Best Lens recommendation for Canon R7

[ajay1011]

I have been using Canon EOS R7 from 8 months now and I have 4 lenses as of now Canon EF-S 10-18mm, EF-S 24mm F2.8, RF 50mm F1.8, RF 24-105 (Kit Lens)

I shoot portrait, travel & street photos and i would like a versatile lens which probably is the RF-L 24-70mm (**bleep** Expensive). Also i have the option to go with Sigma EF alternative but that seems to be a bit old in 2023.

Which lens would you guys recommend based on above usage scenarios?

Thanks in advance!

[rs-eos]

Note that unless you have very specific niche requirements, there is no one lens that can do everything you need.

So a better question to ask in this case would be "What should my first RF lens be?".    The RF 24-70 is very nice (I use it with my EOS C70 for video work) and will have it later for photos when I move to mirrorless,

Do note though that the 24-70 will not completely cover your current focal length ranges (10 mm all the way up to 105mm).

The constant f/2.8 aperture is very nice.  Though if you find yourself in really low-light scenarios where adding lighting is not possible, your 50mm f/1.8 can really help (a bit over twice the light gathering over f/2.8).

In summary, I think the RF 24-70 f/2.8 would make a good first RF lens that would cover many of your use cases.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Agree with Ricky's recommendation, and would further recommend sticking with Canon.  I just sold my Sigma 24-70 2.8.  It was by far one of the best lenses I ever owned.  It works well adapted to R series, but the R7 in particular is a little finicky with some 3rd party glass.  I would therefore recommend staying with canon glass for the best overall experience. You can also sell your f4 and replace it with the 24~70 f2.8.  The 24~70 is marginally sharper, but more importantly, you get that constant aperture that makes it a great walk around lens. Versatile and will address the majority of your use cases well.  At some point you can add a zoom with more reach.  

[ebiggs1]

There isn't anything wrong with Rick and Ricky's advice but what isn't your "RF 24-105 (Kit Lens)" not doing for you.

For your stated purpose the RF 24-70mm isn't going to make much difference unless most of your shots are in dim light. Plus you are giving up a lot of FL, 70mm from 105mm. That's a big price to pay beside the cost.

I have not tried to use either the Signa 24-70mm f2.8 lens or the Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 Lens on an R body but I can tell you the Tamron on a DSLR is the better lens, by far. I understand from friends that both do work as expected on R series bodies. But no first hand experience.

[amfoto1]

I honestly don't "see" anything you absolutely need....

You have a good "walkaround" lens in the 24-105mm. I might have opted for the RF-S 18-150mm instead... and it's usually the kit lens sold with R7, somewhat discounted... bought as a kit they sell for $1799... bought separately the R7 and 18-150mm cost an additional $99. But, the 24-105mm should be just fine too. It's basically a "slightly wide" to "moderate telephoto" zoom.

The EF-S 10-18mm gives you a nice "very wide" to "moderately wide" zoom. 

The EF-S 24mm f/2.8 can serve as a fairly fast, slightly wide, compact "street" lens. If you like the focal length on your R7, at some point you might consider trading it up to the RF 24mm f/1.8 IS STM Macro. It's only slightly longer than the EF-S 24mm "pancake" with an EF to RF adapter on it. Plus the RF 24mm is 2/3 stops faster, has IS and is able to focus closer for nearly twice as much magnification. 

The RF 50mm f/1.8 provides you with a good, fast, compact, short telephoto "portrait" lens. Work with this lens for a while and see how you like it for portraiture. If you find yourself sometimes wishing for something longer, perhaps switching to the 24-105mm for additional reach, you might consider adding the RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro lens, which on an APS-C camera like the R7 will be a fast, reasonably compact, moderate telephoto "portrait" lens.It also has the closer focusing, higher magnification capabilities, as well as IS.

But I really wouldn't rush out and buy anything additional as of yet. Work with what you've got. For what you like to shoot, those lenses should serve pretty well. Only consider adding something when you really feel something is missing or start to do some other type of photography that  requires additional "tools".

For example, if you were to start shooting weddings you would probably want some larger aperture lenses like the RF 50mm f/1.2L and RF 85mm f/1.2L. Or perhaps the RF 28-70mm f/2L zoom (on a full frame camera like the R5). Weddings call for those large aperture lenses so you can blur down backgrounds and make for a "dreamy" look.

But those lenses may be "overkill" for more casual portraiture. In fact, big "pro" lenses can be intimidating and disruptive in candid situations. 

Or, perhaps you take up landscape photography (or already do some of that when you travel). Your 10-18mm lens can serve well for that. There isn't an RF-S lens like that... yet. But there will be some day!

For street, a little bit of portraiture and travel... incl. occasional landscape, seascape or cityscape shots... I wanted a simple, compact, unobtrusive and lightweight kit. Eventually it will be an R-series camera and lenses, but right now it's a Canon M5 camera with a 12mm f/2.8, 22mm f/2, 56mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8 lenses. The entire kit weighs less than one of my "sports" DSLRs with one of the smaller lenses.

But, you do you. You've got a pretty complete kit already, for what you plan to shoot. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket... maybe some accessories would be useful. Do you have lens hoods for all your lenses? If you don't already have one, I'd recommend a quality, multi-coated circular polarizer for your travel/landscape lens... maybe for your portrait lens, too. So few filters are needed for digital photography (a C-Pol is by far the most useful), get top quality and the correct sizes for the lenses they'll be used upon. Do you have a tripod? Do you have a flash? Have you got one or more extra batteries? Extra memory cards? Plenty of image storage space on your computer? Post-processing software you like? Is your computer monitor calibrated? Have you printed, matted and framed any photos to put up on your wall lately? Have you read any good "how to" books lately? Or do you have a trip planned, to take photos? Any of these might be better than adding another lens to your kit right now (my apologies to Canon 🙄).

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2), EOS M5, some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
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