RF 24-240mm vs RF 70-200 f4L with Canon R7 + R6MII

[pzphotomama]

I have both the R6MII and recently got the R7 - purposely for the extra distance of the crop sensor. A couple years ago I bought the RF 24-240mm lens for travel when we were heading out to Nova Scotia. Its a beautiful lens and I am now considering the 70-200 f4L for travel. I will admit I love my L lenses, however have been easing in to the switch over from EF to RF. I have a great collection of lenses with my EF L lenses - however the f2.8 ones are heavy and not easy for travel for me. I recently upgraded my EF 24-105 f4L after it fell to the RF 24-70 f2.8L - I was lucky to find it used from Henrys. 

Does anyone have the two lenses that they could compare for me... I don't think I would ever get rid of my RF24-240mm because I love it as a quick grab and go with my RP if we are heading out on the side by side or snowmobile and I can only take one option. 

My heart is pulling me to the 70-200 f4L - for the size and weight and of course L quality. 

But... how does it compare to the 24-240? Obviously better being the f4L... Im very curious as I do feel such a strong pull here! 

[March411]

Hey @pzphotomama, welcome to the community. I have the RF24-240mm and love the lens for travel and street. The versatility, IQ and range are outstanding. I also have the RF70-200mm F2.8 which I absolutely love, it's a bit heavier than the f4 and I use it for indoor sports and wanted the f2.8 for additional light. 

Personally if you are not planning on giving up the RF24-240mm, the funds are available and me being a total enabler I would say go for it, you will not be disappointed.

That being said the use of my RF70-200mm F2.8 is pretty focused on indoor sports and the RF24-240mm definitely sees more light overall just because of it versatility. 

[ebiggs1]

"I... got the R7 - purposely for the extra distance of the crop sensor."

Not your top question, I realize, but this is really a myth and a hotly debated question. There really isn't a tele advantage to a crop sensor VS a FF sensor. Truth is, yes, you may find a specific instance where the cropper did offer some advantage but in real world everyday use not so much. The debate is you can always crop in post the FF higher resolution image to the same exact percentage as the croppe gave you. And the part most forget is you pay for that tele "advantage" on the wide angle side. You really do give that up. It is more difficult to get the shallow DOF on a cropper and these penalties aren't as easy to correct in post editing. Number one reason for croppers is they are less expensive to make so they are more appealing to more people. The lenses are less expensive, too.

" I bought the RF 24-240mm lens for travel ..."

But to your question, and I will ask first what is this lens not doing for you that you think another lens will do?

Personally I carry a 24-70mm f2.8L and a 70-200mm f2.8L everywhere I go and mostly I do not need anything else.

So if you have the RF 24-70 f2.8L already and you wanted to buy the RF 70-200 f4L, I'd be all in for you. Good choice but it's going to be a heavier and bigger rig, is that OK?

[pzphotomama]

Thank you Marc, I do have the EF 70-200 f2.8L - its my work horse that Ive had for about 15 years! It is my indoor sports lens - especially when our kids played hockey. The best lens for in arenas by far!!! Because I have this lens, I am not going to jump to replace the EF with RF - so thats why I was considering the 70-200 f4L. IF I were to take 2 lenses away with my 2 cameras, I would choose the 24-70 f2.8 for low light and 70-200 on my R7 for the extra reach. Ideally, in my perfect world 🙂 I personally love the quality of the L lenses! 

[pzphotomama]

Thank you EB! I personally do not like changing lenses, so when I was able to grab the R7 earlier this year, I did. It provides me the additional reach - I do understand I can crop when shooting with my R6MII - in a perfect world, I have my R7 for zoom lenses or macro and my R6MII that I love for wide angle and is my main camera. 

I personally love the images from my L lenses, even through post processing, my L lenses in comparison to my STM lenses have always been better. Not saying the STM aren't sharp - they are. The L lenses are next level in quality and image appearances - for me. 

I love my RF 24-70 f2.8L and felt the 70-200 f4L would pair up wonderful for travel - 24-70 on my R6MII and the 70-200 on my R7. I do have the EF 70-200 f2.8L that is about 15 years old and I love it - however for travel its heavy. I am drawn to the 70-200 f4L because its smaller and lighter but still has the L quality that I love. 

Its one thing when we are driving somewhere, thats no big deal, I typically bring a lot of my lenses with me because I do not have to carry them all. However when we fly, with the 70-200 f4L being smaller and lighter than the 24-240 and knowing I would bring both my R6MII + R7 this is what is drawing me in... 

Truthfully, I wouldn't be looking to get the 70-200 f4L new, it would be used. 

Why I wouldn't sell my 24-240, we snowmobile in the winter and that lens on my RP fits perfect into one of my cross body bags that I can wear in front of me when riding and its so easy to grab it for shots while stopped for 10 seconds on the trail. It is a beautiful lens for sure - but when traveling and specifically knowing I am going to be capturing images that I may want to use in the future, I do still want the best quality I can have with me. 

[March411]

The EF 70-200 f2.8L is a great lens and it sounds like your have a perfect game plan for sports. Not having the RF70-200mm f4 I really couldn't factually say that it would be great but one stop shouldn't be a huge issue other than some increased noise. Wish I could be more help on a one to one comparison but I have the f2.8.

Have you considered renting one that you can use indoors? Lens Rental is a good option and not terribly expensive if you don't have a local option. 

[ebiggs1]

It's usually best to use what works and does the job no matter what it is.

[pzphotomama]

Thanks Marc, I could rent it, Im not worried about using indoors, when I do pull the trigger to buy it, it would be for outdoor use, especially when traveling and I need it to be lighter. 

[pzphotomama]

Absolutely, and I agree—using what works and gets the job done is the most important thing. 😊

That said, if I’m looking at a specific lens because it fits what I want to do, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to ask about it and compare it to what I already have. Sometimes it’s not about needing something, but simply wanting a particular focal range, size, weight, or shooting experience.

We all have our own reasons for choosing the gear we do. You’ve got the EOS-1D X and quite a few lenses yourself, so I’m sure you understand that part of the fun is finding the gear that works best for you. 😉

I was really just hoping to hear from people who have used the 24-240 and/or the RF 70-200 f/4L and could give me some firsthand insight into how they compare.

[March411]

These are from the RF24-240mm, sorry I can't help on the RF 70-200 f4

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