A6000 HELP!

[EK1Gaming]

So to just make a short version, I have the A6000 and kit Lens.

 

when I try to take a photo of a close up item (for example - a memory stick) it does not focus on it.

 

reading up on this I have been told it may be the Lens? Is there a good Lens someone can recommend for close up product shots? I am a content creator who take close ups of products such as tech etc and sometimes need to be close to show mic ports etc 

 

any help is gratefully received and I hate to say it but I am a huge noob! 

[Pieter]

This is indeed due to the lens used. Every lens has a certain minimum focussing distance: the closest possible distance at which the lens is just able to acquire focus. If your subject is closer to the lens than that, the camera will hunt for focus and ultimately fail. Some lenses are able to focus considerably closer than others, often denoted as 'macro' lenses.

There's some workarounds for this. The cheapest option is to buy some extension tubes for your 16-50 kit lens. Make sure they are electronically coupled so you can still use autofocus and operate the aperture, as those produced by Viltrox or Meike. They come in different sizes. The longer the tube, the closer the minimum focus distance becomes. Bear in mind that with a longer tube, you'll loose more light (requiring longer exposures or higher ISO) and the maximum focus distance becomes substantially closer (you won't be able to focus beyond e.g. half a meter from the camera with the extension tube fitted).

You could get some close-up filters, but these are only really effective at longer focal lengths and you need a higher quality one (usually denoted 'achromat') to achieve decent results.

Once you get serious in close-up photography, you should consider buying a dedicated macro lens. The Sony 30mm f/3.5 is fairly cheap and has autofocus. The new Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2× Macro is a bit more expensive but optically superior. It is a fully manual lens though so you'll have to operate it by hand rather than through the camera.