In the early 1960s 35mm was the widest lens in common use and 28mm was considered ultra-wide. As tastes changed, so did the perception of this and now 24mm would be the absolute minimum requirement for an ultra-wide lens.

However, 28mm is a jump from 35mm that is significant. A 35mm is considered by some to be a standard lens, a 28mm is certainly not.

All the above applies to focal length in relation to film bodies.

From time to time this comes up and a search of the forums should find the info you want. If not, mention it again and it can be repeated here.

OK, that looks like Model I. Now when you change shutter speed the meter needle will stay in the same place but the scale should move to show the new aperture value. If it doesn't then something is amiss, and beyond this it's difficult to go without actually seeing the camera and meter.

The operation should be very simple though, so if it isn't then definitely something is wrong.

I don't know if it's relevant, but there is some evidence of flare, so maybe it's a diffraction effect because of the light and the orientation of the microlenses over the sensor.

Haven't we met before - I remember asking you about the Hat Museum! AP Forums?

Welcome!

The S1a itself has click stops up to 1/500 sec that are marked, but has an additional click stop beyond that that delivers a shutter speed of about 1/1000 sec. In those days it was thought a lower priced body should have less specification, but the shutter is the same anyway. This speed is not calibrated however, so could vary from model to model.

There are three basic models of clip on meter.

Model I has an oval dial and is intended for the S and H series models. There are variants of this type.

Model II is rectangular in shape and is also for the S and H series.

Model SL is for the Pentax SL and is a different fitting for the diffent shape of the pentaprism on this camera. This is because the SL is a Spotmatic without the built in meter. The idea of having a Spotmatic with a mater in, marketing a version without a meter and then producing an add-on meter for it seems pretty obscure to me. 1964 logic no doubt.

I can't account for the dial not fully turning. Don't force it, but check that the dial on camera and meter line up when you attach it and that everything is clicked firmly into position. Some previous owner could of course have messed it up for you.

There is more than one model of clip-on meter, so you need the right one in some combinations. There is a slot of the shutter speed dial that needs to engage with the pin on the meter. Then as you turn the dial on the meter the dial on the camera will also turn.

Yes indeed and it's wrong with quite a few High Street shops as well at the moment. For example, I prefer to buy books on Amazon rather than visit a bookshop. I can search a wider variety of books, some quite rare, and make my purchase at any time of the day or night. Then it arrives in a box, safely and reliably. If anything does go wrong they never quibble.

Price has actually relatively little to do with it. It's more about choice and convenience, provide of course that the price is equitable.

What is the solution for the problems of store chains like Jessops?

Agree with terge-1, I work in silence and concentrate solely on what I'm doing. Music id for driving to, listening properly to, or singing to!

The Magic Lantern guides are pretty much expanded instruction books so the step you want to make is not really there.

I think you need to be inspired with photography, not the camera, to see what you can achieve with it. Understanding how the camera works is necessary, but only to give you the tools you need to become a photographer.

I would suggest the following, in no particular order: Take a trip out with a more experienced photographer and do a day's shooting and learning, join a Photographic Society, buy magazines and look at the images (all magazines not just photographic ones), browse a good bookshop or Amazon and buy some books on the areas of photography that interest you (landscape, portrait, etc.)

The try everything for yourself.