I thought it was mud at first.

This must be Odd-Job selling off his master's gear for a bit of extra cash. Steel-lined bowlers aren't free you know.

Somewhat later than planned, I've finally gotten around to changing the shim. I ordered a full set from Johnson's Photopia (who were excellent to deal with) and had to wait around six weeks for them to receive stock of a couple of the shims before they sent them. The full set cost around 35 quid with shipping.

I've swapped the original, which I think is the 0.33mm shim, for the 0.23mm, and that has fixed the problem. I can now focus my 50mm f/1.4 & 84mm f/2 lenses perfectly, even wide open. The swap was easier to do than I expected, and a lot easier than when I originally installed the Katzeye screen.

Now that that's fixed, I can start to think again about getting an 85mm f/1.4...

Lithiums in my K200D keep going for a very long time. As long as you have the grip to accomodate them, I'd say it's a good idea.

Good luck with the shoot. Despite what some say, film is also available from shops, as well as cupboards .

I'm looking forward to getting my grubby hands on my recently purchased ME Super.

I'm sure there will be a very good market for the lens as a separate item on the "second-hand" market, especially if it is brand new and unused. I understand it's essentially an ugly version of the 40mm DA ltd without quick-shift or hood.

If it costs £270 new and £79 with a body, then I would say split the difference and sell it for around £190 if it's not wanted.

This seems to be exactly what has happened. I took the advice from Steven9761 (many thanks, I hadn't thought of that) and opened the camera to remove the film. It turned out that it had rewound but the tip of the film was extremely well stuck in the magic needles and wouldn't let go. I was applying a LOT of pressure rewinding the film and was worried I would tear the film or break the rewind lever. The rewind release button works perfectly.

So the only part of the film that has been exposed in the removal process is the first part, which was exposed anyway when I loaded the film. Fingers crossed it will turn out ok. Of course, as it's the test roll, there may be light leaks or shutter timing problems or other issues that have messed up the photos. But you never know until you try.

Thanks everyone for the help, I knew I could count on the experience here for some good advice.

I've posted this over on the American forum too, but hoping to get more input from here as I know there are plenty of film users still about.

I have just finished my first ever roll of film through my new (to me) MX.

I depressed the film rewind button underneath and wound back the film clockwise (as indicated by the arrow) until it would not go any more. When I release the handle it spins back a bit in the opposite direction. I opened the back of the camera but I can see that the film still runs across to the other side, it hasn't run back into the cartridge. I imagine I will have ruined several exposures opening the door.

I've tried again and again, and although the release button clicks down into position, it does not release the film take-up sprocket inside the camera.

I've taken the base-plate off and had a look inside the base. There was a small amount of gunk in there (from the old seals no doubt) but not much and not where it would affect what's causing the problem. I think the sprocket must be jammed inside & the only way to un-jam it will be to open it all up, destroying the film, and have a poke about. I was really looking forward to seeing my first results from this camera .

Any idea what has gone wrong & how I can fix it without losing the rest of the film?

Many thanks

The 28mm usually goes for around 40GBP & the 50mm for around 70 or 80, assuming they're in excellent condition. The Tamron lenses will be worth maybe 30GBP each (max).

The LX is probably the best manual camera that Pentax ever made and I think it would be worth upwards of 200GBP with the standard viewfinder (correct me if I'm wrong). The rest I can't help you with, I'm afraid, except to say that posting photos of each item will greatly help & allow prospective buyers to view the items.

Nice comparison. I'd say the K & CZ are the winners and the A & K-Tak are the losers. The Sigma looks ok but seems to have a green tint to the pics.

I've seen the CZ rated as the best legacy 135mm there is, but the K seems just as good and faster too, though much more expensive.

Welcome to the Tamron 17-50. I don't believe you will find a copy that won't do this. I recommend checking focus on the screen immediately after the shot. I have my K200D set up to zoom in 8x with one click of the rear wheel for checking focus quickly.