My vote was 'Not sure', but this has nothing to do with the takeover.

I feel I'd like to upgrade my K100, & am somewhat tempted by the new line-up, but domestic bliss suggests I should rule out even a used Kx.

If I can avoid other Photography expenses then maybe in a few months...

This has happened to the level on one of my favorite tripods. You now need to hold a seance to see the bubble, which isn't practical for photography.

I might eventually get round to trying to restore it - I've suitable kit at work (super fine drill, syringe...) and the spirit there isn't drinkable, but there's always loads more interesting things to try...

PKA extension tubes should give you control of the aperture - some need the some of the paint removed to get electrical contact before they work, from what I hear.
If they don't have the contacts they are only PK mount not PKA.

Note Auto extension tubes generally only have the mechanical aperture linkage which is of limited use for DSLRs

Macro is area where with a bit of patience you can achieve excellent results for very little.
PKA macro primes are certainly the easiest to use - and even my £50 Cosina (100mm PKA) gives great results.
As RioRico points out enlarger lenses with a suitable extension work very well too - from what I've seen elsewhere on the internet this can even be with homemade cardboard tube extension!
You can even get good results just reversing a prime either directly on the body or in front of another lens. The second of these is my most frequent approach, as my Camera bag usually has a 50mm 1.7 (or 1.4) in it for low light work so adding a stacking ring gives me options around 1:1 to 2:1 for hardly any extra weight. (Stacked on a PKA lens you still get auto aperture).
Another option to consider is a macro focusing teleconverter - probably not as high quality - but they do give better working distances without costing an arm & a leg.
The various approaches above can even be combined to give huge magnification at near zero DOF. (Note the order will make a big difference if combining TCs & extension. TC-Extension-lens has higher magnification & shorter working distance than extension-TC-lens).
It's all enough to keep a gear head amused for years.

It seems they have a Pentax version too: PK AF version

Assuming it's the lenses & aperture you want to use:
Enlarger lenses are almost certainly going to be MUCH cheaper, I've collected several for under £5 each. Rocky cameras usually has several (with his extremely sketchy descriptions)
They usually come in M39 mount - M39-PK & M39-M42 adapters being available (e-bay) for just a few pounds.

Enlarger lenses are basically only the lens, aperture blades & mount and are highly corrected to the corners, so should provide all the advantages of macro glass.

If it's the focusing helicoid your interested in, I suspect you'll probably find that easier going for a M42 one from e-bay (£50+) or perhaps the T2 variant in Scopes & skies' 'Astroboot' (£13) link (listed as T mount variable ext tube)

I have a similar model. It does indeed screw onto the filter threads, and is rather limited, but still allows some shots that the DA10-17 fisheye can't manage. The 10-17 reaches 180° diagonally, whilst the adapter can stretch to ~160° all round. (Mine seems to cram too much into the perimeter for my tastes)


It's also possible to mount filters between the adapter & the lens, without too much adverse effect.

Whilst Photoshop can do fish eye effects, you need to take multiple shots to get the same field of view, so it's rather limited, as well as being more difficult to visualize the finished look when taking your photo. I'd find even a budget adapter an improvement.

Thanks Yves

JuNE 15th - July is some other photo related events locally I've just been discussing (Tendring Hundred show, Harwich maritime festival & another potential exhibition)

UK info can be found here

I really must recalibrate my time machine...

I've not seen any messages here about it so I thought I'd post something in case anyone interested has not heard (or forgotten).
July 15th is due to have one of the deepest lunar eclipses a total of 101 minutes, finishing at 23.03 BST. With the recent volcanic eruption it's expected to be particularly red.
In the UK/north Europe it will be eclipsed at moonrise (totally eclipsed for most of the UK) and will be fairly low in the sky so you'll need a good view of the eastern horizon - Luckily I live near the east coast

I got a screw on version, which was about half as much IIRC.
Only tried it once so far, where the lighting was very variable (blue floodlit building & remainder lit by streetlights) It seemed to cope with the street lights well but that made the blue much worse
Screw in version is a bit of a pain to fit so I ended up getting a standard lens cap - this should overcome it's disadvantage so I might be tempted to get one.