The Sigma mini-wide is 28mm, and reputedly very sharp.

The Sigma super-wide is 24mm and is excellent, I have the AF version & had the MF version. Focus is the same direction as Pentax lenses. The AF version is better built but larger. I have yet to use it on my MX, but I certainly plan to.

If you're going for a Pentax lens the K or M 28mm f/3.5 versions are optically similar but both very, very sharp (at least on digital), and made for landscapes. I have both but have not had any opportunity yet to compare them. Anything wider than 28mm in a genuine Pentax lens will not be cheap.

I'm encouraged by the desire to expand the DSLR division, though there is very little information given here. Mr Martin is not very well informed of Canikon DSLR lineup, stating they have 4 cameras. I count 6 currently in production from Nikon & 7 from Canon, so if Pentax want to close the gap then they have further to go than perhaps they think...

I'm eager to find out what treasures you have there now.

Thanks for all the advice but jeez you guys are puting me off this whole film thing! I'm not about to start developing at home, though I won't rule it out for the future, I'll have to wait & see where film takes me.

I think my preference would be to develop & scan at high resolution, and I can print later if I want, though if the price is the same I may as well have the prints.

Hello to all the film enthusiasts

With my recent acquisition of an MX to play with, I'm thinking about film for it. My uses will be primarily casual portraiture, landscape & urban, maybe some street shooting. The portraiture would be mostly indoors.

I have looked into B&W & colour films, and have already ordered some Ilford HP5 400. It's not a C41 process film but from what I've seen, the C41 B&W films have lower contrast & can end up with a colour cast when developed. Is this correct? I know the HP5 is more expensive to have developed, but if that's what will give best results then I don't mind (though my wife might!).

For colour film, I like the look of slide film (Velvia & Provia) but I don't want slides, so I will leave them alone. Looking online, the best results will probably come from Kodak Portra or Ektar 100. I'm concerned that ISO 100 or 160 will not be fast enough for lower light, but at the same time, I don't want to have to use tiny apertures if I use ISO 400 film & want to shoot outdoors. The MX is limited to 1/1000s shutter speed and I simply don't know what speeds to expect when I start to use it.

Any and all advice for a film novice is much appreciated.

Thanks everyone for the advice. The camera is currently having it's light seals & mirror bumper renewed in Cameratiks, because I hate e-bay (& paypal) and there doesn't seem to be another source for the materials. They've said they'll check it out for anything else too, but I'm heading back to Spain on Friday so there'll be no time for further repairs anyway.

I'd have sent it to Harrow Technical for the full CLA if there'd been time before I head off.

Now I miss having it to look at, it's such a beautiful machine, DSLRs just can't compare.

Wherever it is, I hope it's in a sealed box where nobody can see how ugly it is.

Wow, some quick responses, thanks guys.

I've opened up the back & the light seals, while still there (unlike the mirror bumper), are not in a healthy state.

I've inquired at the only local (Edinburgh) camera repair place I know of (Cameratiks) and they have quoted me £29 to replace the light seals & £50 to £70 for a clean out (CLA, I suppose). They take a week unless it's needed faster. I'm going back to Spain on Friday so would need it back by then. Any opinions on whether this is a good price? I imagine I could replace the seals myself but I can't CLA it.

Does a CLA ensure that the shutter speeds are accurate? I know that these can change with age and lose precision.

I can't find Interslice on eekbay, but there are plenty of other sellers of light seals. Any chance I could pick some up locally?

Obviously it's a big increase on what I paid for the camera, but there's no point in using a camera that's not in a fit state to take photos.

I got this zoom with a recently acquired MX. I will be using the camera with my M & K primes, so I have no use for the lens. It's in good cosmetic condition, focus & zoom are smooth, aperture clicks nicely. The build quality is very good, all metal apart from the rubber focus & zoom rings. I believe it has 1:5 "macro" capability. It has an "A" setting so auto exposure will work.

Now for the bad news - the optics are fairly dusty, there may be a bit of fungus in it (hard to tell as it's very small, could be dust). The metal protective piece next to the aperture lever has been removed, but the lever is undamaged. It also has a Ricoh pin, otherwise I would put it on my K200D & provide some sample shots.

[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y232/jonnymacd/Various%202/IMGP6345.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y232/jonnymacd/Various%202/IMGP6347.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y232/jonnymacd/Various%202/IMGP6348.jpg[/IMG]

The lens comes with original front cap & non-original rear cap. I'm asking just £15 delivered for it within the UK, which is little more than the cost of delivery & a rear cap to put on it.

I am heading back to Spain on Friday, so need to get rid of this by then. Payment by bank transfer, or cash in hand in Edinburgh. If paying by cash it's just £10.

There are a few reviews here: http://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/tokina-mf-28-70mm-f3-5-4-5-sz-x-270-sd.h... (hope it's ok to post the link?).

I just bought an MX from an advert on Gumtree. I paid £45 for it, which seems to be well below the going rate for these. The cosmetic condition is very good, the light meter appears to work (LEDS light up, no idea yet if it's accurate), the shutter fires ok.

However, as this is the first film SLR I've ever had I don't know how things should be otherwise. I'm aware that light seals may need changed & that a cleaning/lubrication might be good, but I plan to run a cheap roll of film through it first of all to check for any potential problems.

What I noticed when I got home, is that I think it's missing a foam buffer at the top to protect the mirror when it flips up. Below are two pics - one of the camera & lens that came with it, the other of the upper inside of the mount where I believe the foam has degraded & disappeared. Can someone confirm if this is the case? If so, can I replace this myself or will it have to be done by a qualified professional? Any idea how much it's likely to cost?

Many thanks for any advice. I hope that I'll have some fun with film alongside my K200D.

BTW, I will be selling the lens pictured below as I plan to use my Pentax M & K primes. I'll post separately about that, or PM me.

[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y232/jonnymacd/Various%202/IMGP6343.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y232/jonnymacd/Various%202/IMGP6342.jpg[/IMG]