Honestly, im about two seconds away from throwing my camera bag out the window. Ive been shooting with the kit lens that came with my EOS R for like two years now and its just driving me up the wall. The autofocus is fine I guess, but the image quality is so soft and in low light it basically turns into a useless piece of plastic. I keep missing shots at my nieces soccer games and family dinners because it just cant keep up and I feel like such an amateur.

Im planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest in about three weeks, and if I dont have something reliable that actually produces sharp images by then, im gonna lose it. Im based in Chicago and I have maybe 1500 bucks saved up for a new piece of glass. I dont want to carry around five different lenses because that was the whole point of going mirrorless for me, but right now this kit lens is just holding me back so much. I need something that can handle landscapes when we are out hiking but also maybe get some decent portraits of my friends without looking like a blurry mess.

Ive been looking at the RF 24-105 f/4 but then people say the 24-70 f/2.8 is the holy grail, though that price tag is just insane and honestly way out of my budget unless I eat ramen for a year. Is the extra stop of light really worth that much more money or should I just stop complaining and get the 24-105? I just need one lens that does it all so I can stop stressing before I leave for this trip. Does anyone actually have a recommendation that wont force me to take out a second mortgage but still gives me results that actually look professional?