The SB600 he's using in the photos doesn't have a sync port built in (nor does the Pentax AF360) so it's useful for wired remote operation.

Because Canon and Nikon spend a lot of money ensuring all the 'togs you see on TV are carrying their kit. Much of it is provided at heavily discounted rates to news agencies, etc and if you happen to break your Canikon out in some remote wilderness you'll be assured that a repair facility will be operating nearby and willing to loan you a replacement in the meantime. Given all that why would pros (of the news variety) want to go anywhere else?

The downside is that Canikon owners of the amateur variety (that's probably 99%+ of the user base) pay over the odds to subsidise what is, effectively, a slick advertising operation. Pentax give nothing away, but then you're not paying a surcharge to cover the cost of one of Wapping's finest having a 1000mm lens to take pics of Cheryl Cole stumbling out of a club either. As an amateur myself I'm quite happy with that...

Good light to you Martin - see you back here when you buy your next Pentax..?

I've had Samsung badged versions of the 12-24, 18-55, 50-200, FA35 and DFA100 in my hands to compare against Pentax versions (my friend has a GX20 and the aforementioned lenses). The coatings on the Samsung lenses do indeed have a slightly different colour to the Pentax ones when viewed side-by-side, but give the same colour rendition in photos (unlike most third party lenses). Other than that the only differences are the markings, a blue ring around the base instead of a green one and a different profile to the rubber grips (focus/zoom rings).

Amateur Photographer magazine tested the Pentax and Samsung variant 12-24 and 50-200 lenses side-by-side last year and found them to be all but identical in performance (miniscule differences being put down to sample variation) so if you can get the Samsung ones cheaper then do so!

Land Rovers are not cars - they're just tractors with shrunken rear wheels (runs and ducks for cover)

Well done everybody - it was a tricky one to judge so I just went on what appealed most to me. Looking forward to the next one Mike and better luck next time to all the other entrants.

The car as we know it is on the way out. To a large extent, I deplore its passing, for as a basically old-fashioned machine, it enshrines a basically old-fashioned idea: freedom. In terms of pollution, noise and human life, the price of that freedom may be high, but perhaps the car, by the very muddle and confusion it causes, may be holding back the remorseless spread of the regimented, electronic society. ~ J. G. Ballard, "The Car, The Future", Drive, 1971.

Some excellent entries once again folks, I'll crack on with the judging straight away.

Hyram - My 911

A very nice study of one of the most recognisible shapes in the motoring world. The lighting is great and the focus is spot on, however, for me the subject is just a little too "perfect" and therefore lacking any drama. When I think of 911's I usually think of herds of 80's estate agent types going backwards through hedges in the wet, this is a technically good photo but doesn't really move me in any way.

cardiff_gareth - Beetle

This photo fails for me in three ways unfortunately; firstly the front of the car is slightly out of focus (I know depth of field is limited when photographing models but I'd rather have seen a sharp bumper than a sharp windscreen), secondly the framing doesn't suit the subject which looks as if it's been dropped to the bottom (a squarer crop would have suited better in my opinion) and thirdly I saw your variations on this in the My Photos section and thought they were huge improvements! The one with the glow effect could have been a winner this week but unfortunately your actual entry is just a little drab in comparison.

gartmore - A is for Austin

My Dad had an Austin A35 with a bonnet ornament just like this when I was born, consequently it was the first car I ever travelled in (at just a few hours old) and the first that I clearly remember as a young child. This picture does bring back some childhood memories which makes me warm to it and I love the reflection in the paintwork and the dynamic of the winged A that makes it look like it's heading somewhere with a purpose. I'm not so keen on the framing though as the ornament is just a little *too* central - I'd have liked a little more space in front and a bit less behind to make it look as if it was coming into view rather than just leaving the scene.

Lilly - old but classy

I was really hoping you'd enter a picture of the Ruby but I wasn't expecting her keys alone! Despite an initial twinge of disappointment I have to say I really like the composition and the effects the Lensbaby has given here. The way the focus is concentrated on the important part makes me think of all those times I've looked at my (identical) fob and thought, "Right, let's go for a drive somewhere". When that feeling takes hold then all other considerations are blurred away and this picture conveys that perfectly for me. Excellent work - now get out of my head!

darlene - 2006 Buick Allure

I think the idea for this one is a good one. By concentrating on one area of the car and producing an abstract image you've given the car a personality - in this case quite a strong and formidable one. It's almost like the view some poor pedestrian would see as the car ran them over and it's an angle I've used myself on several occassions. The focus is spot-on and I like the high-key exposure and sepia toning, however, the picture is let down somewhat by the angles. With an abstract like this you really need a sense of symmetry to back up that "strong and formidable" personality I mentioned - that bit's lacking here if you look at the bumper either side of the licence plate or the A pillars / roof line above the bonnet. If you'd just moved your camera around an inch to the left and rotated it about half a degree then this would have been a real contender this week. It's all in the detail.

davidtrout - Classical lines

There's a lot to like about this photo; the composition, exposure and focus are all spot on and it certainly includes a car, however, I get the feeling that the star of the photo is the row of buildings in the reflection and not the car itself. This is a very good shot that I'd be pleased with if it were mine, but it's not really what I was after in this competition. I wanted pictures that emphasised automobiles rather than relegating them to canvasses. Not a winner this time I'm afraid but I'm glad you got Photobucket sorted out as your pictures will be very welcome in these competitions.

mikew - untitled

Here's a picture that made me grin from ear to ear. As someone who spends ages at car shows taking hundreds of very similar shots it appealed to me immediately. Here we have exotic metals married to precision engineering to make mechanical miracles (how else would you describe the way these callipers can drag over a ton of metal to a halt from speeds in excess of 150mph in such a short space of time?). From a technical perspective it's also perfect with the plane of focus capturing the Aston Martin script and the central wheel nuts, the framing is spot on and the exposure leaving just enough to the imagination. Love it. Want one.

Dr. Mhuni - Crime Scene

I can see what you were trying to achieve with this one and I think the grainy, slightly blurred monotone actually adds to the atmosphere (like a capture from a CCTV camera). The scale doesn't quite convince me though - if you're using a model to "fake" a scene like this then it really needs to be a *lot* closer to the lens to make it look like it's the real thing. Also, this is another example this week where I can't help but think the car isn't the actual star of the shot, but rather a prop in a bigger picture. No cigar this week I'm afraid!

Bill_And

A similar idea to that of davidtrout above, but here I think the reflections serve to accentuate the lines of the car rather than distract from it. The curves give a very sleek and - dare I say it - sexy appearance which is the sort of thing I could easily see in an advert from a motoring magazine. I think I'd have ideally liked to have seen the top of the door frame and the end of the bonnet included here to give a sense of the car as a whole, but I do like the dark exposure and the focus is perfect.

JudithAnn - Standing Out In The Crowd

Another entry that made me smile. Here we have some toy cars that form a pattern very reminiscent of a traffic jam and is, therefore, perfectly in keeping with this week's theme. I like your use of focus to isolate the yellow Porsche (and the colour too makes it stand out) and I like the fact that the line runs diagonally to give a sense of dynamism. The thing I'm not so keen on is the grey MPV (BMW X5?) stood at right angles to the rest - it just doesn't look like it's supposed to be there and distracts me from the scene. Sometimes the old saying "Less is more" is worth bearing in mind! Good general concept though.

Aiki - Shaping

I have to say I don't think this is one of your better entries (and I think you'd agree) - you normally have a very good eye for colour and this picture doesn't deliver that. Nor do I think (as with other entries this week) that the car itself is the star of the picture, that honour going to the blue box inside. I did read your comment on the other thread (before any entries were submitted) that you're not a car owner so maybe that's why you've struggled to find beauty in the auto world in the same way you can in your landscapes and portraits? If it's any consolation I struggle with subjects that I have no real interest in too - I think we all do.

GlynM - My Baby Tank

This is more like it! What makes this picture for me is the mud that's splashed up the behind the rear wheel which gives a sense of action recently seen. I also like the composition / framing, the focus and the exposure. I'm not so keen on the reflections (especially the white garage door) as they distract me from the car and don't really add to the "off-road" feel in the same way a forest track or hillside would have done - a polariser may have helped here. Overall though a very strong entry.

Oppenheimer45 - untitled

I think I can see what you were aiming for here but unfortunately I think you chose the wrong part of the picture to focus on. Ideally I'd have liked to see the steering wheel / dashboard in sharp relief and the row of cars fading into the distance - this would have given the picture a very different complexion where the car was the main point of interest, as it stands though it's more like a street scene that happened to be shot from a car. Not a winner this time around but a respectable entry nonetheless.

thoughton - Grime

Brilliant! I do love abstracts and this one really speaks to me. The grime trapped in the engravings of the gear knob tells me a story of thousands of miles' worth of shifting through the gears as the car has gone about its business. I like the focus, the framing and the exposure very much and this is a picture I'd have been very pleased to have taken myself. Top marks!

RESULTS

There were some really good entries this fortnight and I've enjoyed looking at all of them as they've come in. I was really hoping for some celebrations of the car and you didn't disappoint me, there being several pictures here I would be very proud to have taken myself. Picking a winner has been incredibly tough as I felt there were three photos here that stood out from the rest - my problem has been deciding which order those three should go in for first, second and third places. After much deliberation I'm going to go with:

1st mikew
2nd Lilly
3rd thoughton

Everybody else who entered deserves a pat on the back for taking the time to enter so I hereby award commendeds all round. Over to you for the next one Mike.

Competition closed - results will be up very shortly

I don't know about simple but that's certainly something I'd like to see

If it's too heavy for you Clarky I could find a good home for it...

No idea - it depends so much on condition. Probably worth about £5-600 for a really nice one but you could get lucky for less, it does happen