My FA-1 fits tightly, my FB-1/FC-1 has a bit of for/aft movement (maybe 1mm).

The LX meters off the shutter blind before the exposure and off the film during long exposures in 'automatic'. If you shoot it in automatic with the lens cap on, the shutter will remain open for a long long time, the solution is to remove the lens cap and point it at light, the shutter will close when it reads enough light has hit the film. The manual states that moving the shutter speed dial to a manual speed will have the same effect.

With no lens, the camera probably thinks the aperture is set to f/22 and may hold the shutter open for a long time as a result (as above - moving the shutter dial to a manual speed will close the shutter and drop the mirror).

John.

I've just got my LX back from service/repair (Harrow Technical) for a sticky mirror and a few other minor bits. It was out of action for a very long time (I bought it in the mid-90s) and had forgotten how good it is to use.

Having had the chance to shoot some film through it, I'm hugely impressed with how nice it is use and how refined it feels compared to my MX and K1000. Big, clear dials, more positive click-stops, smoother & more positive wind-on, more ergonomic (I also have the plastic grip) - the whole package simply is a more fulfilling experience. The recent service may have something to do with this.

I know these are expensive cameras (I won't admit how much I paid for mine - used - in the mid-90s), and you need to either get one that's had a reasonably recent service (or budget for one). But they are superb machines, even if you don't need the removable finders etc. I'm regretting leaving the repair so long...

John.

Having just got my LX back from repair - it's been a long time since I've used it. Compared to my MX and Super-A, the refinement is on another level. I appreciate they're more expensive (especially given the cost of the repair) but they are simply excellent to use.

Kris - Congrats on completing the set, I have the FA-1 & FB-1/FC-1 and the FD-2 is probably the only other I'd look at.

John.

The K1000 is a very good, reliable and basic camera (there's hardly anything to go wrong). I wouldn't pay a lot for one unless it had seen a recent service (or came with a warranty), but equally buying them cheap (at risk) is an option.

The KM/KX are better (but more complicated and older) cameras and perhaps more interesting, but getting a working camera is usually more important. A younger and simpler K1000 is likely to be easier to find in better condition (the practical differences between the K1000 & KM/KX are so small I don't think they're significant).

It depends whether you can spot an error or not in real world situations. In my experience, the more you test, the more variable your results become and it's easy to get mis-led by a erroneous test. There are so many variables that precise corrections are almost impossible to achieve more often than not.

I've just got my LX back from Harrow Technical (out of warranty), 10 working days door to door for a service & 'sticky mirror' repair

Seen on another forum, a large propensity of photos of old boots (usually a pair with one propped up on the other at a right angle).

As mentioned at the beginning of the thread, I think a competition is called for: Two submissions each with prizes for 'most original cliché' and 'most cliché'd cliché'.

The British Journal of Photography stated this was 'one of the best compact full-frame portrait lenses ever made' (Nov 2013, Pg 81).

Thanks for the pointer to Uttings, I've now ordered one from them (the angled one is better than my straight one for Astro and their price is the lowest I've seen).

All you need now is a 1.4x TC to go with it

I don't use a tripod much, but I've got a Uni-Loc 1700 System with a ball head (bought a long time ago for £100). Very versatile, but you need to be careful when setting up. Don't let go of the camera until you've tightened the bolt, and make sure it's stable before letting go (you can easily set it up in an unstable configuration).