I hope your camera is repaired promptly for you.
The thing to remember about metering is that the 'correct' shutter speed/aperture combination is the same regardless of the camera used, for any given lens.
As with all meters, the ME-Super is calibrated for 18% grey and the GPD cells are particularly good. More sophisticated cameras take into account highlight and shadow areas and compensate for them (with various degrees of success), so you will have to override the ME-Super's readings in tricky lighting situations.
Your camera will attempt to make dark subjects lighter than they really are and vice versa. Metering from green grass, blue sky, concrete or a grey card (18% grey) with the same light that's falling on the subject will eliminate the influence of excessively bright or dull areas.
1/60 of a second at f8 is the same as 1/125 at f4, so you choose the combination you need to reflect your intentions ie. fast shutter to freeze action or prevent camera shake, or small aperture to increase depth of field (focus).
All this depends on the subject matter, the lens, the film speed etc. etc. and you can further tweak the settings via the exposure compensation control. It sounds very complicated and is very much a case of trial and error and the application of experience - use the bracketing technique (one shot under exposed - one normal - one over) if in doubt.

Did you know that you camera (or any basic SLR with manual controls) can be set up to be more accurate and faster than any all singing/all dancing up-to-date model?

First ascertain the 'correct' exposure, then use a technique known as hyperfocal focussing - align the infinity mark (sideways fig. eight) on the focussing ring with your chosen aperture marking on the depth of field scale.
Your camera is now set up for point and shoot photography for the prevailing lighting conditions.

Example;
SMC Pentax-A 1:2 50mm lens
Infinity mark set to f16

All subjects between approx. 2.6m (8 ft) and infinity will be brought into focus upon shutter release and will be correctly exposed providing the light conditions remain stable.
Don't be alarmed if the subject appears out of focus in the viewfinder as it will be brought into focus by the lens stopping down to f16 as you fire the shutter.
For action shots where you want a wide aperture to isolate the subject from the background, you will need to pre-focus the lens on a given point and then pan the camera until the subject reaches that point before pressing the shutter (or momentarily before if the subject is fast moving).

I hope you find these tips helpful and I'm not trying to teach you to "suck eggs" - as they say! (never really understood that saying).

Happy Snapping
Kimbo.

ps. a word on camera shake for hand held shots;
always select a shutter speed that is at least equivalent to the focal length of the lens (preferably higher) ie. 50mm lens - 1/60sec., 125mm lens - 1/125sec. etc.

2LAP H,
Not a direct answer to your question, but if you've not used slide film before then you should be aware of the relative lack of exposure latitude with such films.
They are less tolerant of exposure errors than print film (1-1.5 stops +/- is normally the maximum you can have and still achieve a good result).
The ME Super has an excellent (GPD) metering system but it is only centre-weighted and you should take care to meter from a neutral part of the scene before recomposing - or use a grey card.

Incidentally, the ME does not have a panoramic function (I believe an adapter is available) but if you have access to a camera that does, then landscapes and group shots taken on slide film look terrific when projected onto the 'big screen'.

I often use Fuji Sensia as I find it gives a very natural balance to the colours and therefore 'true to life' images with razor sharp definition.

Bagpuss,
I assume you have a P/KA Adaptall 2 mount for your Tamron lenses.
If so, you have to press a small black button and hold it in while turning the aperture ring to the AE position - releasing the button then locks the setting.
The button is located at '8 oclock' as you look at the underside of the mount with the word Tamron at the top.
The standard K mount does not have this button and the AE setting cannot be used.

Hope that helps.

I think F5.6 is the recommended minimum and fixed focal length lenses are usually faster than zooms.
The adapter works very well indeed with my KA 50mm 1.7 and Tamron 135mm 2.5 lenses and even my Tamron 80-210 F3.8/4, but you would certainly need a nice bright subject for slower lenses.

Hello again Snib,

Autofocus (FA and FA2) lenses will work perfectly with your P30T and you'll retain the program features of the camera. However you may find the KA manual lenses to be better and possibly cheaper. I say 'better' because they will have a wider focussing ring - the AF lenses incorporate a narrow ring designed for occassional use, as the lens would normally be used in AF mode on an AF camera.
I suppose your choice might revolve around whether or not you were thinking of moving up to an AF SLR in the future.
Manual lenses work fine on AF bodies too - I have several including Tamron Adaptall II lenses (KA adapter) which perform superbly on my Z1-P. Pentax also have a 1.7x AF adapter which enable manual focus lenses to work as AF lenses on AF bodies.
So you have an incredible range of options open to you - the choice is yours!

Sorry the motorwind option didn't work out for you, must admit I had my doubts.

The original P30 did not take a motor wind but the P50 did (Motor Drive A or Winder ME II).
The P30 became the P30N and later the P30T.
If the T version takes a winder, then you would have the appropriate contacts and coupling mechanism incorporated in the camera baseplate.
I'm afraid I only have info for the original P30 to hand, which had just the battery compartment, tripod thread and film release button on the baseplate.

Winder ME II's should be available for £30-£40 second-hand (and well worth it I'd say!).

Happy New Year Snib,

I think your P30T should serve your needs and you should perhaps become more familiar with it's capabilities before investing in a complete new outfit.
There are loads of good quality second-hand K and KA mount lenses out there by various manufacturers and I would suggest you take your camera to a reputable dealer such as Jessops and try a few of the second-hand lenses available.
Your 28-80 may well be beyond economical repair and Jessops may be able to advise you if this is the case.
The best lenses to go for are original Pentax KA series although you may find independant makes a little cheaper (avoid the cheapest, especially Jessops own Centon brand!).
Avoid any lens with scratches or dents and rough or sticking focussing and aperture rings - don't buy on impulse, you may well regret it later!

If the lens is good and you're happy with the image through the viewfinder (little or no distortion through the zoom range) and it feels good in your hands - go for it but don't forget to haggle and you could bag yourself a bargain or two.

Tip - always store your equipment in a well ventilated but dust free place and keep silica gel packs nearby to absorb moisture and prevent mould growth.

Good Luck.

It's only voluntary you know!

If you have a query and someone just happens to log in and read it, it is entirely up to them whether or not they feel they can offer a suitable response.
There is no panel of experts sitting there chomping at the bit waiting to answer posts.
If you need an urgent response, try contacting you supplier or Pentax directly.

Personally Will, I'd send the camera to Pentax anyway and explain the situation in full - you never know, they are pretty decent folks!

Hard to imagine an inherent fault but it's possible!

Will,
an E code followed by a number means you have a shutter fault.
Sounds like you've been really unlucky - unless you've dropped it at some stage!
If you send your camera to Pentax, they will send you a free repair quote which is likely to be around £50 and will include a full service and 6 month warranty.
If you don't agree to that, they'll just return the camera to you.

Have you tried removing the battery and film and starting again from scratch?
Sometimes replacing the battery will reset the system - just a thought.