Arron takes shots of something other than motorsport shock... A few from recent days in and around London, as leaves tumble and early sunsets make the evening station stroll more picturesque (hopefully)...


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Another weekend, another race meeting... although the calendar is finally winding down (if you discount the Rally GB this weekend, a stage rally at Oulton Park on Nov 23, a race meeting at Anglesey in December etc etc). Very low sun at Brands Hatch, which was both a help and, at times, a hindrance, as some favourite spots were in shade by lunchtime. I was peppered with gravel by one errant VW Golf (not pictured - interestingly, my instinct was to turn my back to shield the camera gear rather than doing very much to protect my head) and returned home particularly cold and muddy, but such is the essence of an autumn clubbie. All shots taken with K-5 IIs and Sigma 100-300 f4.


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Brilliant set, Alan, but perhaps not so brilliant in that they've tested my resolve to stay away from SRS until K-3 prices begin to drop...

A few sporting samples accumulated with various bits of Pentax kit...


1 - 2010 Goodwood Revival: K20 with Tamron 18-250, 1/160


2 - 2011 Italian GP: K-5 with Tamron 70-300, 1/100


3 - 2013 Brands Hatch BSB: K-5 IIs with Sigma 100-300 f4, 1/100


4 - 2013 Monaco GP: K-5 IIs with Sigma 100-300mm f4, 1/800


5 - 2012 German GP: K-5 with Sigma 150-500, 1/60

Would I obtain better photographs by spending thousands I haven't got on equipment I can't afford? Perhaps, but I'm as happy to use Pentax now as I was 30-odd years ago, when Arron Snr lent me his Spotmatic to point at racing cars. I'm satisfied with the results and that's what most counts. I'm a million miles from being a pro, but get quite a few shots published and that's a welcome bonus. NB that several Pentax bodies are able to accommodate flying birds...

Four seasons in two days in bleakest Northants. All taken with original K-5 mated to either Sigma 100-300mm f4 or Pentax DA 17-70mm f4...


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Love that last one.

I know that feeling, Steve - been there, seen it, not done it. Nowadays I tend to forget that a K-5 shoots at about seven frames per second. My Spotmatic didn't have a motordrive in 1978, so I'm used to clicking one frame at a time (even though I have my cameras set to high-speed continuous shooting). The inverted Fiesta is part of an eight-frame sequence (not that spectacular, because it toppled relatively gently), but it never occurred to keep my shutter finger pressed...

Sage counsel, Peter - and I should have pointed out that virtually all of my stuff is taken with the privilege of a media tabard. The 17-70 bike shot was taken from a public area, however, at Mallory Park. That offered some of the best photo access in Britain for paying punters, but has lain dormant since the management company went into administration a few weeks ago. I'm hoping it will be saved.

Mind you, I have been known to use a Sigma 10-20 at Silverstone...

Sports 2000, Barrie. It exists still, in three forms: Pinto, Duratec and Historic. There were separate events for all three last weekend. Quite a few Pinto-engined cars also race in the Historic class. The chassis pictured are more modern, with Duratec engines, but here's an older, Ford Pinto-powered Royale RP37, which might look more familiar...

I have a 150-500, Alistair, but tend to use it only in really good light - it produces decent images, as you have illustrated, but it can be a bit limiting - particularly at this time of the year, when the days are so short.

I love my Sigma 100-300 f4, but K-mount examples are scarce and can be quite expensive. I hear good things about the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 - one of those and a Sigma 1.4TC would match the 100-300.

I haven't used a DA 60-250 or DA 300, but can vouch for the DA 17-70 (samples below)...







...and the Pentax FA 28-70 f4, an example of which I picked up for £36 on eBay.






Generally, though, the Sigma 100-300 is my default choice. If nothing else, it (just) fits in my hand luggage when I'm covering events overseas.