is it worth it? 18-45mm lens vs 15-30mm lens

[DanielsanThe3rd]

hi i want to hear the opinion of actual photographers cause i'm still kinda new at this. i have a EOS R100 with a standard 18-45mm kit lense (RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM), and have taken some nice/great pictures of landscapes and other stuff if i do say so myself. I just went and bought a new lense a 15-30mm lense (RF15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM) i bought it because i wanted a wide angle lense, but when i tested it at home and in my local park, i realized it wasn’t as wide as i had expected it to be, especially when comparing to what i already had, and the price. it cost me around 700$ maybe a little less (im converting from danish kroner), plus i have other things i have considered buying. im considering returning it and getting the money back, but i'd like to get opinions from other people who do this more than me. this monday my school has a studio trip where we go to prague for a week which is why i bought the lense today. the first set of photos are with the old lense i have, and the second set is with the new one.

old. lenseold lenseold lensenew lensenew lensenew lense

[kvbarkley · Accepted solution]

You have two things working against you. First, as you discovered, 18 is not all that different from 15. And you have an APS-C sensor and 15 mm is just not all that wide on that sensor.

The widest option at this time is the RF-S 10-18, which, with your 18-45, will not duplicate any focal lengths.

https://kenrockwell.com/canon/eos-r/lenses/10-18mm.htm

[kvbarkley · Accepted solution]

You have two things working against you. First, as you discovered, 18 is not all that different from 15. And you have an APS-C sensor and 15 mm is just not all that wide on that sensor.

The widest option at this time is the RF-S 10-18, which, with your 18-45, will not duplicate any focal lengths.

https://kenrockwell.com/canon/eos-r/lenses/10-18mm.htm

[Tronhard · Accepted solution]

Hi Daniel, and welcome to the forum:
Your situation of expecting a lens to offer a wider image than you get is not unusual for people with crop-sensor bodies like your R100.   To understand the implications of using a crop-sensor body with optics I would recommend the following document:
Focal Length, Field of View, Shutter Speed, Sensor Size & Equivalence  

In the meantime, @KVBarkley (corrected!) is wise and correct in suggesting that you consider a lens with a shorter focal length, like the RF10-18mm thus giving you a complimentary lens rather than a mostly duplicate to what you already have.

[kvbarkley]

Wadizzle?

Hey! I resemble that remark!

[Tronhard]

KV, I humbly crave your forgiveness.  Apparently, on top of everything else, I am now hallucinating!

[kvbarkley]

I always knew you were an AI!

[DanielsanThe3rd]

@kvbarkley and @tronhard. thank you guys alot for your input, it matches a lot of what i was thinking too. I will admit i was stupid when buying the lense. I went out with my parents when I did this, and asked if I should bring my camera, my mum didn't think it necessary, so i didn't. I also couldn't remember what the minimal zoom on my normal camera was and so another reason why I should have taken it with me. but to be fair, since this my first time buying a new lense, even though I can hear/see that the number is 2mm lower, I wouldn't know how big of a difference it makes until I had used it. I think il'l wait with buying lenses until 1. I have a better understanding of them and 2. when i have some more money cause I expect that a lense like the RF-S 10-18 that was mentioned is more expensive then what i bought, which to begin with was already a little above my max price range. 

[p4pictures]

I think you might be pleasantly surprised with the price of the RF-S 10-18mm lens. I just looked at Danish camera store Goecker website, and found the RF 15-30mm is 4,870DKK while the RF-S 10-18mm is 3,245DKK.

The price difference is in part that the the RF-S 10-18mm is designed to only cover an APS-C size sensor like the one in your EOS R100, so the glass elements and the whole lens is smaller and less expensive to make. In comparison the RF 15-30mm is designed for both APS-C and full-frame cameras so needs to use large and more expensive glass elements.

[DanielsanThe3rd]

The funny thing is I also found this website after writing here the problem was just that it was closed this weekend so I couldn’t get the lens before going of to my school today, and then of to Prague. But I might get it when I get back, if I can sell my new lens, cause apparently the shop I bought it from has a no refund policy even they never actually said that to me, so il have to sell it at a lower price then when I bought it 😞

[justadude]

Just adding to what my collegues have said about the 10-18mm lens.  I've owned various Canon APS-C cameras over the years, all DSLR's (my Mirrorless have been full frame).  So while I have NOT used the RF 10-18mm, I did shoot for many years on both Pentax and Canon APS-C cameras, and always had a 10-20mm lens to use on those.  10mm is just plain fun to use when shooting APS-C.  I think you would really love the difference that 10mm makes compared to the 18mm or 15mm lenses you have tried.  Search the used market as well if the one you are looking for is too expensive new - but only buy used from a reputable dealer.