I haven't used their website, but I have bought from the shop in Chelmsford before so I can confirm they're a legitimate business. The merits of these lenses have been discussed various times recently, have a look through the 'Lenses' sub-forum on here.

Dan

7dayshop.com?

Dan

Amazing lack of light pollution, bearing in mind where you are. Is that post processing, or is it particularly clear in that direction?

Dan

Looking at those first two shots, it's interesting that the orange shape is largely horizontal, even though the camera has been moved through 90 degrees. This, I think, would rule out a light leak in the camera, otherwise the shape would be on the same place on the negative, which would mean it would turn 90 degrees when the camera did.

It doesn't look like flare to me, as this tends to be blobs, often showing the aperture shape, rather than a smear like this. It might be a reflection of the front of the lens being bounced off the inside surface of the polariser, but it doesn't look right for that either. Reflections from a filter are here, on the smaller pictures.

So, for me that leaves this: Where you wearing, or was there anything attached to the camera, that had an orange thing on a bit of string?

Can't help but think it looks like something close in front of the lens, especially the second two, as the sunlight could catch such an object just right.

Was the camera on a tripod? Do you look through the viewfinder if it is? Might you stand up and let something orange swing in front of the lens just as you take the shot? That's what the first two make me think of, something swinging across as the shot is taken.

Could well be wrong, but that's my take on it.

Dan

...although just seen that Sigma did a 70-210mm f/2.8 AF lens in the early 1990s, so it may well be one of these.

http://www.photozone.de/2Equipment/reviews/sigma70210a.htm

Just bear in mind the weight!

Dan

Sounds expensive to me, unless it was an EX series, and had a large (f/2.8 ) aperture, or gave 1:1 macro magnification.

But I doubt it's any of these.

Dan

Not that I'm nosy or anything.

Dan

Really? Which one?

Dan

Good lad Nicholls, top of the class!

Dan

And you looked for the smaller things too!

Dan