So I finally saved up and snagged a used R5 last week and man I am totally broke now lol. I've been looking at the RF 50mm 1.8 since its so cheap but I saw some guys on a dpreview thread saying the 45mp sensor basically makes budget glass look like trash and you HAVE to buy the L series glass to get the detail. then I saw the 24-105mm stm but I dont know if the slow aperture is gonna kill my shots for this indoor portrait shoot I have in two weeks. Im based in Seattle so its always dark here anyway. Is it even worth getting the cheap RF stuff or should I just adapt old EF glass instead? anyone actually use the stm lenses on an R5 without it looking soft?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately, that 45-megapixel sensor is gonna show every single flaw in those budget lenses. I have spent a lot of time with the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM and it was honestly a letdown. While it is fine for social media, it just does not resolve enough detail for such a high-res body. You will notice the edges are quite soft and there is a lot of chromatic aberration when you are wide open. It is a bit disappointing that the native budget stuff isnt as good as expected for this tier of camera. The Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM is even more problematic for your shoot in Seattle. Dealing with that f/7.1 aperture indoors is basically a nightmare. You will be forced to push your ISO to levels where you lose all the benefits of the R5 sensor anyway. I had issues with the autofocus hunting in dim light with that specific lens, and it was pretty frustrating to deal with... not ideal for a portrait session. My methodical recommendation is to buy the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and look for used EF glass. A used Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM or a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art for Canon EF will give you much better results. Adapting older professional glass is the best way to get the sharpness you need without going broke. It is not quite as sleek as native glass, but it is way better than using those entry-level RF options that just cant keep up.
