New lens advice please

I have built up a bit of an eBay fund and am considering investing in a new lens.

I quite like taking photos at gigs but find my 1.4 50mm a bit awkward due to it being fixed and thought a zoom may be more flexible. Has anyone got an opinion on the relative merits of:

Pentax DA 50 -135mm f2.8 £765
Sigma 50 - 150 f2.8 £562
Sigma 70 - 200 macro f2.8 £659
Tamron 70 - 200 macro f2.8 £549

I have got a Sigma 10 - 20mm which I am very pleased with and also wondered whether the Tamron 70 - 200 is the same lens as the Sigma, they look awfully similar but are £100 apart in price.

Thanks,
Andy

The pentax 50-135mm is the better lens and has a reasonably fast maximum aperture, so I'd tend towards that.

The low light use probably excludes the otherwise excellent 55-300mm DA lens.

it really depends on how far you're from the stage which lens would be better, if you get a 70-200 you will have some occasions that you didn't find it wide enough at 70mm and the same is true with the other lenses on the long end that it isn't long enough.

They are all very good lenses so you can't make a mistake there.

Misfuds have a used Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 APO EX for sale (£399) and I would seriously consider this. The non HSM, non Macro version (the MKI) is the sharpest of all the 70-200mm lenses Sigma have made, I have one and it is far sharper wide open than the new version. I also have the 50-135mm and although a lovely lens never gets used because the 70-200mm is so good.

The older 70-200mm will also take the Sigma 1.4x converter with very little IQ loss.

I would personally suggest something along the lines of 24 or 28-70 or so @ 2.8. 70 is long enough to get headshots from the pit, and a 28 would allow a couple of the guys to be visible at once.

Bret

Sorry just googled misuds and realised it's not an acronym!

At some point in the next year - when I'm somewhere I can buy one of these lenses - I can see myself facing the same dilemma as Andy. And given you've probably got about as much experience as anyone on this forum with telephotos Mike, I'm interested to hear your advice.

However, what really puts me off the Sigma 70-200 is the size. It's the heaviest (1345 grams) of all the lenses above and also heavier than the Pentax 60-250. Am I right in assuming a lens of this size and weight is just not a viable option for use as a handheld, walkabout lens?

well, it will take a gripped K10D well over 2.5kg. That's where the problems will start with tripod heads and the standard strap.
I've just kitchen-scaled my K10D - 2 batteries, 2 SDHCs, a K10d, D-BG2 and 10-24 Tamron with a RC2 plate - at 1.7kg. Take off 400g for the lens and 1.3kg remains. Add in 1.3kg... the weight limit of a 322RC2 is 2kg IIRC.

I personally don't mind the weight of the Tamron at all. It's nice to heft something, and I think for a 70-200 it will work really well. The idea of a 690+234RC2 head would seem to be predestined for this.
OTOH, adding another kilo? you're really going to know about it with the standard strap....

Bret