Which lens is actually worth the money for portraits on an R10 because honestly the RF prices are stressing me out? I am totally torn between the RF 50mm f1.8 and the RF 85mm f2 but the 85mm is basically double my budget and I only have about $300 to spend before my sisters engagement party next month. I want those nice blurry backgrounds but I dont know if the 50mm is enough on a crop sensor or if I am just gonna regret not getting the longer one. I also looked at adapting EF glass but the adapters are pricey too and it just feels like a lot of extra bulk to carry around. Is the 50mm good enough or should I just wait...
Get the Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM! Its seriously fantastic on the R10. Since the R10 has a 1.6x crop sensor, your 50mm gives you an 80mm equivalent field of view, which is the absolute sweet spot for portraits! At f/1.8, the depth of field is thin enough to completely melt the background, especially if you keep some distance between your subject and the background. If you want another option under budget, grab a cheap third-party adapter like the Viltrox EF-R2 Mount Adapter and find a used Canon EF 85mm f1.8 USM. That EF 85mm is legendary for its autofocus speed and creamy bokeh, and used copies are super cheap now, usually under $200! Let me know if you want to run through the optical math on depth of field, I love calculating this stuff!
Honestly, just go with the Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM. In my experience shooting portraits over the years, you dont need to stress your budget to get great results. On your R10, that 50mm behaves like an 80mm lens because of the crop factor. That is almost exactly the classic 85mm portrait focal length anyway. I've tried many setups, and keeping it simple is always the safest bet. Adapting EF glass is just adding unnecessary failure points and bulk, especially for an engagement party where you want to move fast. The RF 50mm is tiny, sharp enough, and reliable. My quick tip for getting that max blurry background: keep some distance between your sister and the background. If she stands right against a wall, even a $2000 lens won't save you. Move her a few feet away from trees or lights, shoot at f1.8, and the background will melt away. Let me know if you need help with the camera settings for the party, I can walk you through the autofocus setup.
Saw this earlier but just getting back to you. @Reply #2 - good point! The consensus here is basically that the 50mm is the smart money, and I mostly agree. But since youre worried about not having enough reach or blur, ive tried a few alternatives over the years that might fit. If you can handle third-party, the Meike 85mm f1.8 AF Canon RF Mount is a total bargain. It gives you about 136mm equivalent on that R10, which creates way more background compression than the 50mm. The AF isnt quite as snappy as native glass, but for static portraits at a party? Its plenty good. Another fun one is the TTArtisan 50mm f1.2 for Canon RF. Its fully manual, so youll be working for it, but f/1.2 at that price point is kind of insane for bokeh. Honestly tho, stick with the 50mm STM if you want it to just work, but that Meike is the real budget bokeh king if you need the extra reach.
