it's worth the effort). Any opportunity to do something new or different will improve your understanding of photography. Working with a pro is much better than being suckered* into a costly training programme with a fake certificate for shooting a fake wedding simply to produce a fake 'portfolio' to pretend to have experience...

* I'm not suggesting anyone on here would fall for this, but every photo show has countless stands pushing this crap to anyone with grand expectations of being the next 'must have wedding shooter'... ruining countless happy couple's special day...

£600 ish - plus postage, credit card dollar exchange fee, duty, 20% VAT and handling charge and a two week wait while it's in customs waiting for the letter to arrive...

Thanks Chris. Mine arrived this morning (and to think I nearly put my FA20-35 up for sale!). Before the K-1 arrived I bought a selection of FA lenses in anticipation but was side-tracked, first by a P67 and then a 645D (and some lenses)...

To repeat others comments, my answer is always 'No', I did one once as an informal favour (which worked out OK) - SFXn, FA28-80 & AF240FT.

I don't think there's any problem with the gear (or the photographer), it's just an impossible ask - very sharp, clear, vibrant photos where there's movement under dim-ish lighting without flash. If f/2.8 zooms don't work, you're out of options as (unless you're in total control) you'd need some flexibility of framing.

It's mostly about prep: meeting the families, scouting the location, being there in good time, lists of 'must have' photo's (knowing about that long lost relative from Australia), being able to command the situation (one reason why Medium Format gear was so helpful in the film days), organising batteries & SD cards in sequence etc. Shooting should be second nature along with the ability to work-round any gear limitations, having some creative ideas in your back pocket should something go wrong (weather, distracting background etc).

I appreciate Vic's comments, admittedly the gear is much more productive than 'the old days' but also 'expectations' are higher. From what I've seen there's a general _appearance_ of upping the game (to charge more I presume) by having teams of photographers shooting in a 'documentary' style (often in mono - with/without colour popping), custom photo books and anything else being peddled at wedding fairs & photo shows.

Edit: If I was looking to do it professionally, I'd be considering a 645D/Z system - the next bride getting married will remember the photographer with the big camera far longer than what the photos look like. In this day & age of smartphones & social media - most participants probably never see the official photos. The bride & groom will already be bored of them before they see the official photos and just want one one for the mantle piece (and that custom photo book that will be languishing in the loft in six months time).

I have one of these, having the original front hood is very important because a generic one is very unlikely to fit.

Edit: For 'hood' read 'cap'.

Aviation is a funny one, altitude is in feet, speed in knots & Mach, visibility in metres, distance in Nm, fuel volume is measured by weight and drinks are often measured by the Oz.

Similar examples are when they use both but round one up/down incorrectly: "1000lb (455Kg) WWII bomb destroyed by controlled explosion in . The 455Kg (986lb) bomb was detained by the Army's bomb disposal team..."