What is the absolute widest lens I can get for my R50 that actually has decent autofocus for video? I have been shooting on Canon for like 6 years now, mostly street stuff on my old 90D, but I just grabbed the R50 because I wanted something light for vlogging and honestly I didnt realize how much that 1.6x crop factor was gonna kill me when I try to hold the camera at arms length. I bought the 18-45mm kit lens thinking 18mm would be plenty wide but its just my giant face filling the whole frame and you cant see any of the scenery behind me. Its super annoying. Im trying to film some travel vlogs around Tokyo next month and I need something that lets me show the city while I am talking. My budget is around $500 max because I already spent way too much on the body and extra batteries. I looked at the RF-S 10-18mm but I am worried the aperture is gonna be total trash in low light since I do a lot of night walks. Is there any third party stuff that actually works well with the Dual Pixel AF? Or should I just give up and get a wider prime? I really dont want to carry a gimbal if I can help it because it defeats the whole purpose of having a tiny camera setup...
> I looked at the RF-S 10-18mm but I am worried the aperture is gonna be total trash in low light I ran into this exact issue filming in Shinjuku last year. The f/6.3 on those kit lenses is rough when the sun goes down. I eventually tested the Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary for Canon RF and it was a massive upgrade. Having that constant f/2.8 is huge for keeping ISO manageable during night walks. Its slightly over $500, but the technical trade-off for light is worth it.
Saw this earlier and honestly... it is kinda depressing how few options we have for the RF-S mount right now. Canon really dropped the ball on fast wide glass for crop sensors. Before I give a full recommendation, are you planning on using the digital image stabilization or the Enhanced IS in-camera? Asking because that extra crop is gonna make a huge difference in what lens you actually need to see the background. If you want decent low light without a massive rig, your options are pretty thin:
- Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary for Canon RF is basically the only lens that hits the sweet spot for Tokyo night walks, tho its slightly over your budget at around $600.
- Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM is affordable but unfortunately it works out to roughly 26mm on your R50. Still way too tight for arm's length vlogging.
- Steer clear of adapting old EF-S glass... the adapter adds so much bulk that it totally defeats the purpose of the R50. Ngl, you probably have to stretch that budget for the Sigma or just deal with the grain on that f/6.3 kit lens. The R50 sensor is good but it isnt magic.
Look, if you want reliable autofocus that actually tracks your eyes while you're walking, you really need to stick with native RF glass or the new Sigma stuff. The Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM is the most logical choice because it's tiny and the IS is specifically tuned for the R50. You are right that f/4.5 isnt ideal for night, but for vlogging, you usually want a bit more depth of field anyway so your background isnt just a complete blur. If you absolutely need better low light performance for those Tokyo night walks, the Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary is the only real alternative that doesnt compromise on autofocus. Sigma just started shipping the RF mount version and it's basically the gold standard for crop sensor vlogging right now. It is usually $599, which is slightly over your budget, but it is worth saving the extra hundred bucks for to get that f/2.8 aperture. Dont bother with the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM for this specific use case. On your R50, 16mm becomes roughly 26mm... you will still be struggling to fit the scenery in. I've tried vlogging at 24-28mm equivalents and it is basically just a headshot unless you have really long arms. Stick to the 10mm wide end. It gives you the room to use electronic stabilization without cropping your forehead out. Stay away from the cheap manual third party lenses, they're a nightmare for video.
This is exactly what I needed to hear. Youre a lifesaver honestly.
This ^
