I'm mainly a concert shooter. Small - Medium venues, often difficult lighting. Generally I'll pack the Sigma 24-70, DA 35 f2.4, DA*55 and the FA77. More and more I find myself discarding the Sigma zoom because although the focal range is handy, once you factor in noise from higher ISO and that it's already a bit soft at wider apertures, I lose too much detail for my liking. The DA*55 is superb. So is the FA77. They retain so much detail, even after noise robs some. I love using those two lenses.
But I want a wider lens with the same sharpness. The "plastic fantastic" 35 is a nice lens. Great for the price but it can't do what the 55 & 77 do when wider open. I'm shooting at f4 max, mostly closer to f2.8 to keep shutter speed up under the low lights. The 35 f2.4 is still a bit soft. I find that I love the photos from the 55 and 77 a lot more.
How does the 35mm f2.8 Ltd Macro compare to the 55 and 77 for sharpness at f2.8 - f4? How does it compare to the "plastic fantastic" 35 at the same apertures?
If the Ltd Macro is up there with the 55 and 77 then maybe I'll leave the zoom at home and just go with 35 Ltd, DA55, 77 Ltd. Maybe try the DA21 Ltd also for when I need to go even wider. I can probably get away with the f3.2 widest aperture.
I'm keeping an eye on the reviews of the Sigma 18-35 f1.8 also. If the actual performance is on par with the expectation then it will be worth the consideration for taking care of the wide to standard length range. I'm a bit concerned about the flare resistance and focusing consistency. You don't tend to get two chances to get a shot with concert photography.
I'm interested in hearing people's real world experience with the 33mm f2.8, particularly if you've also got the DA55.