Oh well, blows my theory out of the window then!

If you're after a cheap tele lens then why not have a look for a Pentax M200/4? There are plenty about, they're very compact and the IQ is reasonable (if not exactly stellar). I paid less than thirty quid for mine a couple of months ago and that was for a near-mint example with original caps and leather hard case.

Plenty of example photos here:

www.pbase.com/cameras/pentax/smc_m_200_40

It's not the sharpest lens I own, nor does it have the most pleasing bokeh, etc but I find it preferable (at 200mm) to my Tamron 70-300. Worth having for ocassional use.

There's a gallery of photos taken with the f3.5 version on a K10D here: http://www.pbase.com/niblue/prinz_galaxy_135_f35

Whilst it doesn't look a match for the DA*50-135 it doesn't look too bad either - certainly worth twenty quid for the odd times when you want a tele lens.

As for breaking your camera, check it doesn't have the "Ricoh Pin" (and remove if it does) and don't force anything - should be OK I'd have thought.

That's more what I had in mind.

The great thing about really wide lenses is they make even small rooms look huge - perfect for an up-and-coming band. Keep it up anyway, be interesting to see how things progress at their next gig.

Now that's a great angle - I can see the fishy's purpose for crowd shots like this. Don't suppose you sneaked behind the drummer at any point to shoot through did you? If not it's worth considering for the next gig...

Some tremendous shots there - bravo!

I wouldn't have thought of the 10-17 as a gig lens (the 50 yes) but it's actually done a very good job - especially on the 5th picture. With any luck they'll land a huge record deal and take you with them as their official 'tog - there are worse ways to earn a living and see the world...

"Shooting indoors" can cover a multitude of sins; are you trying to capture the room itself (estate agent style) or are you trying to capture action within it? The former really calls for a wide angle lens, a tripod and a small aperture; the latter probably a mid-range zoom and a fast-ish shutter speed - preferably with flash.

You'll have to be a bit more specific about what you're trying to achieve.

Welcome ganners!

Have a go at entering the weekly competition or post some photos in the gallery - the feedback you get can go a long way in improving your pictures. Other than that it's all down to practice, practice, practice...

Er, John's referring to the Sigma here, not the Pentax I linked to - just to clear that up (had me frantically reading the description again!)

The difference between the long end of the kit lens (55mm) and the long end of this (70mm) is fairly insignificant - your kit will give a similar field of view by walking two steps forward. At the same time this doesn't go as wide as your kit (the difference between 18mm and 28mm *is* significant) which means you'll be pretty much duplicating what you already have but with a reduced range and lack of AF. It'll work fine on your camera but why would you want it? If it were me I wouldn't bother, even for a fiver.

If you're looking at bulking up your lens collection and want something genuinely good yet cheap (which will give you something you don't already have covered) then I'd suggest looking out for a Pentax M50/1.7 - there are plenty floating around on eBay and they tend to fetch between £10-20.

The 1.7 was often sold as a kit lens back in the film days and isn't as glamourous (or fast) as its 1.4 sibling, however, 1.7 is still very quick compared to your current lenses and the optical (and build) qualities are exceptional - a real step up from what you've used thus far. The focal length makes it great for portraits and the ability to shoot with razor-thin depths of field and in low light (without flash) will be a real eye-opener.

The downsides are no autofocus and no automatic shooting modes - you'll have to meter manually and set your own aperture/shutter speed (just like folks did when the lens was new), this is quite straightforward though and the results will be worth it.

This one finishes tomorrow and looks quite good, I reckon it'd be a better spend of your money than the Sigma...

Assuming it is people then they'll certainly notice if you take a flash photo of them. Chances are they'll then also want to "destroy the evidence" by nicking your camera - you still won't know who it is and you'll be a DSLR short...

Can you not contact a local security company and see if they'll hire you a night vision camera for the evening?