Many thanks for all the tips. Fascinating. I've ordered a DA* 50-135 and my DA 16-45 is pretty good at the wide stuff, although a 35 1.4 would be fantastic. I'd like to give a thumbs-up to the dodge/burn tool in Affinity Photo. It does a great job of handling exposure problems with patchy lighting.

Yes, I think a 70-200 2.8 would be too much of a beast for what I want. Your 35mm must give you some great shots in a bar scenario.

I've been thinking the same thing, Paul. SRS has a couple of "excellent +" used ones and I'm very tempted. I'll send you the bill!

Thanks, Don. Think I'll have to up my budget. A fast zoom seems almost indispensable for quick framing changes. Oddly (or not), I used to work for a Winnipeg-based company when I lived in Canada.

I recently moved to France and have been suckered into photographing the local hotel's weekly music gigs in the garden. "Gig photography" is alien territory for me but several PU members are obviously masters and I'm hoping for a little advice.

My results have been pretty good so far and I knock out a few A4 prints every week for display. But it's becoming obvious that I need another lens. My DA 16-45 and DA 50 1.8 both produce excellent images on my new K70 but I really need something with a longer reach, although I can get as close to the "stage" as I want. Something like a 70-200 2.8 would be ideal, I suspect, but I really don't want to spend that sort of money. My DA 55-300 is probably a little slow, even at high ISOs.

My only payment is a free hotel room so I can have a few pints and a meal on the house, so I want to keep the cost as low as possible while producing good results. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

I've used card stock from Photo Paper Direct for years, when I can be bothered, and have been impressed with the results. It could be cheaper to go to someone like Vistaprint but I prefer to do it myself. This one works well if you want a glossy finish on the outside: link. They offer many other finishes and sizes, and all the ones I've tried produce top-quality results. Gwyn is quite right: the biggest challenge is coming up with the right photo.

Thanks. That's reassuring.

Thanks, Jonathan. The aperture ring on the 50mm works perfectly but clicks more loudly than the one on the 28mm. I'll mention this in the ad in case it's relevant.

Thanks, Stu.

Many thanks. That's more than I thought. I'll probably stick them in the classifieds when I have a chance to take some pix.