Lens recommendations & explanation (for Canon EOS R8)

[bakriwa5]

I’ve learnt photography through my job so i’m missing some basic tech know how. I thought it was finally time to invest in my photography outside of work. Can anyone recommend lenses for the R8? AND can someone please explain why some lenses work well with that body, and others don’t?

[michelle653burk]

Hello!

Investing in your photography with the Canon EOS R8 is a great choice! Here are some recommended lenses: the versatile Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM, the all-around Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, the affordable prime Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM, the portrait-friendly Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM, and the telephoto Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM. The R8 uses the RF mount, designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras, ensuring the best performance. Using an adapter, you can also use older EF lenses, though some features might be limited.

[shadowsports]

Greetings, 

In order for us to make meaningful recommendations? We need some additional information. 

What type of photography are you doing with your R8?  Nature and wildlife, Street, portraits, landscapes and architecture?  What lens(es) do you own now?  Finally, what is your budget? 

We can make some recommendations once you respond.  Regarding your last question, which lenses don't work well.  Can you be more specific here please?  We look forward to your reply.

[March411]

Hey bakriwa5, welcome to the site.

"AND can someone please explain why some lenses work well with that body, and others don’t?"

If you already knew this I apologize for the assuming this was your question above.

Camera's have different sensor types and lenses are made to perform best (relatively) for those sensors. The RF is for full frame and the RF-S is for APS-C sensor camera's. R8 has a 24.2 Megapixel full-frame CMOS image sensor and if you were to use an RF-S lenses on it the camera will automatically crop the image to match the lens's APS-C coverage.

Your sensor capacity will be reduced by a factor of over 2.5. The R8 sensor @ 24Mp would become a 9.6MP sensor with the RF-S lens attached. It works, but reduces your field of view,  reduces the image resolution and level of detail. Generally higher MP means better quality and reducing your sensor with RF-S glass impacts quality.

I hope that helps.

And to Ricks point, suggesting lenses is difficult not knowing your area(s) of focus as it relates to photography.

But with you stating in your OP that you are just starting to invest in equipment I'm assuming it a fresh start. The lenses michelle653burk suggested are pretty standard in many photographers bags. He did list some decent glass that will perform well across several different forms of photography.

Enjoy the journey!