There are plenty of cheap versions on eBay and Amazon. It's what I had to settle for and it does work, just slightly less conveniently and with no inbuilt shutter. I found it didn't matter about the shutter in any of the situations I photographed.

Fantastic shots that, yet again, show the huge potential of the Q system. There's quite a bit of skill in there as well though, because the lack of AF with the K adapter does mean careful focusing skills need to be developed. It's not impossible though, and when the subject is in one place for a while that makes things a bit easier.

Washington is one of the few WWT locations we haven't managed to get to yet. Clearly we should, it looks as though there's plenty of interest there.

Have a safe journey!

Wow, that's quite a question!

Sue and I upgrade a camera because we fancy something that's new and want it, or because something better is released and we need it, or because something fails and needs replacing.

Sometimes the first two coincide, so for example when I upgraded the Q to the Q-S1 is was because I wanted a special colour, but also I wanted the slightly larger sensor to equate to the quality level of the MX-1.

The K-5 we still use and will do so until one fails. Then we'll look again, currently it would be the K-3 that would replace it.

Try OTC (Old Timer Cameras) who supply copies but also sometimes originals. The copies are excellent and will serve their functional purpose.

The New Year here was our traditional party with family and a few friends and that all went well. Taxis ferried away most in the early hours, leaving just the daughter and family to find wherever they could to sleep.

Breakfast is my domain, so orders were taken and food prepared, all done now. Sue is taking down Christmas as I write and then it's back to normal for another year. Whatever normal might be....

So whatever things are for you, a Very Happy New Year to all, and I hope it's an absolute cracker that will make some great new memories. Have fun!

I've put in an enquiry so hopefully there will be a response quite soon.

The ME Super has shutter speed buttons, although I've never experienced any problem with these myself. The MX doesn't, it's fully manual.

The K1000 has am electro-switch that turns off the meter when light falls below 3 EV. So a lens cap is all that's needed to ensure this.

In any event, silver oxide batteries will comfortably last for a year of use in these cameras. Alkaline maybe six months. Very different to the recharging that we have become used to!

Looks a good result to me Peter. The K50 should serve you well.