III: Lensvy!

Over the years I’ve generally become the team photographer at my kids’ games. During yesterday’s match, a parent commented “see the parent over there taking pictures? You need a lens like that!” I looked and yes, I immediately had “lensvy.”

While wanting to respond with “just be thankful that I am taking pictures of the Team,” I instead began thinking about an issue I planned to address in a future blog post. Because of timing, I suppose I can address the issue now. That is, the limitations of my current gear and the request for any comments or advice.

The above photo is one that I took yesterday. While not the best photo in terms of an action shot, I like it because it presents an interesting contrast. Specifically I love the fact that while one of my daughter’s hands is in a fist, almost looking to strike another player, the other shows her feminine side with her well-manicured nails. In any event, I am forced to use the standard kit glass that came with my Sony a6000, the E55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 zoom lens, not the best equipment. However, I am not replacing that yet as I have an incomplete kit. My kit consists of:

• Sony a6000 (above average camera with incredibly fast autofocus, 179 phase-detect AF points & 11 shots per second)
• Sony E55-210mm f/4.5-6.3
• Sony E16-55mm f3.5-5.6
• Sony FE 1,8/55 (Zeiss)
• Libec S8 Slider System
• Monopod
• Ricoh Theta S (spherical photos, video)
• Google Pixel XL (essentially for 360 photos for my Daydream headset)

My immediate need is a good or reasonable wide-angle gear for landscape / cityscape, as well as something for macro photography. Without breaking the bank, can you make any recommendations:

• What should I get, or at least what should I look for, in terms of min/max f-stops, mm, image stabilization, etc…
• Obviously Zeiss is amazing but you pay for that quality. Are there any specific lenses for macro & city/landscapes, whether it be Sony or a 3rd party manufacturer?

Thanks for your assistance!

Regards,

Bob