A winder will typically deliver around 2 frames/sec, but a proper motor drive will give 5 or more frames/sec. The motor drive is for hard professional use.

When I buy lenses, wherever possible I try to ensure the filter sizes are the same. If you stick with Pentax lenses this will be easier. Most of my manual focus lenses take 49mm filters. Most of the recent ones takes 58mm. And some of the more exotic ones 67mm.

So I have a full range of filters in 49mm, the common ones in 58mm as well, and just the essentials in 67mm.

Your filter requirements will vary depending on your taste. For me, working mainly in monochrome, I use red and orange most commonly, plus sometimes green and blue (80A). I rarely use polarisers, but I do have one in 49mm.

In colour, I would suggest a skylight, an 81A for a warmer esult and a polariser.

It looks like a Pentax Super program, the USA version of the Program A (a simplified Super A). What makes this look odd is the "chrome" top plate - most of the ones I've seen have been all black.

Can I just define a couple of things - don't want to lecture at anyone! - but there is a big difference between DEPTH OF FIELD and DEPTH OF FOCUS.

DEPTH OF FIELD refers to the nearest and furthest points in a photo that are acceptably sharp. A small aperture gives extensive depth of field and a large aperture gives shallow depth of field.

DEPTH OF FOCUS refers to the amount the poistioning of the film or CCD can be out of position and still give acceptable sharpness. The depth of focus in a 35mm camera or a digital camera will be very small indeed. In other words, manufacturing tolerances are tight.

Hope that helps, as it is a very important distinction betweeen the two things.

Can I just define a couple of things - don't want to lecture at anyone! - but there is a big difference between DEPTH OF FIELD and DEPTH OF FOCUS.

DEPTH OF FIELD refers to the nearest and furthest points in a photo that are acceptably sharp. A small aperture gives extensive depth of field and a large aperture gives narrow depth of field.

DEPTH OF FOCUS refers to the amount the poistioning of the film or CCD can be out of position and still give acceptable sharpness. The depth of focus in a 35mm camera or a digital camera will be very small indeed. In other words, manufacturing tolerances are tight.

Hope that helps, as it is a very important distinction betweeen the two things.

There is a custom function on the *ist to allow use of the aperture ring, but the meter will no longer operate.

Good point, Steve.

And your K1000 will happily go on without batteries, and at lower and higher temperature extremes as well. I have to say I prefer the MX, to which all the same points apply, but it's a personal choice.

When we were at the Aswan dam in Egypt the teperature was a whopping 50 degrees Celsius, and the MX happily carried on. My *istDS would have been outside its operational parameters....

I also agree that if I didn't use Pentax then I would be using aNother well kNown marque!

Does this mean you think it's five times as good as any other Pentax, or you have five of them?

I suspect you like the K1000.....

I love the MX, and it would be a very strong contender if I could only have one camera.

The MZ5 can be used in a very similar way, as can the MZ3. I do actually like the panoramic function for slides - it can be useful when a cropped format enhances the picture.

I do think that the standards of engineering of some cameras can be absolutely superb - I would puit forward the Voigtlander Bessamatic and the Zeiss Ikon Contarex as prime examples, and of course the Pentax cameras as well.

So which Pentax cameras do we think are the pinnacle of pure manufacturing quality? Even (even?) the modern Pentaxes exude a feeling of quality of design and manufacture - I was pretty impressed with the *istD, for example.

However, I am going to vote for what I consider to be a unique and exemplary design - the Pentax Spotmatic. Innovative in its day and of the highest standards of manufacture, it is as useable now as it was in 1964. If you look into the new issue of PENTAX USER you will find my piece on going back to Spotmatic photography, which was a pure pleasure.

But perhaps there are other opinions out there, so I pose the question: what is your classic Pentax design? And why?

I'll be very interested to see what anyone suggests.

Very nice indeed!