Recos for Portraits: R6 Mk II 24-105 f4-71 or R8 24-105 f4L?

[ekko]

I am torn between these two. I have a Canon 7D with 17-55mm f2.8 currently. It's getting slow. I am going to upgrade but am stuck at which to go for.

R6 Mark II with RF24-105mm f4-71 IS STM or R8 with RF24-105mm f4L IS.

I am a hobbyist who takes portraits of my kids and other family. I use natural lighting and am out doors when I take my portraits. The kids do play soccer (outdoor), so I want to get some decent shots of that as well. I personally use the wheel and joystick a lot on my 7D and feel I will miss it on the R8. I love the R8 aside from the lack of physical controls and the IBIS (though I've read that's not quite as important as I personally might think it is). I don't mind carrying extra batteries (R8), not a big deal.

Which would be the better investment?

I plan on adding glass, but getting a new body is a harder sell. After I can save up enough money I would like to get the 70-200mm f4 for soccer. I'm open to other options for this choice, but first priority is portraits, second is sports. And if I get the R6 Mk II, the 85mm f2 and/or 35mm f1.8 (I love a nice blurred background).

Thank you for your help and suggestions.

[deebatman316]

The EOS R6 Mark II would be a better investment. Mainly due to the better battery life and the IBIS. There’s also dual card slots for redundancy. If one card fails the other card has a back up copy of your images. Portrait focal lengths are usually done between 85-135mm. I personally use the EF 85mm F/1.8 USM lens for portraits. But the RF 85mm F/2 Macro IS STM lens can do the job too. Have you looked into the RF 24-105mm F/4L IS USM & EOS R6 Mark II combo. The F/7.1 aperture can become too slow especially in low light.

[ekko]

I would love the R6 Mk II and the F4 L version but that is roughly $1000 more than I can spend. I was mainly wondering if the STM version is good enough for portraits until I can afford the 85mm F2? I'm thinking it will be ok (not great) for the kids soccer until I can get a better sports lens. 

[deebatman316]

It should work but you won't get the bokeh (background blur) like the RF 85mm F/2 lens would get. For sports the the 24-105mm F/4-7.1 IS STM is too slow and not long enough. If you'll also be shooting in low light its definitely too slow for that. Now my colleague Brian (@p4pictures ) has experience with the RF 85mm F/2 lens. I've used the older EF 85mm F/1.8 USM an the RF 85mm F/1.2L USM lens.

[p4pictures]

Now that is an interesting decision to make. I've owned the EOS 7D and EOS 7D Mark II myself, and currently use the EOS R6 Mark II as my main camera. This could be swaying my thoughts, but I would go for the EOS R6 Mark II with the RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM lens over the EOS R8 with the RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM lens. 

Batteries from your EOS 7D can be used in the EOS R6 Mark II, though if they are the original LP-E6, not the N/NH/P versions there are some restrictions on drive speed. But what you gain is the additional controls on the body and as you mentioned. The EOS R8 lacks full mechanical shutter option, only 1st curtain electronic or electronic is available, this is a little unfortunate as the best looking round shaped bokeh comes from using mechanical shutter. 

[deebatman316]

Don’t the battery limitations come into play with the R5 Mark II. But not the EOS R6 Mark II they may also have newer LP-E6 batteries too. My EOS 5D Mark IV shipped with LP-E6NH batteries instead of LP-E6N batteries that’s mentioned in the manual. But I still believe that the EOS R6 Mark II is still the better choice.

[p4pictures]

There are battery limitations with the LP-E6 (original version) for the EOS R6, EOS R5, EOS R6 Mark II and EOS R7. According to the Canon website this original battery limits the maximum continuous shooting speed, and cannot be charged in the camera. 

https://cam.start.canon/en/H002/accessory_0070.html 

EOS R5 Mark II introduced the LP-E6P battery, and this is required for several functions to work. The older LP-E6 is not able to be used with the camera. There are some restrictions when LP-E6N or LP-E6NH batteries are used. 

Firmware updates were issued for EOS R5, EOS R6, EOS R6 Mark II and EOS R7 to allow them to work with the LP-E6P batteries. 

[deebatman316]

I was thinking the LP-E6N battery not the original.

[ekko]

I was 100% sold on the R8 but when I finally got the money for it I looked into everything else. Now I'm really thinking that the R6 Mk II would be the better purchase and just wing it with the STM version until I can get better glass. Thank you for your reply, its nice to hear the opinion of someone who has had same/similar gear.