RRP for the Manfrotto MP3-D01 seems to be £29.99, although Amazon had some for £24.99. I regret to report that there is one fewer available since I logged in...

I like numbers 1-9 inclusive. My route to work involves a 2.5-mile walk from London Victoria and back again, much of it along the Thames, but I rarely carry a tripod because commuter trains don't have enough space for people, never mind bulky photographic kit.

Thanks for the tips, Mat. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the Manfrotto website...

Well, how about a day of motorsport? What finer gift could there be?

For the sake of absolute clarification, herewith a snippet from the Mallory Park website:

Buildbase EMRA Championship
Sunday, 10 March 2013, 08:00 - 17:00

Motorcycle racing at its very best with the EMRA Buildbase Championship. With pace close to lap record or faster, this is one of the best club championships in the UK and one for specialist Mallory Park racers. Tickets £13 on the gate or £11 in advance.

The year's first Cadwell bike meeting is on March 23-24... and that is also recommended.

Vic, you phoned Cadwell Park, near Louth, not Mallory!

I concur that there's a track day at Cadwell, but Mallory is most definitely a race meeting...

I will definitely aim for an 8am breakfast, or as close to that as the M1 permits.

Mallory is fairly compact (track map here: link), so it shouldn't be too hard to find people. It's a good idea to start the day to the inside of the Cooper Esses (shots 3 and 5 in the OP), because that's a 30-second stroll from the paddock café (turn left as you exit, then proceed in a straight line to the trackside fence). The light tends to be good first thing in the morning (if, indeed, there is any light) and it's a decent spot for pan shots, when riders are practising rather than racing.

I'd suggest early arrivals gather here, if they don't make breakfast. I'm happy to swap mobile numbers via PM, to keep latecomers in touch via text etc.

The other prime spots include the hairpin (OP shot 1) and the Bus Stop chicane (4 and 6). The chicane on the back straight (Edwina's) is OK for racing shots from the infield, but becomes fairly crowded because friends, family and mechanics stroll across from the paddock to watch. It's probably reasonably dramatic from the outside, but I'm not sure the sun is ever in quite the right place. There isn't much point shooting from the outside of the first corner, Gerard's, unless you have a 600mm lens and TC, because they extended the run-off to accommodate the British Superbike championship... whose powers then decided they weren't going to race here anyway. There is potentially an OK landscape shot towards the corner's exit, though, just before the back straight, where you can get the main lake and paddock buildings in the background.


A more carefully framed version of this, perhaps...

The circuit perimeter is only 1.3 miles, so it's not quite the Nürburgring Nordschleife, but there is only a solitary footbridge, halfway along the pit straight. OP shot 2 was taken close to the bridge and at this point you have the motocross track just behind you.

Any further questions, feel free to ask here or via PM.

Love all of them, Shaun, but if I had to pick one it would be the mono tiger.

I hadn't intended to replace my older K-5 with a IIs, but I happened to be in SRS, struck up a conversation I didn't plan to have, decided it wouldn't do any harm to add a couple of little-used lenses to the part-ex dowry and next thing I know...

I'm not qualified to make detailed technical assessments, but from my perspective the IIs definitely seems to capture crisper detail in poor light. Here are a mixture from yesterday's gloom and today's relative heatwave. All were taken with a Sigma 150-500 (kestrel indoors, the rest alfresco although conditions were significantly overcast for both fox and mallard).

[IMG]http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp41/simonarron/Simon%20Arron%20-%20wildlife/otter4-2_zps5aa77907.jpg[/IMG] 1

[IMG]http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp41/simonarron/Simon%20Arron%20-%20wildlife/fox16-2_zps0097f6cf.jpg[/IMG] 2

[IMG]http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp41/simonarron/Simon%20Arron%20-%20wildlife/robin1-9_zps88cd586d.jpg[/IMG] 3

[IMG]http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp41/simonarron/Simon%20Arron%20-%20wildlife/kestrel3_zps02a5bf9b.jpg[/IMG] 4

[IMG]http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp41/simonarron/Simon%20Arron%20-%20wildlife/buds1_zpsf6c0aa2c.jpg[/IMG] 5

[IMG]http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp41/simonarron/Simon%20Arron%20-%20wildlife/mallard2-5_zps90eee042.jpg[/IMG] 5

[IMG]http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp41/simonarron/Simon%20Arron%20-%20wildlife/robin2-5_zps964acd20.jpg[/IMG] 7

I tend to use booking.com for hotels, Mike. At the time of typing, they have rooms in the Premier inn, Hinckley, from £62 (plus other options): link.

Update: discounted tickets remain on sale until March 5.