topic Difference Between RF24-50mm and RF24mm Macro in EF & RF Lenses

Difference Between RF24-50mm and RF24mm Macro

JARLYT — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 12:51:24 GMT

I'm thinking of purchasing one of these Lens.

What's the difference between CANON RF 24-50MM F4.5-6.3 IS STM & Canon - RF 24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM Wide Angle Prime Lens?

I'm thinking CANON RF 24-50MM F4.5-6.3 IS STM is better to purchase because it can be adjusted up to 50mm.

Re: RF Lens Purchase

rs-eos — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:19:35 GMT

It's really going to depend upon if versatility is more important than low-light performance.

The zoom lens will be more versatile, though it's range is quite limited. Also, it has a variable aperture, so when closer to the 50mm focal length, you'll be at f/6.3.

At the 24mm focal length, the f/1.8 prime would be letting in around 6 times more light (2.5 stops).

Personally, I would stick with the 24mm prime in this case. You could also then add on the very inexpensive RF 50mm f/1.8 lens. While not as convenient as a zoom, you'd at least have the 24mm and 50mm focal lengths covered and could use down to f/1.8 for each.

If you don't need low light or shallower depth of field at all, then then zoom would probably be the better choice.

Re: RF Lens Purchase

ebiggs1 — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:20:23 GMT

The CANON RF 24-50MM F4.5-6.3 IS STM is far most useful. At this point in photography prime lenses are specialized and single purpose lenses. Zooms offer so much more flexibility and give up little in IQ and/or aperture to a prime..

Re: RF Lens Purchase

shadowsports — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:24:18 GMT

Greetings,

Both lenses are designed for full frame. One is a zoom, one is a prime.

The zoom has a focal length of 24-50mm. It has a variable aperture. It has a maximum aperture of f4.5 at 24mm that changes as you zoom to 50mm max f6.3.

The 24mm f1.8 is a prime. Its is a fixed focal length 24mm and a constant aperture f1.8. It has nearly 2 and a half times the light gathering capability of the 24-50mm. It works well in low light scenarios, but does not have zoom capability.

The lenses have different purposes. The 24mm prime is best suited for landscapes and panoramas and low light situations. The 24-50mm is a light-weight entry level travel lens good for landscapes, street and architecture. It doesn't do as ell in low light as the prime, but does offer some zoom capability which can be helpful when composing shots from a stationary location.

I still own 2 prime lenses, but zooms really do offer more flexibility, and unless you have a specific need for a prime lens, I'd always buy a zoom first.

Re: RF Lens Purchase

JARLYT — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:41:39 GMT

Thank you, Ricky.

Re: RF Lens Purchase

JARLYT — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:43:01 GMT

Thank you, ebiggs1.

Re: RF Lens Purchase

JARLYT — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:44:54 GMT

Thank you, Rick.

Re: RF Lens Purchase

Waddizzle — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 16:16:33 GMT

@JARLYT wrote:
I'm thinking of purchasing one of these Lens.
What's the difference between CANON RF 24-50MM F4.5-6.3 IS STM & Canon - RF 24mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM Wide Angle Prime Lens?
I'm thinking CANON RF 24-50MM F4.5-6.3 IS STM is better to purchase because it can be adjusted up to 50mm.

Just checking. Whcih camera body will you be using with one of these lenses? Is it an RF mount camera body? The RF lenses only work with R series camera bodies.

The choice of using a zoom or a prime can be highly subjective. Do you want to wear sneakers or boots today? Either choice will protect feet, but they each do it different ways. The sneakers but serve you better on warm day when you go on a long walk. The boots might serve you better on cold, wet days. Neither choice of footwear is outright “better” than the other.

The choice of lenses is the same way. Neither the zoom or the prime is outright “better” than the other. The zoom offers a variable focal length, but at the cost of a smaller aperture. The prime offers a much wider aperture, but at the cost of having only one focal length.

Are you new to photography? I like to encourage new photographers to purchase at least one standard prime, just so that they can learn about Depth-Of-Field first hand. I feel the Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM lenses are more than worth their cost because of what you can learn from using one.

Re: RF Lens Purchase

JARLYT — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 16:38:29 GMT

EOS R7

Yes I'm new.

Thank you for the advice on 50mm.

What do you think of this lens for the R7?

Canib - RF 204-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM Standard Zoom Lens for RF Mount Camera?

Re: RF Lens Purchase

JARLYT — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 16:41:57 GMT

Typo - Canon - RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM Standard Zoom Lens for RF Mount Camera?

Re: RF Lens Purchase

Waddizzle — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 14:03:34 GMT

That is a good lens choice for general photography. I would mostly use it outdoors. It is designed for full frame [image] sensor cameras, but it will work just as well on an APS-C image sensor camera.

The standard kit lens for the R7, the Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens, is close to being an RF mount equivalent to the EF-S 18-135mm lenses for DSLRs. If you are looking for a quality general purpose lens for an R7, then this would be a great choice.

Re: RF Lens Purchase

JARLYT — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 17:08:47 GMT

Thank you, Waddizzle.

Re: RF Lens Purchase

ebiggs1 — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 14:20:58 GMT

I would avoid buying the a 50mm prime especially if it is your only lens.. It is a difficult FL to make general use of. So unless you have a specific requirement stick with a zoom. Back in the olden days when zooms were not as good as the primes and nowhere as good as they are today the 50mm was a popular FL. However that was basically do the the fact 50mm is the closest FL to what the human eye sees.

BTW, you can learn DOF from any lens.

Re: RF Lens Purchase

JARLYT — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 12:52:03 GMT

Thank you.

Re: Difference Between RF24-50mm and RF24mm Macro

shadowsports — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 13:47:12 GMT

@jarlyt,

Since this thread has expanded from lens difference to body types, I think it might be worth while to for you to also read this short article on APS-C vs full frame and how the body type or lens choice can influence one another:

APS-C vs full-frame - Canon Europe (canon-europe.com)