Im honestly so frustrated right now with my Lumix G85. Ive been trying to shoot my kids soccer games with the 12-60 kit lens and its just... not it. The reach is pathetic and everything looks like a blurry mess once I crop in. My logic was that I could just get a cheap adapter and use some old glass I found at a thrift store but that was a disaster because of the lack of autofocus and now Ive wasted fifty bucks on a paperweight.

I need a real zoom lens but Im looking at the prices and my heart is actually racing lol. Everything decent seems to be like 800 bucks which I definitely dont have right now. Im stuck between the Panasonic 45-150mm because its cheap or maybe trying to find a used 45-175mm but then I read some reviews saying the 45-150 is soft at the long end and now Im just spiraling. I have a trip to Zion coming up in three weeks and I really dont want to be stuck with just my kit lens. Is there anything under $300 that isnt going to make me regret buying into this system? I really dont want to switch to Sony but the lens prices are making me consider it even though I love the Panasonic colors... what am I missing?