The MX-1 does have sensor-shift SR for stills (not video) as well as an optional 'Dual Mode' (combines it with software based SR). A bigger sensor means a bigger lens which means a bigger camera, I find it the perfect size as it is. Mine could easily replace my K-5 & DA17-70 when I want to travel small & light.

I'm close to one branch of Wilkinson Cameras and not far from another. They stock Pentax and usually have a couple of bodies and some lenses on display. They also have a selection of used gear (some of it Pentax). Over the years I've bought a lot of kit off them, including my K-5 body & MX-1 and always found them helpful and knowledgeable.

Jessops closed, but by then they appeared to be concentrating on photo finishing and digital photo frames.

John.

I use an old Lowepro D-Res 20 AW (which appears to be still available - I bought it for my Zoom 90WR about ten years ago).

Looks like the right one, if it's for sale I'm interested. PM sent.

John.

Still looking for an MX-1 strap if I can find one...

Thanks Stuey,

I thought the story behind it was worth telling (it felt like a comedy of fails at the time). On the flip side though, I'm not afraid to handhold the camera when it gets murky.

I read and re-read the text, checked and double checked and have read it a few times since - only tonight have I realised I've got "a hand-held a meter"...

John.

Thanks Guys,

I'm mostly relieved to get ten images off the first roll out of a new camera (this one required some persistence - the up side is I now know more about how the thing works). In different circumstances I'd have given this shot slightly more exposure (I'd run out of light and apertures and didn't want to risk a slower speed).

It's also a good reminder that perseverance pays off, I nearly didn't go out again and wouldn't have if the sky wasn't so striking. Lesson learned about carrying a spare battery for the lightmeter as well as the camera.

John.

For sale, Cable Switch F (boxed) - locking electronic release for the SF7/SFX, Z series & MZ series cameras.

£15 posted to the UK, buyer pays any fees.

John.

I'd consider either a photo rucksac with a good harness and padded waistbelt (not sling thingy) or something like a 20 litre hiking daysac (again with a good harness & waistbelt). Many have various attachment loops on the shoulder straps you might be able to hang the camera & lens off (or loop the camera strap through the shoulder straps themselves). The waistbelt will let you get the weight on your hips rather than shoulders/back, you may also be able to hang lens pouches with belt-loops off it.

I think a zoom up to 300mm should be long enough on APS-C (at 450mm equivalent) and is probably the sweet spot between bulk, weight, length, speed and handling. Anything longer is harder to handle well, but you really need to handle it better due to the magnification. Canikon guys with huge, hefty xx-500s are more likely to be shooting full frame and need the extra length - but I wouldn't want to hold/shoot one into the sky all day.

Props dictate speeds around 1/125th-1/250th anyway, so you need to be able to handle those speeds. My biggest fails with aircraft, especially with 'tight' crops, is poor framing and missing wingtips & tailplanes. I think an xx-500 (750mm equivalent) is likely to create framing problems at the long end with a fast moving subject.

Then again, I don't have access to a 100-300/4 or xx-500 so may be I'm missing something.