I use the K-5 IIs and K-3 in tandem, Stuart, recently with the 70-200 attached to the K-5 IIs and DA300/Sigma 10-20/Tamron 17-50 alternating on the K-3. The 70-200 is my most versatile motor sport lens and I like to have it available at all times, but it's purely a matter of chance that it is glued to the K-5 IIs at present. I have no particular preference for body/lens combination. The relative merits of the two bodies have previously been discussed on the forum ad infinitum, but neither confers any particular advantage for my own needs. I'm happy with what they do and really that's all that matters. I bought a K-3 partly because my first K-5 was starting to show its age (I still retain it as a perfectly serviceable spare), but mostly because Amazon France had a lightning deal at an irresistible price...

Thanks, all.

I'm not sure you could see very much at all from some of the public areas, let alone photograph anything, although it took a while for security to get on top of things. On Saturday morning, I saw a few punters standing by the walls and poking a smartphone through the debris fencing, That was stamped out, eventually...

The official photo holes were often either too high (for 5ft 9in me, at least) or else in unsuitable locations, but this was a first attempt and I'm sure things will improve with time. One of my favourite angles was #5, but that was taken through a small gap between a TV cameraman's arm and the fence - there was no provision for still photography, even though it was one of the prettiest spots on the track when the sun was a) out and b) in the correct place. Almost every time the cameraman twitched, your slender field of vision vanished. There was a good atmosphere, though, and it was nice to be able to take a 17-minute train ride and then walk to the paddock, rather than being on the road at 4.30am (or else on an aeroplane).

I'm sure there will be complaints about restricted views from the public areas, although I haven't seen any as yet.

Stock car stadia apart, Greater London has just hosted its first motor race since 1972, when the Crystal Palace circuit locked its gates. It would have been rude not to attend. All with K-5 IIs & Tamron 70-200 unless otherwise indicated.


1 - Scene-setter (K-3, Tamron 17-50)


2 - Race two winner Sam Bird and the art of flirting with concrete


3 - Stéphane Sarrazin was first across the line in race two, but was penalised for exceeding his permitted battery energy allocation. Is any other industry as pedantic as mine?


4 - Yes, one of these fits a single-seater racing car (just). The occasional Have I Got News For You? presenter did a demo lap on Friday afternoon


5 - Tripping the light fantastic


6 - Karun Chandhok spurns the opportunity to stop for a quick pint (K-3, 17-50)


7 - Double F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi was one of the most celebrated visitors


8 - His dad won three F1 tites, but Nelson Piquet Mk2 now has a Formula E gong to add to his 2004 British F3 Championship trophy


9 - Jarno Trulli: won the 2004 Monaco GP, but a bit rubbish in a Formula E car...

From the past weekend's Coppa Storica, a three-day celebration of heritage cars at one of the world's oldest active racetracks (Monza, born 1922). Taken with K-5 IIs and Tamron 70-200, unless otherwise indicated.


1 - Benvenuti a Monza... (K-3, Tamron 17-40)


2 - Wherefore art thou, Romeo?


3 - Former F1 racer Paolo Barilla has purchased a Williams FW07 to do a spot of historic racing. Looks as though he's really looking forward to it...


4 - Barilla leads, but the chasing Loïc Deman won after his Italian rival ran out of fuel.


5 - Snakefight


6 - Behind the scenes


7 - Green party: Tommy Dreelan won the second Group C race... but only after half a dozen quicker cars ran into trouble


8 - F2 cars set sail for the final right-hander at Parabolica


9 - About 400 miles away there were 20 F1 cars contesting the Austrian GP (minus a couuple after the second corner). We had 35 om the grid, although accurate period reliability would eventually take its toll (K-3, 17-50)

Nice to see you resurface, David... and that's one hell of an undertaking. I can barely put up a straight shelf...

I like the diverse approach, Mike, but as George has noted - and you are aware - one or two of them are less than ideally sharp. I have used a few cheaper superzooms and they are brilliant in many circumstances, but don't always autofocus quickly enough to track racing cars. When last I used a Tamron 70-300, I found manual focusing was the best option: reduced flexibility, but sharper images. If you are looking for something faster, Amazon's European outlets have the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 at tempting prices (£360 in Germany, £375 in France - less than I paid in the UK for a second-hand copy... and I was pleased with that deal). I know it's a lot of money, but it's also spectacularly good value.

I would definitely have a tinker with the Audi shot. Headlights in daylight can confuse electronics, but the effect is sometimes quite pleasing. In this instance I think the quattro is simply a little bit too dark.

This is one of my photos of Anthony Wallen's Lotus 69, very similar to yours. It was shot at 200mm, f7.1, but I think the tighter crop makes the background a little less distracting (although others might beg to differ).

Approximately my 1428th consecutive weekend of motorsport, I reckon... Nice to bump into Mike Edwards (droopsnoot) once again. Cholnondeley provided its usual eclectic mix of ancient and modern on two, three and four wheels. And, as ever, the weather was mixed (although the sun popped out for a while on Friday). Here, then, are a few snapshots.


1 - Let's get the airborne cliché out of the way. A recent (well, 1994) F1 car appears to be a tight squeeze at Cholmondeley... as driver Tony Worswick subsequently proved when he biffed the straw bales (K-5 IIs, Tamron 70-200)


2 - The art of poise (K-5 IIs, 70-200)


3 - Yes, somebody did build a Lotus Esprit for rallying back in the day. No, I'm not sure why it has a ski rack on the roof. Probably a Bond reference, I guess (K-5 IIs, 70-200)


4 - Bale conditions (K-3, Tamron 17-50, 1/80)


5 - The patter of tiny Fiat (K-5 IIs, 70-200)


6 - Synchronised masochism (K-5 IIs, 70-200)


7 - Cheshire life (K-5 IIs, 70-200, 1/200)


8 - Usual token mono shot (K-5 IIs, 70-200)


9 - Graze elegy (K-3, 17-50)

Carl, I'm very sorry to learn of the theft.

When I had a couple of film cameras stolen many moons ago, the police advised me to keep an eye on local pawnbrokers,. About 10 days after the event, I discovered my K1000 and Spotmatic in a nearby branch of Cash Converters.

A long shot, but you never know...

Sigma 100-300 is still in my lens cupboard, feeling sorry for itself. Much as I love it, I haven't missed it too much - the Tamron 70-200 seems very good (all the more so as I got it for £380 from Amazon Warehouse, and it looked as though it had never previously been used) and I've been using that in tandem with the DA300 and a couple of shorter lenses (Tamron 17-50, Sigma 10-20).

I need to take both 100-300 and Sigma 50-150 to the vet, but the fact I still haven't done so is probably a sign that I'm coping...

Eight days on from my previous Brands Hatch gallery... here's another one. I was supposed to be at Brands on Saturday, for the third American SpeedFest, and Cadwell Park on Sunday, but I was simply too knackered to contemplate the second trip. I've just started cycling 20-plus miles most working days, to avoid the pain of Transport for London, which might explain such lethargy. Next stop, incidentally, will be this weekend's Cholmondeley Pageant of Power.


1 - Muscle (K-5 IIs, DA300)


2 - Contre-jour (K3, DA300)


3 - Contretemps. Car 67 did a complete flip, but I stopped shooting because a) it seemed to be heading straight for me and b) so did one of its detached wheels. The driver was fine (K-3, Tamron 70-200)


4 - Branch line (K-3, 70-200)


5 - Euro NASCAR driver Philipp Lietz likes to prepare for races by juggling while his physion blows cigar smoke in his left ear. Possibly... (K-5 IIs, 70-200)


6 - "I'm sorry, sir, there's no parking here before 6pm on a Saturday..." (K-3, DA300)


7 - Yes, somebody entered a Triumph Herald Coupé. I've been attending race meetings for almost 50 years and hadn't previously seen one with numbers on its side (K-5 IIs, DA300)


8 - In the spotlight (K-5 IIs, Sigma 10-20)


9 - The usual retro whimsy (K-3, 70-200, 1/125)