When you say the ME Super doesn't recognise the flash I presume this means that it doesn't have the extra dedicated contacts that would be needed for the flash to automatically integrate with the camera.

You will still be able to use the flash with your ME Super, but you will need to set the shutter dial to the flash synch speed (X) and then set the lens aperture to the one appropriate for the power of the flash gun. If it is an automatic flash then that is all you will need to do as it will cut off when enough light has been reflected from the subject. If you need to set the exposure manually, then the distance of the subject will have to be taken into account so the instruction book will explain how this is done!

I am a great fan of Pentax lenses, and under heavy use or under very critical exasmination of the results, you will see the difference in quality.

There is an advantage to using a 100mm macro for small insect photography and wherever a longer working distance is needed. For document copying I prefer to work closer with the 50mm.

All the Pentax macro lenses will be splendid, especially as you will probably be using them on a tripod and at small apertures!

Very nice indeed to have a 67!

I have a 645n which I use for studio portraiture and landscape work, but the 67 offers an even bigger negative.

One thing both cameras offer is a superb range of lenses. Your choice seems an excellent one - I hope you enjoy your purchase!

First I would double check the battery by trying a new one. Quite a few cameras lock up if the battery voltage is low, so on the basis that a battery is less expensive than a service (!) it could be worth a go.

We are straying a little from the original question, but if you do want to use the more convenient bayonet lenses then in manual cameras my choices would be KX, KM, MX and K1000.

However, if you wanted a modern body then the MZ5, MZ5n and MZ3 can be used in exactly the same way as the other bodies mentioned.

Personally, I currently use two Spotmatic bodies and an MZ3. If I use the K mount adapter I can turn the MZ3 into a screw thread body, albeit with viewing and metering at the working aperture.

The main problem I have found with bodies based on the ME Super design is that the electronics are not now as reliable as they could be. With classic cameras, we may well be better off with manual ones.

As a purely manual camera, I would favour the Spotmatic for its conventional shutter dial which you can set without having to be looking throught the viewfinder. The ME Super is OK, but the push button manual settings are not quite as convenient for the way I work.

Having said that, the ME Super does have a wider range of shutter speeds and a more sensitive meter, but it is also less reliable than a Spotmatic (in my experience).

You don't need the Focal Guide, but it would be very helpful, being more detailed than the instruction manual. I believe it would be handy to have a hard copy without having to print one out. With luck, you might pick one up quite reasonably. I bought one recently at a camera fair for just £3.00. eBay offers a useful source of such items!

It really would be worth getting one of the Focal Guides that cover the Spotmatic, which can be obtained from Oldtimer Cameras or maybe on eBay. This is an expanded instruction book and will give you all the basic information you need.

A small operational point is that the shutter should be cocked before focusing to ensure the mirror is in the correct position. There are lots of small details like that and the book would be very useful.

Hi Joe

The Spotmatic takes a 1.35v mercury cell that has been replaced by the PX400 equivalent Wein Zinc/Air cell. Jessops sell these for £4.95. It is important not to use a similar cell of 1.5v because the higher voltage would affect the meter readings.

The standard lens is usually a 55mm f1.8 or a 50mm f1.4 Super takumar. Both these lenses, and most Pentax standard lenses, take 49mm screw-in filters.

The Spotmatic is one of the truly classic SLRs - have fun with it!

In terms of absolute quality and colour saturation you cannot beat the slide film. Also for photomechanical reproduction in books and magazines it gives a superior result.

For a beginning photographer an added advantage is that whatever you do to create your picture (add filters, under/over expose, etc.) you will see the avctual end result without automatic printing machines intervening and trying to average out your efforts! So as a learning process slides are more meaningful.

To view, you need a screen and a slide projector, which are inconvenient but the results are stunning. prints don't come close IMHO.

You can, of course, scan the slides and make prints, make FotoAngelo or Pictures to Exe slide shows or even project on a digital projector. And you will still have an original slide of the highest resolution.

There's a lot going for the colour slide!