Whilst it's true that there are very low price plastic marque 50mm lenses from canon and Nikon, we don't know yet how the Pentax compares in terms of quality and price. The full price of the kit lens is something like £200, but we see them at £79 and all sorts of other prices. The 35mm f2.4 is actually better made than the aforementioned 50mm cheap lenses, so there may be a case for a higher price. It will depend how much higher.

The other factor is that if a pentax user wants a 50mm f1.8 lens then the cost of the Pentax lens is relevant, but it's academic what another make will cost as they won't fit.

I'm guessing the Pentax 50mm f1.8 will end up a very similar price to the 35mm f2.4, being as it is a twin in many respewcts.

Too soon to say Vic, it does sound strange.

It depends on the street price, the optical performance with the virtually circular diaphragm design and the ability to use QuickShift.

I wouldn't dismiss it yet, even though we already have the 43mm and 50mm f1.4 FA lenses. Time will tell.

Keep it simple, take your time, with practice repeatablity is the key. Read my blog entry here for a cautionary tale: http://www.ephotozine.com/user/johnriley1uk-22471/blog/keeping-life-simple-5120
Liquid chemicals are easier than trying to make powders dissolve. Working at room temperature means little variation, so if everything is around 20C that's fine. Developers will give a graph or table showing revised times for different temeperatures.
Paterson stuff is simple and effective.
Here's a final wash routine that's effective and saves huge amounts of water: Fill tank with water. Do five inversions, Empty. Repeat with fresh water doing 10 inversions. rpeat with fresh water doing 20 inversions. Job done.

It becomes quite difficult to decide in some ways. The price is similar and the K30 represents the next step in the technology, whereas the K-5 awaits updating but retains the advantage of maybe sturdier construction and the magnesium alloy body. It is also marginally faster in terms of continuous shooting.

It's a personal choice, but I really preferred the handling of the K-r to the K-5, but had to go to the K-5 to get the weather resistance. That's not a problem, but a K-r with WR seems to be what the K30 is, very roughly speaking.

I would still probably opt for the K-5, just, and it's really only that terrific blue finish that might make me dither. But a blue finish doesn't help make better or worse images, so I might overcome the "I want!" and go for the K-5 anyway.

Of course I'm talking about handling here and if we're talking about image quality then probably it makes no or very little difference.

It's not my objective to solve the problem, just to get on with more important things with the minimum of delay.

As for the whistle, i would be concerned that there's a potential there for actually damaging someone, certainly if it actually hurts. That could be construed as assault?

People in call centres are doing a job, they're not bad people.

It won't like red, being only corrected for blue light. Ordinary film was only blue sensitive, it was probably later than this lens that orthochromatic film, sensitive to blue and green, was commonplace. And much later that we got blue/green/red sensitive panchromatic film.

Just my aim, Yves, just my aim....

You guys must have a lot of time on your hands, unwanted callers here get 2 seconds maximum unless they say hello properly. I don't have time to waste actually prolonging these conversations.

let's not get over complicated - we all know what black and white is - so that's one example of monochrome. One colour. Sepia is another example of monochrome, as are all the various toning effects.

However, Ken was quite specific in his brief in that he asked for a monochrome subject, but shot in colour. In other words, really a monochrome subject, not one made in the darkroom or Photoshop.

A zebra is a monochrome subject. So would be perhaps a red ruby resting on something, even resting on a violet cushion.

Anyway, that's how I've read it, so I'll be proceeding on that basis for now!