Following slightly mixed results at the first time of asking, I took my recently acquired 1.4 TC for a stroll this morning - and used it for every shot, either with K-5 IIs/Sigma 100-300mm f4 or K-5/Sigma 105mm f2.8 macro. I don't think the following are particularly interesting in terms of subject matter or composition, but I was chuffed to bits with the sharpness and clarity. The light was great, but even so...

Might nip out again in a few minutes.

K-5 IIs/Sigma 100-300mm f4

1


2


3


4

K-5/Sigma 105mm f2.8

5


6


7

Thanks, all.

I'd recommend Brands Hatch to anybody, Peter - and especially the full Grand Prix circuit, although it is used relatively rarely. It hasn't changed a great deal since the 1970s, so period cars look very much at home. Proper access roads hadn't been invented back then, so getting some of these shots meant shredding my shins among the brambles, but that's a fair swap.

There's another major historic event (the HSCC Superprix) on the full track on July 12-13, if anyone fancies a step back in time.

I'd like to see some of the action stuff, Phil. Did any of the 1/30 pans work?

Love the Cooper T45 shot - very nice indeed.

Wonderful to see 1970s & '80s Formula One cars on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, which hasn't changed much since the '70s. Also nice to meet PU member swarf (Phil Sivell) during the day's course. Haven't yet sifted through all the digital debris, but here are a few. I'm now about to set off for the sprint event at Crystal Palace, where I suspect I'll get fairly wet...


1 - K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4


2 - David Brabham prepares to demonstrate a Brabham BT45-Alfa, during a tribute to his late father Sir Jack (Sigma 50-150 f2.8, K-5)


3 - Going...


4 - ...still going...


5 - ...gone (all with K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


6 - Best view in the house and didn't pay for a ticket (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


7 - K-5, Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 at 1/80


8 - Determination (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


9 - Wrong... (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


10 - Revised set-up possibly required (colossal crop from K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


11 - Not sure whether this should be categorised as 'sport' or 'nature' (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)

Thanks, George (and everybody else).

Shot #3 was taken alongside the straight that runs between Surtees and Hawthorns on the Grand Prix loop, looking towards the crest just before the vehicle bridge. They come into view pretty quickly, but you get used to it after a couple of laps.

Thanks for the info, Mike. I might just be seeking a non-existent idyll.

It's ironic that the three respondents so far have picked out the TC-assisted shot of the Audi, #3, as one they liked. I think that was taken with AF, but I'll be very busy trackside this weekend and will spend more time focusing manually. That worked fine in 1977, although I might have to dial in some compensation for middle-aged hyperopia...

A quick selection from last weekend's Blancpain GT meeting - the first major sports car international at Brands Hatch since 1996. I spent a fair bit of time evaluating my new 1.4 TC, but eventually came to the conclusion that it was better to leave the TC in the bag and crop. I got some half-decent results, but only some. It might be that the Sigma 100-300/TC cocktail is a little slow for fast-moving objects in AF mode. Manual focusing was more effective, but I shall persist. Perhaps I simply need to ignore my bank balance and buy a DA300. But in the meantime...


1 - K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4


2 - K-5, Sigma 50-150 f2.8


3 - K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4, 1.4 TC


4 - K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4


5 - K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4


6 - K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4


7 - K-5, Sigma 50-150mm f2.8


8 - K-5, Sigma 100-300mm f4


9 - K-5, Sigma 50-150mm f2.8

This weekend, I might well be attending three different venues in as many days. Oulton Park, Brands Hatch, Prescott, Snetterton, Crystal Palace, Lydden Hill, Santa Pod... the choice borders on endless. You have been warned.

It appears about half the UK received a 1,4 TC yesterday - and I was no exception. Took it for a walk this morning and it seems to work OK with swans, irrespective of dimension.







From Kelsey Park it was a short hop to Brands Hatch, where I was particularly keen to see how the TC performed. Some shots were acceptable, but I had a lot more waste than would normally occur during a race meeting. That probably has more to do with me than the kit, though. I'm back at Brands tomorrow and the experimentation will continue.

Thanks, all, for the compliments.

At this time of year, Alan, the young herons tend to hover in bushes close to the edge of the main Kelsey Park lake. I didn't stand too close, to minimise the risk of frightening it away, but that was still taken at only 160mm...

No murderous herons this time, just a selection from a casual Kelsey Park stroll - including a new, eight-strong cygnet brood. All taken with K-5 IIs and Sigma 100-300 f4.


1 - Proud parent


2 - One of eight reasons to be proud


3 - A full assembly of reasons


4 - Here comes the sun


5 - Here comes the son


6 - The future's orange


7 - Anger management: the swan is being protective, but so is the greylag (one of a pair with a single gosling). I watched this awhile, but when the swan grabbed the goose's neck I intervened and stood between them. The greylag retreated elsewhere, with other half and junior, while the swan stood and glared at me for a couple of minutes


8 - A glaring swan