Thanks Tony - I can only classify those three photo's as 'Snapshots'. The Spitfires' arrival at the track (Castle Donington, England) was a surprise and in the middle of a race. I was sitting in a chair with my legs tangled in the tripod, so had to zoom out to max. and manual focus as I was trying to find/track the plane in the viewfinder.

I find the Sigma 50-500mm lens CAN give outstanding results at the long end, but getting the focus right and panning and camera shake under control and manipulate the subject distance/depth of field/apeture/exposure combination when photographing moving targets is largely hit or miss. Out of 509 shots taken Saturday only three or four are what I'd call 'Photographs'. Operator error basically :)

I know the general advice is to spend as much as possible on a lens - the 'Bigma' isn't what I'd call cheap, but as I've proven, it CAN give outstanding results if "everything" is correct, paying £5,000 for a 500mm prime lens from one of the major camera manufacturers, isn't going to make much difference to the end result if it's all down to the photographer - as it is in my case :)

Regards,
Tony

All three images well captured...

In my opinion the most beautiful plane of all time! Great shot.