Building on the earlier suggestion, trying to cover bears and trees with one lens under a grand is a tall order for a pro camera. To summarize where we are, you have a top-tier body but a tight lens budget. Honestly, the safest bet for Yellowstone without swapping lenses every five minutes is the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM. It fits right in your budget and covers everything from wide landscapes to decent zoom range for wildlife. Is it the sharpest? Probably not compared to the pricey L series, but it works well enough and it is reliable for a vacation. If you find you are mostly looking at animals and dont care as much about the wide shots of trees, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is actually a decent option for the money. Its way lighter than the pro glass and gives you that extra reach for the bears so you arent squinting at the screen. Tbh, putting a consumer lens on an R5II feels a bit lopsided, but when you only have $1000 left, you gotta be practical. Just make sure you spend some time with the manual before the trip... that camera has a lot of autofocus settings that can get confusing if you just wing it in the field.

> I just want one lens that does everything like zooming in on bears but also taking pictures of trees. Unfortunately, do-it-all lenses are rarely as good as expected on a pro body like the R5II. I've had issues with edge softness on these superzooms before... but for $1000, look at the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM. Quick question tho, are you mostly shooting from the car or hiking? It really changes what weight you can carry.

Just catching up on this thread. Honestly, I am so satisfied with the R5IIs autofocus reliability, it works so well for basically everything. Regarding what #3 said about "Building on the earlier suggestion, trying to cover..." both bears and trees with one piece of glass, you really need to see the side-by-side spec comparisons to get it right. Im kinda lazy today tho, so honestly just go look at some of the deep-dive reviews that show the actual sharpness data and flare resistance. Its much better than me just guessing what youll like.

• search youtube for Canon RF superzoom comparison
• check out the lens database on the digital picture site
• maybe just google best lens for yellowstone r5 mark ii Theres a specific video I saw once that breaks down the chromatic aberration and corner softness for exactly what youre asking. Just search it up and its like the first hit. It will save you a lot of headache with all those confusing letters, trust me...

Congrats on the R5 Mark II! Honestly, you picked a complete beast of a camera, but I totally get why the buttons and terminology feel like a nightmare right now. In my experience, even after shooting for years, the jump to these high-end mirrorless bodies can be a lot. Basically, RF just means it is the modern lens mount for your specific camera, and L is for their top-tier glass that has better weather sealing and build quality. Yellowstone is incredible but it presents a huge challenge because you want wide shots for the geysers and massive zoom for the wildlife. Over the years, I've tried many single-lens setups for trips like this and there is usually a compromise somewhere. To help narrow this down within that $1000 budget, I have a couple of questions for you:

• Are you planning to do most of your hiking and shooting during the day, or are you hoping to catch bears at dawn and dusk when the light is pretty low?
• How much weight are you actually willing to carry around all day on your neck or in a bag? Usually, lenses that claim to do everything are either very heavy or they dont perform as well when the sun goes down. Knowing if you're okay with a bit of bulk or if you need something lightweight for long walks will help a lot. Don't worry tho, we can definitely find something that works for your trip.