Boxing Day circuit racing has returned to the UK after a one-year absence, as Simon Wood (Crossed-up) has already illustrated with a couple of cracking shots in The Gallery. It was nice to catch up with Simon during the morning, although my day was subsequently rather compromised. I was using the K-3 at a racetrack for the first time (with Sigma 100-300) and also had the K-5 IIs for wider-angle/close-range duties (with a Tamron 17-50, freshly acquired from the Bay of E). I hadn't been there long when I noticed strange black spots in the K-3 viewfinder. I soon realised that these were actually in my left eye - and my left-side vision began to blur quite rapidly. The circuit medical centre had no eye-testing kit, so at lunchtime I opted to leave and drove straight to A&E at Moorfields in London, where the initial prognosis suggested a retinal tear and, possibly, permanent damage. I was summoned for am emergency operation yesterday, but the consultant had a good old probe before concluding that the retina looks OK and that I have suffered a haemorrhaged vessel that will hopefully clear of its own accord in a week or three, although I have further tests pending. In the meantime, I'm adjusting to using my right eye to frame a shot - and it was interesting that a number of photos were initially way off-centre. Anyway, that's enough ocular nonsense: here are a few shots from a brief day at the races....

1 - Commitment (K-5 IIs)


2 - Peculiar diversity (K-3)


3 - Exuberance (K-3)


4 - Contrasting headgear (K-3)


5 - Contrasting lines (K-3)


6 - Clio lane (K-3)


7 - Equilateral triangle (K-3)


8 - A decent crowd underlined that there are far better things to do on Boxing Day than rushing out to save £50 on a new sofa (K-5 IIs)


9 - Unhappy Christmas - he'd led through the first corner, but crashed at the second (K-3)

It's almost impossible to select one shot in particular - indeed I might not yet have taken my favourite of 2014 - but I'll plump for this...


It was shot during the Walter Hayes Trophy meeting at Silverstone on November 1/2. Silverstone is not the UK's most photogenic circuit - far from it, in fact - but I thought a deep puddle at the exit of Becketts Corner might make for a nice pan shot/reflection combo. That didn't prove particularly effective given the poor light, so I moved to a different spot after one of the marshals told me that drivers had an unfortunate habit of running over the kerb and into the puddle without realising how deep it was. Once I'd repositioned myself, I had to wait for all of about three cars to pass before this happened. The drenched party is a Formula Ford racer named Steve Chapman.

Taken with K-5 IIs and (I think) the DA 300.

I like them both, Alan, and think the pipe plays a very strong supporting role in the first. The colours, as ever, are wonderfully rendered.

And yes, the K-5 IIs is a brilliant piece of kit. I probably need to find another to keep in reserve, because at some point mine is certain to wilt through overuse.

Great shot, Don - lovely composition and fantastic colour rendition. It also shows that the DA 300 is every bit as crisp with the 1.7xTC as it is with the newer 1.4.

I think that's probably my pick of the bunch, Russ.

Great colours, terrific exposure control and a lovely composition.

Like the idea behind #4. I might have been tempted to crop away a little of the darkness at the top - and can't make up my mind whether I'd prefer it without the plant silhouettes – but the reflected light is love;y.

Thanks, all, for the positive feedback.

I came within an ace of buying another K-5 IIs when B&H was all but giving them away a couple of weeks ago, but by the time I decided to commit they'd all gone: that would have been a better option for my bank balance, but it's nice to have a new toy with fresh features.

@Phil: motorsport is largely in hibernation in the Northern Hemisphere at present, but I hope to give the K-3 a whirl at Mallory Park on Boxing Day. There's a stock car meeting in Stoke on the 28th, too, plus a sporting trial that same day in Sussex...

For those who commented favourably on the Regent Street shot, here's another from a few minutes later (although it might be a little extreme for some tastes).

In the slipstream of Amazon France's generous discount, I became a K-3 owner on Saturday afternoon and sloped out yesterday to give it a whirl. Having charged a battery and attached a strap, I arrived at Kelsey Park, Beckenham, to discover that quite a few functions weren't where I thought they'd be (I'm not one for reading instruction manuals, but soon found my way around). I wasn't expecting a giant leap over what the K-5 IIs can do, but faster focusing and the twin card slots are useful features and so far I'm pleased with what I've seen. Did I need a K-3? Not really, but the price was too attractive and both my K-5s (the original, in particular) are quite battle-scarred, largely as a result of being used as working tools at motorsport events all year long (more than 50 per annum in recent seasons).

Here, in no particular order, are some results (with DA 300mm f4 unless indicated).
1 - I know somebody who can look at a large, juvenile gull and point out that, "The 14th feather from the left has three speckles, so it's clearly a second-winter herring gull." I'm OK at identifying birds, but with young gulls I struggle beyond knowing which bit is the beak. I'm not sure whether this is a herring, lesser black-backed or something else entirely


2 - Blackbird contemplates berry raid


3 - Ring-necked parakeet mimics blackbird


4 - Lazy family Sunday


5 - Robin finally clocks that I'm using a DA 300. It flew back and forth several times, more or less landing on my shoulder at one point, before finally settling far enough away that I could take a shot. Most of the time, it was standing by my left boot, anticipating a snack


6 - London's Christmas rush, Regent Street (with Sigma 10-20)


7 - We have lift-off


8 - Walking on water

I almost missed this as a result of blinking.

I very much like the original version of #1. I appreciate that a few details might be blown in the sunny haze, but that might well be an accurate reflection of the light at that time. The end result is very powerful (and a good reason to get up at daft o'clock and head to the South Downs for reasons other than the Goodwood Revival Meeting).

I appreciate the technical proficiency of #2, although it's not a scene that particularly grabs my attention.

Shot #3 is absolutely marvellous... and underlines once again that we can buy as many lenses as we like, but stellar results remain very achievable with Pentax basics.

Once coffee and croissants have been consumed, I'll take a stroll... and perhaps be able to comment on #4 and '#5 when I return. It's been a whirlwind, Russ, but those first three cover many bases - and do so with considerable panache.

All good, Alan, but then any other outcome would have been a surprise.

I very nearly bought another K-5 IIs when B&H was all but giving them away a couple of weeks ago, but they'd all gone by the time I finally made up my mind. Then Amazon France slashed K-3 prices and that arrived a few hours ago. It's yet to leave its box, but I doubt my first endeavours will be anywhere near as good as these. I'm about to check the Met Office website to see where I might find some good light tomorrow...

Of the first two, I prefer the second. The horizon might be slightly burnt out in the centre, but as a consequence it's more colourful and to my eye has a little more impact.