I've got a black K2 (shutter only fires at the sync speed), a chrome KX (broken light meter), a black KX and a couple of K1000s... oh and K series 17mm FE, 28/3.5, 35/3.5, 50/1.4 & 55/2 lenses to go with them (and a M50/2 for the later K1000). Beautiful cameras all of them.

Hi bjolester. I was surprised by your image, certainly not 'muted colours' and that started me digging into the differences between the current 'Portra' which has replaced the older 'Portra NC' (natural colours) and 'Portra VC' (vidid colours) films.

It turns out that Portra 160, 400 & 800 have different characteristics from this Kodak link: link

Thanks for posting a correction, it has helped me look at Portra in a different light.

John.

Hi Louise,

I'm more familiar with the old 'Focus on imaging' show, but from my experience last year the two are similar.

It sounds like you're approaching things in the right way. The sessions are probably the most useful parts of the show, followed by any exhibitions of photos that will be on display. The best advice I can give is to get involved, decide in advance who you want to talk to and get as much info as you can from them.

Be wary though. A lot of the exhibitors will offer 'show offers', some of these are genuinely good, others are not. You will probably find a lot of stands offering tuition, training, photo holidays or wedding/portrait 'qualifications' - think very carefully before spending significant amounts on these.

Most visitors will be showing off their cameras along with a suitably catchy title on their show passes pretending to be a pro. As I found out last year, taking photos of anything in the show is fair game, trying to get a shot of the outside of the NEC may upset the security guards...

Be wary of presentations on some manufacturers stands. I witnessed one last year which was basically - "I was an amateur with an APS-C camera using only 'P' mode, then I discovered I could switch it away from 'P' mode and became an instant pro using full frame gear".

Have fun and enjoy the show.

John.

It's more about which film is best for the image you want to capture (and meets your budget).

For mono I almost exclusively use Ilford FP4+ (ISO 125) or Ilford HP5+ (ISO 400), Kentmere 100 is a good budget choice but some find Kentmere 400 is a bit grainy. If you have a scanner you can save quite a bit by developing mono film yourself (it's not that difficult, doesn't require much equipment and is hugely rewarding).

For colour print, Kodak Porta is great for skin tones/portraits but can give muted colours and might not be ideal for landscape (I quite like the colours myself). Ektar 100 is a very good option for punchy colours and fine grain, but it requires good processing to get the best out of it.

For colour (chrome & C41) I use Peak Imaging (Sheffield) and for mono I use the Ilford Lab Direct (Mobberly). I don't get prints - only processing & scanning.

In my original post, for 'cropping' please replace with 'framing' - better to have plenty of space around the frame than cut something off at the edge of the frame.

It depends how close to the race you'll be (I'd imagine you could be very close), especially the bit about 'coming at me and whilst they move past at speed'. I'd go for a wide-angle in the 15-20mm range - more depth of field and more scope for cropping in a chaotic environment, possibly using flash if that works for the riders. If you're close (within 15 feet), AF tracking probably won't be fast enough no matter which lens you go for.

Old school analogue chimping: link although I'm not sure if the SV supported it.

Seriously, Kodak made an analogue chimping camera, the APS film Advantix Preview: link which had a digital display of the last shot so you could decide whether you needed to retake it.

If you weren't shooting Pentax the answer would be simple - better gear doesn't help much, it's more about preparation, technique, practice, perseverance and attention to detail. As you do shoot Pentax, a OGPS-1 and compatible camera likely makes things a whole lot easier (unless you look at the 'astro-tracking' mounts other cameras users have to use).

Most of the effort is finding the right location away from light pollution (or at least street lights etc.), finding a photogenic piece of sky to aim at and then practicing and honing your technique. The more you practice the better you'll get. You should get familiar with the stars (if you're not familiar get an astronomy magazine or star map) so you know which one's are in your shots

Most of the really good shots you'll see on the web have been taken with precision camera tracking platforms that amateur astronomers have paid thousands for (along with years of experience of using and aligning them precisely). They will probably have then been heavily stacked/processed, again with years of experience.

Most importantly, share your shots & technique, inspire others and look for constructive criticism and new ideas.

Lastly, for star trials consider a mechanical film SLR - no noise, no stacking and no batteries needed.

John.

Good news. When I saw this thread I was surprised, the AF coupler has been bullet proof in all my AF film SLRs (some over 20yrs old) and my K-5, I've never heard of similar problems (two in two cameras seemed a bit strange).