What actually is the best all-around travel lens for the new R5 Mark II? Ive been looking at the 24-105mm f4 L since it seems like the standard choice but then I see people swearing by the 24-240mm for the extra reach. Im just frustrated because Im dropping all this money on a 45mp sensor and Im worried the superzoom is gonna look like mush, but the f4 L just doesnt have the reach I need for my trip to the Swiss Alps next month. My budget is around 2k max for the glass and I really dont want to be swapping lenses constantly while hiking. Is there a middle ground Im missing or do I just suck it up and carry more weight?
Saw this earlier but just now responding! Like someone mentioned, that sensor is no joke. I would 100% grab the Canon RF 24-105mm f4 L IS USM and just use the in-camera crop mode for reach. The quality is fantastic! tbh, check out the comparison tools on The-Digital-Picture to see why the L glass is worth it for those mountain views. The Swiss Alps deserve the best glass!
Unfortunately everything in this hobby is just getting so expensive that it almost feels like a chore sometimes. I spent way too much on my last setup and honestly it wasnt as good as expected, which just leaves you feeling kinda bitter when you look at the credit card bill. It actually reminds me of when I tried to save money by fixing my own car brakes last fall instead of just paying someone who knows what they are doing.
- parts all over the driveway
- lost a tiny spring in the grass for three hours
- had to get it towed to the shop anyway I spent my whole weekend covered in grease and still had to pay the mechanic full price in the end. My wife still brings it up whenever I mention buying new gear or trying a DIY project. Anyway lol, sorry, I totally went off on a tangent there. Hope you find a setup that works for the trip tho.
honestly i totally agree with your fear about that superzoom on a 45mp sensor. i have used similar setups before and you really gotta be careful because that high resolution shows every single bit of softness when you are pushed to the long end of the zoom range. it is kinda a trap tbh. you buy this insanely expensive camera body and then put glass on it that cannot keep up, basically making it a lower res camera in practice. i would suggest looking at sample raws if you can find them before committing... on the other hand i have hiked around mountains with just a 105mm and yeah it sucks when you see a cool hut or a mountain goat way up on a ridge and you just cant reach it. make sure to think about how much you actually plan to print or crop. if you are just doing social media the superzoom is fine but for a trip like switzerland you probably want the sharpness for those big landscape prints. you dont want to get home and realize your mountain peaks look like watercolours. maybe consider that you can actually use the 1.6x crop mode on the r5 ii to get a bit more reach with the higher quality lens? since you have so many megapixels to play with, cropping a sharper L series lens might actually look better than the native 240mm on a cheaper lens. i would be very cautious about the superzoom for a once in a lifetime trip like this. the corners usually get pretty messy and distorted at the wide end too and the r5 is gonna see all of that. it might be better to just suck it up and crop in post than to carry glass that doesnt do the sensor justice.
