Lightbulb police? (was RE: Anyone off to VCF-UK)

Frotunately most of my projects don't have to e portable, I either build in a mains supply, or just run them off my bench supply I find rechargeable batteries to be a pain in gneeral. Unless it's something I'm using all the time, the self-discharge means they're genrally pretty flat when I want to use the device. And then I have to want for a considerable time for them to recharge. For stuff I don't have to carry around I prefer to plug it into the mains. I have a Pen-FT. It needs a little work, but I will do that sometime. They are not hard to work on (one thing I have discovered when it comes to repairing cameras is that the mroe expensive cameeras have more parts, but they are better made and actually easier to work on. I would much rather repair a Leica than a Kodak.). One thing about the Pen F series is that they;re half-frame with a vertically-hinged mirror. The lens mount-to-film distnace is thus a lot thinner than any full-frme SLR. This means you could get adapters to use just about any normal SLR lenses on them (and focus to infinity). I have the M42 screw adapter (I think it cost me more than the camera...), which has expanded the range of lenses I can use enormously. And for a lot less in charity chops. And they really are easy to take apart and rebuild.. I ratehr skipped medium format and went ot large format. It's a lot slower to use of course, but the results are spectacular. A reasonable 5*4 camera and enlarger will cost less than a good digital set-up, and I know which I'd rather use _for the sort of photography I am interested in_. You are going to kill me... Some years ago I bought a jammed Leica III (pre-war, screw mount, of course) in a camera shop for a bargain price. That night, I partially stripped it, extraced the second curtain latch, cleaned it, put one drop of watch oil in the right place, and it's been fine ever sinxe. I need to strip the slow-speed escapement sometime, but it's not urgent -tony