I just dropped a ridiculous amount of money on this R6 Mark II and now I am literally staring at an empty lens mount because I cannot for the life of me decide what to put on it. I have this huge family reunion coming up in Austin next month and I promised everyone I would take professional-looking portraits but I am totally overthinking the glass situation. I've been shooting on an old Rebel for years so this is a massive jump for me and I don't want to mess it up by picking the wrong lens for this specific body.
So I was thinking about just biting the bullet and getting the RF 85mm f1.2 L because every single YouTuber says it is the holy grail of lenses but then I see the price tag is like $2700 and I just cant do it. My budget is strictly $1500 max because I still need to buy extra batteries and a decent bag for the flight. Then I looked at the RF 85mm f2 macro which is way cheaper but then I read these forum posts saying the autofocus is kinda clunky and slow compared to the L series and I am worried it wont keep up with my nieces and nephews running around the park. Is the motor in that thing really that loud and annoying for photography?
My logic was maybe I should just get a used EF 85mm f1.4 IS and the adapter but then I heard some people complaining that using the adapter can sometimes make the eye-tracking feel jittery or inconsistent on the newer bodies and that just frustrates me because the eye-autofocus is the whole reason I upgraded to the Mark II in the first place. I don't want to spend $1500 on a used lens and an adapter just for it to behave weirdly. Then there is the 50mm f1.2 which is also crazy expensive or the 50mm f1.8 which feels like putting budget tires on a Ferrari.
Is the 85mm f2 actually good enough for moving targets or am I gonna regret not getting something faster? Or should I look at a zoom like the 70-200 f4 even though I lose that really shallow depth of field? I am just going in circles here and the trip is getting closer and I still have nothing to shoot with...
> then I read these forum posts saying the autofocus is kinda clunky and slow compared to the L series and I am worried it wont keep up with my nieces and nephews running around the park. Tbh the reputation the Canon RF 85mm f2 Macro IS STM has for being slow is a bit exaggerated. Its an STM motor, so it doesnt have that instant snap you get with the pro USM glass, but the R6 Mark II has such a beefy autofocus system that it compensates for a lot. For kids running in a park, it should be fine as long as you arent trying to shoot high-speed sports in a dark room. Since youre coming from a Rebel, the eye-tracking is gonna feel like magic anyway. If you want the best AF performance within that $1500 limit, look at the Canon RF 70-200mm f4L IS USM. It is way more versatile for a reunion where you might need more reach than a fixed prime. The f4 aperture might sound slow compared to an f1.2, but at 200mm the background compression makes portraits look very high-end. It has dual Nano USM motors so the focus is basically instant and silent. Dont stress too much about the adapter jitter tho. Using the Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R with older glass like the Canon EF 85mm f1.4L IS USM is usually very stable on the new R bodies. But native glass is just nicer for the physical balance. If you really want that shallow depth of field, a used Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG HSM Art for Canon EF is a beast, tho its a heavy lens to lug around Austin in the heat.
Just catching up here. I agree that the 85mm f2 is capable, but in my experience, you shouldnt ignore the zoom you mentioned.
- The Canon RF 70-200mm f4 L IS USM has way better autofocus than the cheaper primes and fits your budget.
- At 200mm, f4 still gives you gorgeous background blur for portraits. Its a much better tool for a park environment where you cant always move your feet.
Honestly, you're overthinking it a bit lol. Ive been using native Canon RF glass for a while now and the performance is just incredible on the R6 series. You really dont need to drop thousands on the pro L glass to get amazing results. Just stick with any of the mid-range RF primes from Canon. Theyre snappy, light, and the eye-tracking works like a dream. Youll be super happy staying native.
