Leaving for Yosemite in four days and realized my kit lens wont cut it for those huge mountain shots. I have an RP and Im torn between the RF 16mm f/2.8 because its so cheap and tiny or maybe the RF 24mm though thats pushing my $350 budget.
I could also adapt an old EF 17-40mm but its such a brick for hiking and honestly my back already hurts thinking about it. Is the 16mm too wide for general landscapes or should I just suck it up and use the heavy EF glass? Need to buy tonight so it arrives in time...
Honestly, just grab the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM and dont look back. Over the years, Ive hauled heavy L-series glass up Half Dome and my back still hasnt forgiven me. The 16mm is surprisingly capable for its price point if you understand the technical trade-offs.
- Weight: At 165g, its basically a feather compared to the 475g Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM plus the necessary adapter weight.
- Field of View: 108 degrees diagonal is perfect for those tight valley floors where you simply cant step back any further.
- Optics: While it has heavy native distortion, the RPs internal profile corrections handle it remarkably well for JPEG and RAW. The f/2.8 aperture is also much better for catching the stars over the Sierras than that old f/4 zoom. 24mm is a bit narrow for the scale of Yosemite, basically. I can help if you need specific astro settings for it later.
