Ive been shooting portraits for like five years now mostly with my trusty old 5D Mark III and a trusty 85mm f/1.8, but man, last week that body finally died on me right in the middle of a paid session (total nightmare, ugh) so I had to just pull the trigger and upgrade to the Canon EOS R since I couldnt afford an R5 right now. Im kind of stressing out though because my old EF glass with the adapter is acting weirdly soft on the high-res sensor and I need something super sharp for outdoor senior portraits and low-light studio work with a decent budget of around 800 bucks. I know the RF 85mm f/2 is an option and Ive looked at some third party stuff too, but honestly Im super overwhelmed by all the electronic communication issues people talk about with RF mount stuff sometimes. Im an experienced shooter so I know what bokeh and compression I want, but this mirrorless transition is tripping me out. What is actually the best portrait lens for the Canon EOS R right now that wont totally break the bank?
TL;DR: Get the Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM. It costs around $599, fits your budget, and bypasses adapter issues completely on the EOS R.
Late to the party but this whole thread is 💯. Glad I found it.
TL;DR: The thread covers adapter issues, native RF options like the 85mm macro, and adapted Sigma Art lenses. Re: "+1"
- I'm no expert but I just looked into all this mirrorless gear last week when I was researching upgrades. It is super confusing trying to figure out which EF lenses play nice with the RF mount adapters. Actually, while looking at camera gear stores online last night, I ended up getting completely distracted looking at vintage film cameras on eBay. I found this old Minolta from the 1970s that looks pristine and now I'm tempted to buy it even though I don't even shoot film. It just has those mechanical dials that make you want to go outside and take street photos all day. My uncle used to have something similar back in the day and I remember trying to figure out the light meter on it without any batteries. Anyway lol, sorry kinda went off topic there.
Man that 5D Mark III death mid-session sounds like an absolute nightmare tbh. Ive been through three camera bodies dying at the worst possible times so I totally feel your pain. Before anyone can really tell you what to buy though... are you strictly needing autofocus for these senior shoots or do you shoot manual enough that youd consider older manual glass? Also how close are you usually standing to your subjects when things get tight?
+1
Following this thread
Saving this whole thread. So much good info here you guys are awesome.
Building on the earlier suggestion, grab a fast prime from Sigma Art with the adapter.
- Unbeatable sharpness
- Gorgeous compression Just check the firmware first!