so i finally pulled the trigger on the R10 and im so pumped to actually take some real photos! im doing some portraits for my sisters graduation next month and i need something better than the kit lens.
im looking at the RF 50mm f1.8 since its like super cheap but then i saw the 85mm f2 and now im stuck. my logic was the 85 might be too long with the crop factor on the R10 but then i worry the 50mm wont give me enough of that blurry background. i only have about 250-300 bucks to spend right now so the 85 is pushing it unless i find a crazy deal. is the 50mm good enough for those headshots or am i gonna regret not saving up...
I bought the Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM a while back for my R10 and honestly I couldnt be more satisfied with how it performs for the price. Since the R10 has that 1.6x crop factor, your 50mm is gonna behave like an 80mm lens on a full-frame camera. Thats basically the sweet spot for portraits because it doesnt distort faces but you dont have to stand halfway across the park just to talk to your sister while taking the photos. If you went with the Canon RF 85mm f2 Macro IS STM, youd be looking at a 136mm equivalent. I tried a similar focal length once at a graduation and it was a total nightmare trying to frame anything other than tight headshots without tripping over other families in the crowd. The 50mm gives you way more breathing room for those half-body shots with the diploma. Plus, the f1.8 aperture on a crop sensor still gives plenty of that creamy bokeh youre looking for as long as you keep some distance between her and the background. Quick tip: if you really want to stretch your budget even further, you could look for a used Canon EF 50mm f1.8 STM and grab the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R. It works perfectly with no loss in quality and opens up a world of cheap older lenses for later. TL;DR: Stick with the 50mm. The 85mm is way too tight for general portrait use on an APS-C body like the R10, especially in crowded graduation spots.
Grab the Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM immediately! On your R10, it provides an 80mm equivalent field of view, which is the ideal focal length for portraits. Its a fantastic value! Pro tip: shoot wide open at f/1.8 to maximize the background blur. Youll get amazing results for the graduation and stay within budget!
Jumping in here... be careful with that 85mm though. I once brought a long lens to a grad ceremony and it was honestly a nightmare. I kept hitting walls trying to back up enough to fit the subject in because of that crop factor. Its so frustrating that better focal lengths like the Canon RF 35mm f1.8 Macro IS STM are so expensive. I hate being stuck between cramped shots or just overspending.
