A 'Rare' Asahi Pentax Manual for sale -- covers the famous M42 screw thread models and Super-Takumar lenses and the early 6x7 camera. Lots of info about rare accessories too !

£8-00 or plus the expensive Postage is you cannot pick up from Brentwood Essex

I 'may ' have posted a neg scan of this before but I could not find it-- but This is a scanned PRINT. i had a darkroom session now I feel better after my operation and days are darker. I 'cloned out' some lettering on shop front -- you know what Camera Club Judges say about 'Lettering attracting the Eye from main subject'
I had to use full aperture f4 on the 150mm f4 SMC Takumar on my lovely 'Gift' Spotmatic F as light was poor -- I got only 1/125th !


10/2004 Ilford Delta 100 rated 64 ASA, processed in RODINAL 1+50. PRINT on old Ilfospeed Glossy Grade 1. Home-made D72 Print dev 1+2 laced with 1% Benzotriazole anti-fog.

Negative Scans with an Epson 2480 flatbed + Vuescan Pro + FastStone Image Viewer. I am finding scan lines although I took off top and cleaned glass underneath and brushed the scan mirror, but did not attempt further dismantling. I USED to get good scans.

I found the last cassette of 09/2006 dated Ferrania 'Solaris 800' in fridge -- it WAS 'New' when bought !
I tried some in my Olympus XA2 and cut it and processed then loaded my lovely 'Gift' Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F which I have not used in a long while. Light was dreadful. I rated film at 500 ASA ( a guess) and home-processed in C41--- negs were 'Foggy' and very Grainy as you might imagine! It had not 'Matured' well even in fridge. I used my 50mm f1.4 SMC Takumar and 24mm f3.5 SMC Takumar








Hope you don't mind pic of Disabled Lady with Dolly in Pushchair -- passers-by were looking -

Famous British Entertainer Sir Ken Dodd died aged 90 yesterday-- Knighted by The Queen in 2017, born in Liverpool, over 60 odd years as comedian and singer. I photographed him many years ago for a local newspaper when he came to my town, BRENTWOOD, Essex ( ENGLAND) on stage at the Brentwood Centre, by available light. PENTAX ME Super + 80-200mm f4.5 SMC Pentax-M zoom lens at full aperture, ILFORD XP1 film. Print scanned from my files. He 'beat the Income Tax Man' in the 1980's !!

RIP Sir Ken Dodd -- by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

Wish I knew how to do that 'Image Stacking' stuff -- I rely on my SMC Macro-Takumar 50mm f4 stopped down !

Sorry to mention BUT I have been GIVEN by an Old Gent 89 years old a lot of gear including an Olympus E-500 4/3rds Digital 12 years old hardly ever used as he didn't understand it, with 2 lenses and it has no back-focus issues.

I find my AF SMC Pentax -DA 18-55mm f3.4-5.6 'kit' lens cannot be relied on accuracy as many 'press photos' suffered in the past and one time I attached my 35mm f2 Super-Takumar with the adapter in a Gym photographing the Mayor and athletes and the wall about 25 feet behind was sharp and Mayor was out !
Funnily enough I was GIVEN by a Camera Club member a 'Film' lens SMC Pentax-F 35-80mm f4-5.6 and it WORKS on 'auto focus' well so I use that most of the time now when i can according to subject. I n o longer get any 'Press' work, all Freelancers gone broke here.

Using my 2007 bought K10D again after a 'lapse' I tried my 50mm f1.4 SMC Pentax-M at full aperture, manual focus and every shot I took of the Brentwood Lights was back-focussed. I went out again an d did some tests, focusing forward a few feet and got better results. My Wife says I am too OLD now at 80 to spend any more money on camera repairs but I'm sure it was not my 'Eyes' !!
First one -- the bricks behind about 30 feet are sharper than tree lights


Second try --


Third Try ---

Hi Folks -- I went out again with my 'renovated' 1961 Asahi Pentax S3 loaded with a 24 shot 'Tudor' ( Fuji) 100 I rated at 64 ASA and processed myself in C41 -- I got 28 shots out of the film by loading it in the dark !
Here are some 'Street Photos' in Brentwood -- I have a few more scans to show sometime from S3

Age Gap -- I had wrong lens on so had to CROP SMC Takumar 28mm f3.5

Age Gap by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
Dog Day -- SMC Takunar 28mm f3.5

Dog Day by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
Floral Relaxation -- SMC Takumar 150mm f4 at f4

Floral Relaxation by Peter Elgar, on Flickr