I am considering adding an APS-C body like R10 to my FF kit, which is based on R8.
The use cases are mainly
- a more compact and lighter kit compared to FF when I need it
- benefit from crop factor at long FL, with EF+RF 100-400 (plus EF 2x)
The idea is that this would replace my existing APS-C equipment, based on M6ii and 750D. I came to the R10 as the (smaller) R50 and R100 are missing e.g. sensor cleaning.
The critical issue seems to be finding a compact and good quality RF-S walkaround lens. There is the 18-45 which has appealing size/weight, but I see mixed comments about this lens. Is it at least as good as the EF-M 15-45 in terms of IQ? Are there any other attractive options? To make sense the kit should not be bigger/heavier than my R8 + 24-105 STM.
I guess it depends on what you mean by "walk-around lens". For some people that might mean something small and petite like the EF-S 24 mm pancake rather than a standard or extended range zoom.
If you want a standard zoom with a reasonably fast aperture, there's really only one native choice for RF-S, Sigma. The 18–50mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary or 17–40mm F1.8 DC Art would both be worth looking at.
There's probably nothing wrong with Canon's OEM offerings if speed is not a requirement.
If you're willing to carry one or two primes, the Canon full frame STM primes are worth looking at. If you want something for APS-C specifically, both Sigma and Yongnuo make f/1.4 primes for RF-S mount.
The Canon 18-150 is very good, much better than I expected. Great for travel. I also have Sigma 18-50/2.8 which is a little more compact and also has very nice image quality - no better to be honest - but its main advantage is the constant f2.8 aperture. If that doesn’t matter, I’d suggest the 18-150. To complete your setup, the Canon 10-18 is small, light, cheap and very sharp - great for wide vistas and interiors. Personally I’d avoid the 18-45.
I'll echo nputtick and suggest the 18-150 for walk around daylight use. It pairs well with the 100-400. The 18-150 is not ridiculously slow up to 60mm equivalent. It also focuses very close in the up to 60mm range. Been using that lens on my R7 for several years now and I'm pleased with its convenience and optical performance.
I also have the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 which I use for indoor venues. It is perhaps a bit better optically and I find it very sharp across its range at f2.8. It too focuses close but at its wide end. Both lenses weigh essentially the same. The Sigma lens does not have IS which may be important for your R10. My R7 has IBIS which negates that issue for me. The 18-150's greater coverage makes it my choice for general use and I save the Sigma for museums, portraits etc. Both are so light compared to my R5 kit that I'll often take both lenses.
I also have both the 10-18s and the tradeoffs are similar. Both are optically good in my experience.
The R10 + Canon 10-18 and 18-150 weighs 2.0 lbs.
Many thanks for the valuable thoughts and suggestions, they are really appreciated.
@garyvot: My ideal FL range for a walkabout lens is the APS-C equivalent of 24-105. This covers most of my needs for unspecific purposes. In DSLR times, the EFS 15-85 did that (and more) for me.
@StephenS_CP: Indeed I once bought a EFM 18-150 with the intention to give it to a friend. Before handing it over, I could use it for a while. At the time I was not convinced, in particular with the performance at long FL, and in the end I did not get a copy for myself. In the mean time, given the many positive reports, I think I may have been too quick in my judgement, or it was just this copy.
So my impression from the feedback is that the best choices are probably either the rfs 18-150 or the sigma. I even considered the RF 15-30 which could double as a wide angle lens for the R8, but the form factor is exactly that of the 24-105 STM.
Unless the long end of a 24-105 is needed, the new RF-S 14-30mm F4-6.3 IS STM PZ (with a 22,4-48mm FF angle of view) would be almost perfect general zoom range. I had a used one at a tempting price in the basket a few times. But as I bought the RF 15-30 just a few weeks ago it just felt too GASsy. Slightly wider than 24mm to almost classic 50 is so perfect in a small package. Me like! Someday!
rmhh wrote:
@garyvot@: My ideal FL range for a walkabout lens is the APS-C equivalent of 24-105.
@StephenS_CP@: Indeed I once bought a EFM 18-150 with the intention to give it to a friend...
The 24-105 f4 L has been my most used lens in all my digital photography, supplemented with the 100-400/500 L. Unfortunately all the RF-S equivalents start at 18mm. The RF 14-35 has great range, close focusing, and excellent IQ but is twice the weight of the RF-S equivalents. It's a great option but if I'm going to carry that much weight I'll go FF.
Once I tried the R7 with 18-150 I thought that if I'd tried the EF-M 18-150, I might have kept my M62 longer. But no, the R7 totally out classes that M.
@rmhh: There is another thread here recently discussing lens options for Canon APS-C which might be worth reviewing, if you haven't seen it. (The OP was more interested in prime lenses though.)
I posted a few shots from Bali that I had captured using Canon's full-frame STM primes on the R10 which I owned at the time:
rmhh wrote:
@garyvot@: My ideal FL range for a walkabout lens is the APS-C equivalent of 24-105. This covers most of my needs for unspecific purposes. In DSLR times, the EFS 15-85 did that (and more) for me.
I think the EF-S 15-85mm is still a viable option, honestly. The 24-135mm equivalent range is unbeatably versatile. Canon EF / EF-S lenses adapt perfectly to RF and perform better than ever given the more consistent focusing on offer.
The only downside is a bit of extra bulk due to the mount adapter, but the whole package would still be no bigger than a full frame zoom.
EF-S lenses are great values, and I like some of them better than the RF-S equivalents.
Indeed, I still enjoy using these lenses, including the ef-s 10-22.
Thanks for pointing out your other thread.
garyvot wrote:
I think the EF-S 15-85mm is still a viable option, honestly. The 24-135mm equivalent range is unbeatably versatile. Canon EF / EF-S lenses adapt perfectly to RF and perform better than ever given the more consistent focusing on offer.
The only downside is a bit of extra bulk due to the mount adapter, but the whole package would still be no bigger than a full frame zoom.
EF-S lenses are great values, and I like some of them better than the RF-S equivalents.
