Ive been shooting with my R50 for about six months now and honestly I love the thing for travel, but the kit lens is starting to drive me crazy in low light. I usually shoot street photography and some portraits of my dog while we are out on hikes in the Pacific Northwest, so I need something decent that wont break the bank. My budget is tight right now, maybe 300 bucks max, because I am trying to save for a trip in September. I have been looking at the RF 50mm f/1.8 STM since its super cheap and tiny, but I am nervous about the crop factor on the APS-C sensor making it too tight for walking around cities. Does anyone have experience with that lens on the R50 or is there something else I should look at? I keep reading about third party options but get confused with all the adapter stuff and really just want something native that works reliably without me having to fiddle with settings in the middle of a shoot. Im kinda stressing about getting this sorted before my trip since I dont want to be stuck with blurry shots again...
Honestly, the 50mm is tough for streets on an R50. I tried it and felt like I was constantly backing up into traffic just to get the shot. You should really check out the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM instead. It fits your budget perfectly and gives you a much wider field of view which is way better for cities. It is basically the size of a pancake, so it fits in a jacket pocket easily for your hikes. I am super happy with how compact it is. If you want to see how it looks before buying, try messing around with a site like Camera Decision or even just searching Flickr for that lens plus the R50. It saved me a ton of headache when I was choosing my first prime. You will be way less frustrated, promise.
The Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM is sharp, but honestly, it is super tight on the R50. Be careful in narrow city streets, you might find it difficult to frame shots properly.
