The Lincs Aviation Heritage Centre have organised three Lancs with Just Jane taxing and PA474 & VERA doing a flypast: link

I had a Z-1p for a while, I never used the 'pano' feature and taped over the switch in case I activated it accidentally (I don't think it blanked off the finder - just displayed a warning on the LCD). There was a focusing screen with the pano frame lines I think. My Espio mini blanked off the finder with LCD bars top and bottom IIRC.

In the day 'pano' prints were a big thing (around the time of the APS film format) and sometimes they'd print panos larger (12"x4" or thereabouts) and charging double for them. A Fuji compact I had with a pano setting came with 'pano' stickers to tell the lab you were shooting that way.

Now, on an old camera, I'd be concerned one of the masks might get stuck or jam the shutter.

Across the web there will be similar threads in countless forums all discussing this subject, the original blogger would be proud.

My take on this is that there are bad cameras - ones that are inconsistent in one way or another - i.e. the fleabay bargains with wonky shutters, overlapping frames and dodgy light seals. Now (since probably the '70s) it's very rare to get a new camera like this (Holga's etc. excepted), although some of the Russian/Chinese gear was a bit wonky into the '80s.

The rest is largely down to personal choice, some cameras are better than others for particular jobs, environments or users. Pros started using DSLRs when they hit the mighty heights of 6MP. People shot war & sports successfully way before AE, AF and digital arrived. Most of the 'sports' shots I see now are those really taxing ones like the football manager with his hands on is head/mouthing off to the ref. or the runner collapsed on the track/draped in the flag at the end of the race.

Every AF system since the ME-F has claimed you'll never take an out of focus shot again, and each new generation re-affirms that it is better than its predecessors. Anybody complaining about high ISO noise (or yellow noise in the blacks) at anything over ISO 3200 should remember the fastest colour film was generally ISO 1600 and very few people needed to use that.

The biggest single factor with my shots that don't work out is composition. It's not usually the complicated things that let you down, but the simple things you are fully in control of (or should be).

The P50 has two program modes 'Action' (running man) and 'Depth' (mountains) displayed as pictograms on the LCD and also had Manual mode. It was the first camera to have pictogram program modes.

There should be a small triangular grip attached to the front left (as seen from the front) which has to be removed to fit the winder. The winder in the photo is a 3rd party MEII clone (probably Jessops branded with a crude intervalometer). The camera will also take the Motordrive-A (approx. 3fps).

The camera, if in good condition, is better than (say) an ME Super, is mostly metal with a decent finder, but sadly not likely to be worth more than £30.

The light meter might generate some interest on ebay from the 'hipsters' but they were cheap when new. The Cobra flash looks dedicated (multiple pins on the hotshoe), if this is for Pentax (likely) it may be a D400. The D400 is a good flash for the camera and all Pentax SLRs, especially the 'A' series film SLRs.

Rather than sell it straight away, I'd be tempted to run a film through it first.

Hope this helps.

John.

The lenses are usually available but you have to know what you're looking at. A lot of sellers don't realise it's a PZ lens as the zoom collar clicking isn't too intuitive. The 'PA>AS' switch cover is a weak point and many (most?) have probably broken by now and are usually taped up (it doesn't affect operation on non-Z series cameras).

I've shot so much old film (or waited years before developing it) I wouldn't worry about it. For important shots I'd suggest the Ilford lab: link, let them know it's old film and they'll be able to help.

John.

IIRC all the first FA zooms were PZ lenses (28-80, 28-105 & 100-300) to compliment the PZ features of the Z-1 & Z-10. It was only later that FA zooms were available without the PZ functionality.

The lenses are just marked 'FA' but with 'Power Zoom' visible on the top when in PZ mode. The zoom collar clicked forward/back to switch between PZ & manual zoom mode. There was also an additional switch and button (marked 'PA>ZS') to activate the zoom clip, zoom memory & zoom during exposure offered by the Z series.

The PZ works at 3 speeds depending how far you rotated the zoom collar. In manual zoom mode, it feels a bit rough compared to a manual zoom but is fully usable on any PK camera (assuming FA lenses). The basic PZ functionality works on my K-5 and I guess on any camera with the SDM contacts, the Z series zoom modes only work on those bodies. When you turn the camera off, the lens zooms to it's smallest physical length. Apart from being slightly heavier, they work perfectly fine on any PK camera.

It was of limited use, especially given that it drained (the then expensive) lithium non-rechargeable battery (2CR5) quickly. With current batteries this would be negligible. The consistent speed of the zoom might work well for video apart from the noise if using an on-camera microphone.

The Z series zoom modes can be summarised as:
- Zoom clip: set 1 or 2 focal lengths and select at the press of a button.
- zoom burst: zoom during exposure (longish exposures).
- auto zoom: Set a subject magnification and it would zoom to compensate if the distance changed.
- portrait mode: pick head & shoulders or full length and it would zoom according to the subject distance.

John.

The 'Asahi Pentax' push on lens caps are probably for sale for about £15 on a popular online auction site, I think it's one from a SMC-Takumar M42 lens.

It's a great price for the camera, my K2 needs repairing and I'm tempted but I also have an LX that needs servicing...

The Pentax FA Power Zoom lenses had the K-AF2 mount (screw-drive AF mount with Power Zoom [now the SDM/DC] contacts). The Pentax PZ lenses will power zoom on my K-5, but they don't use the 'zoom clip/burst' modes that the Z series film SLRs offered.

As for Sigma lenses - anything's possible, it could be a lens with power zoom, or just a screw-drive AF lens. 'PA-Z' was not a Pentax designation so this is likely Sigma's own name for a Pentax AF mount produced around the time of the Z-series SLRs (early-mid'90s).

You may have found this out by now, but you don't 'rewind' roll film, it moves from the loaded spool to the take-up spool (like a reel to reel tape recorder). You then seal the roll with the 'tape' attached to the end (some films are self-adhesive others you have to lick the back like an envelope) and swap the empty spool to be the new take-up spool.

John.