Honestly im so over how much Canon charges for these RF lenses its like they want me to go broke just for a decent field of view. I picked up an R8 a few months back thinking oh cool mirrorless is the future and the autofocus is amazing but then you look at the price of the L series stuff and its like two grand or more? My logic was that I could just adapt my old glass but the EF-RF adapter makes everything so front heavy and honestly it's just annoying to carry on long hikes when im already struggling with a pack.
Ive been looking for a solid wide angle because im heading out to Olympic National Park in like three weeks for a big photography trip and im on a super tight timeline to get this sorted. I need something for those massive mossy forest shots and hopefully some astro if the weather holds up but everything feels like a compromise right now. I have about 450 maybe 500 bucks tops to spend which i know isn't much in the Canon world but there has to be something decent out there right?
So i was thinking about these options but i keep getting stuck:
- the RF 16mm f2.8 pancake lens which is cheap but ive heard the distortion is absolutely wild and its soft in the corners
- trying to find a used EF 17-40mm f4 and just dealing with the adapter weight even though i hate it
- maybe some third party manual focus stuff but i really want autofocus for when i do some quick vlogging bits
It just feels like Canon is gatekeeping the good wide stuff behind that red ring price tag and its super frustrating. I looked at some Samyang options but then I realized they got pulled from the market or something? The whole ecosystem feels so closed off compared to Sony. Does anyone actually use the 16mm for professional-ish landscape work or is it just a toy? Or is there some hidden gem I'm totally missing here... just feels like I'm hitting a wall with this setup.
Jumping in here because i went through this exact same headache when I got my R6. Honestly, the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM is a bit of a disappointment if you actually look at the raw files. The barrel distortion is like -13% which is wild... it is basically a fisheye that the camera software has to stretch back into shape. You lose a ton of sharpness in the corners when that happens. Its not great for serious landscape work, tho it fits in a pocket. Unfortunately, for under 500 bucks, the native options are pretty slim because of how Canon treats third-party manufacturers. Here is the reality of what you can actually get:
- Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
- This usually goes for 499. Its more versatile than the prime but f/6.3 at the long end is rough. For astro, youll be pushing that R8 sensor way too hard.
- Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM
- Try to find this refurbished or used. Its much sharper than the 16mm and f/1.8 is actually decent for stars. 24mm might feel tight in a dense forest though.
- Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 STM
- Very sharp, but likely not wide enough for what youre doing at Olympic. It really sucks that we dont have access to things like the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN on this mount. If you stay in the RF ecosystem for cheap, youre basically choosing between slow glass or heavy distortion. Not ideal for a big trip but thats where we are.
Dude, you are totally missing out on the Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM! Its light as a feather for those long hikes and usually fits your budget if you look used. If you really need low light for astro though, just grab the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM and dont sweat the toy comments. Its tiny and fun! Perfect for vlogging too since its so wide.
