I think I'm the guilty one re the black cloth, but as regards the tube idea I think you'll find there's already at least one on the market.

Telephoto lenses are prone to chromatic aberrations and this is what you are seeing. Using a more suitable lens will help and, if you wish, there are tools for correction in most RAW converters. I haven't used the Pentax one very much, rather using Adobe ACR, but I think there is something in there to do the job.

You would probably be better using the £100 to invest in a more modern, digital friendly lens.

I've just tried it and it worked just fine. Maybe it was just a temporary glitch in the web.

I've modified the title for better clarity.

I'm not sure if this is a digitally projected competition, but if it is then it can be worth bearing in mind that portrait format shots become relatively small. A landscape format shot can be made to fill the screen better and hence look more impressive.

Other than that, the images are nice shots, but the mystery of the second one does lift it above the others. In competition there are likely to be some very dramatic images and you may need to find something that has immediate impact.

Seems worth a thread in itself...given that millions of people use screens all the time on compacts and phones and that it's now the option for the K-01, what do we do to utilise this?

I was using the Q screen the other day in brilliant sun at Witley Court and, with minimal shading when required, it didn't seem to be a problem particularly.

Of course in duller light, for unusual viewpoints and for macro shooting it can actually be quite beneficial in some circumstances.

Any tips, observations?

The operation described is how the Pentax Adapter K is used. It sits flush within the lens mount to maintain infinity focus. There are some third party adapters that don't, but these are often cheap and best avoided because of quality and fit issues.

Effectively, the Pentax Adapter K converts the body to a screw mount one whilst it's in place - after the initial fit as described above, screww mount lenses can easily be mounted and unmounted.

The lenses have to be used manually, but they can be used. The camera will ask for the focal length for the purposes of the SR system, but there's no reason why SR should switch off. The 2 second timer will raise the mirror before exposure and also switch off SR though.

I think this goes to show we should not really post links to auctions, it skews the prices for those who take the trouble to find them for themselves.

Assuming there's nothing mechanically amiss, the process starts with loading the film.

Push the leader firmly into the magic needles take up spool, make sure the cassette is in the chamber flat and, holding it there with a finger, rewind slightly to take up any slack or bend in the film. Make sure the sprockets are properly located also. Then wind on at least twice before closing the back, to make sure the film is located and winding properly.

Next, make two blank exposures and note that the rewind crank is rotating as you wind on. This indicates correct film transport.

When rewinding at the end of the film, press the rewind release and make sure it stays in as you gently rewind. If you judge the point at which the film releases from the magic needles and stop there you will avoid completely rewinding into the cassette. This will make loading the film onto a developing tank spiral much easier.

Of course some previous owner may have damaged the mechanism and then we have a different problem. Go into the dark (complete blackness) and give your eyes a few minutes to get used to the dark. There may be more light leaking into a room than you think. In complete darkness, open the camera, remove the cassette carefully and rewind free of the camera as best you can. Very slow, but it can be done.

Hope that helps!

I agree with Ken absolutely.

I feel regretful that probably lots of photographers are led astray by magazines and the internet, where you would be led to believe that you will hardly get an image unless you shoot RAW and colour calibrate everything in sight. They will sell you lots of magazines and hardware to help you along.

There is of course a place for those tools, but it's nowhere near essential.