I've got loads of lenses I'm unlikely to use but haven't got round to advertising. Mostly because they're low value or damaged and they're far better value for me as lenses than a few quid in my pocket:

FA28-80 (broken zoom switch), FA28-105 (broken zoom switch), countless M50/1.7s, an old Prinzflex 70-200, F70-210 (rough focusing ring) etc.

I had planned to swap out all my Ks, Ms and As with FAs - but predictably that didn't happen. When I think I could just have bought a set of FA Ltds and a couple of others instead and been happy.

I used to use lots of long zooms, but hardly need anything over 135mm these days apart from the odd airshow.

John.

It's not the stabilisation system that softens the images (unless the user sets the wrong focal length on a manual focus lens), it's the camera shaking about. The stabilisation system compensates for that - perhaps not perfectly but much better than none.

I've used lens based IS on the Canon Eos 5 (film SLR) and 28-135 IS lens years ago, can't remember much about it other than the queasy viewfinder image. It kind of appeared like a series of snapshots, steady for a few seconds then jumping to a slightly different position and steady for a few more seconds etc. I'm sure you'd get used to it if used a lot.

Body based IS works on any lens you stick on the front, no need to buy pricey, exotic and bulky/heavy glass. No need for Pentax to make IS and non-IS lens ranges. This is more important to me than how many 'effective' stops each might offer. Then there's the AstroTracer functionality...

John.

I followed the link and now have their ads wrapped all over my browser for this forum that said, their twitter feed makes interesting reading.

Prices of SMC-Takumar lenses have gone silly, mostly down the the mirrorless brigade wanting them. The Canon shooters are snapping up SMC-Tak 85/1.8s (40yr old manual focus lenses needing adapters) for much more than a new EF85/1.8 would cost - then raving about them.

Then again the new prices of some current lenses seem to jump/fall 20% every few weeks seemingly at random.

As a film shooter, the FA77 would be my choice.

For the camera body hardware maybe (most likely more though), but they've got the development/maintenance/marketing to pay for and I suspect a whole bunch of software (and IPR/patent) licenses to pay for too.

John.

Lovely collection of lenses you have there LennyBloke. I have the 17/4 FE, 28/3.5, 35/3.5, 50/1.4 & 55/2 and could do with something longer at some point (or dig out my SMC-Tak 105/2.. I looked at M & K 20mm options, but prices seemed too steep (not that the 17/4 FE was cheap!).

I'm mostly shooting film these days so the 'fiddle' factor isn't an issue.

Hi Jonathan, I thought mine was jammed at first but managed to get it working. It is very fiddly though:

First you seem to have to make sure the exposure compensation (near the DoF button) is set to '1x' (white), then you have to push the lever at about 5 o'clock in and turn the rear portion of the dial (with the ISO numbers on rather than moving the index marker). I find the bottom as it protrudes below the front of the baseplate easiest. Turning it via the 'tabs' on the front of the ring only seems to change the exposure compensation.

Mine meters fine, but the shutter always seems to fire at the mechanical speed of 1/125th whether in auto or set to a speed.

John.

I got one from the middle, but no sign of Carol!

I was there today (after fighting the miles and miles of roadworks on the M6 south). Not surprisingly it seemed very similar to recent Focuses, the same stands and the obligatory Canikon users with two foot long lenses bouncing flash off the air conditioning ducts 50ft above. The usual 'This is how I shoot weddings' and 'Why our software is the absolute necessity for your photo business' presentations. Mercifully I didn't have to fill in a registration card asking who I was, where I lived and who I worked for. I shot a few candids (on film) trying to illustrate the above.

Of interest was the Lomography & Impossible Project (rejuvenated Polaroid instant) stands. I found the HUNGRY EYE magazine link to be a breath of fresh air and subscribed to that.

Things bought/paid for:
- £10 parking ticket, £15 entry and 4 gallons of diesel
- 5 rolls of Ektar 100 135
- 5 rolls of Ektar 100 120
- 5 rolls of Portra 160 120
- Lomography Konstructor 35mm 'SLR'
- Hungry Eye magazine subscription
- Something expensive I'm not prepared to own up to yet

John.