Image © Emma Kay

Last weekend, I had the chance to try out the 18-270mm lens I recently received from Pentax on the K-50.

The 18-270mm is quite a robust, chunky lens compared to the 35mm macro I was using previously, but it still balances well with the K-50 body. Zooming in and out is easy thanks to the mechanism being easy to grip and well damped. The lens is ideal if you want to travel without any extra lenses, as the focal range goes from relatively wide to telephoto.

Image © Emma Kay

Recently, at a local village fayre, I had the opportunity to try out the lens on some classic cars. The zoom range of the lens meant I could focus in on the small details on these pristinely kept cars, but also get some wider shots of their sides and bonnets.

It was a challenge with these images to capture the cars without fayre-goers roaming around in the background, so I had to make some creative decisions in terms of cropping to make the images work. The lens' autofocus is really accurate, allowing me to quickly snap the shots I wanted without being in the way for too long.

Image © Emma Kay

The cars were inside a large white marquee, which gave a yellow colour cast to my shots. This was rectified by altering the white balance on the K-50, simply pressing the WB button on the D-pad to bring up my options. Using manual mode, it's really easy to adjust the shutter speed and aperture, allowing you to see the result of the changes on the camera's screen before you shoot, ensuring you get the best shots possible.

It can be difficult with shiny objects, like these cars, to capture a shot which doesn't feature yourself and the lens staring back at you in a reflection - careful positioning was needed to ensue I captured a shot showing the cars off to their best without unsightly reflections.