Saturday, November 26, 2016

Next Three Years of Photography Gear

Now that I have a Sony a6300, Sony FE 90mm Macro Lens, and Sony Twin Flash I have about the best walk-around setup available to take photos of insects. Unfortunately hobbies never stop finding ways to keep me poor. Here is a list of what I expect to piece together over the next couple years:

A setup to take microscopic images. The macro setup I have is really intended for dandelions not leafhoppers. To get identifiable images of small insects often takes something more. At first I thought a microscope was the way to go, but it seems like a 10X microscope objective can simply be mounted on the camera. To make this a reasonable option it is best to get a macro tray like the StackShot automated macro rail.

An underwater setup. It seems like the Ikelite system is the best compromise of price and applicability. This would consist of a Ikelite housing for an A6300, a flat port, a pair of flashes. I will probably get a FE 50mm macro lens rather than my 90mm to reduce the value of equipment at risk in the water.

A telephoto lens. Probably the Sony FE 70-300 since it has image stabilization and is native to Sony E mount. If by some miracle they come out with a FE version of the A Mount 70-400 that might be better. This was high on the list when I first got the camera, but as I have learned to use the macro lens bird photography has started to seem less interesting compared to macro and underwater.