I finally pulled the trigger on an R6 and I'm freaking out a little bit because I have this massive trip to Japan coming up in like three weeks and I still havent figured out what glass I'm actually gonna take with me. I've been shooting on an old Rebel for years so this full frame jump is huge for me and I want to make sure I get the one lens that can basically live on the camera the whole time while we are exploring.
I spent all last night watching YouTube reviews and honestly I'm more torn now than when I started lol. Everyone says the RF 24-105mm f/4L is the gold standard for do it all lenses because of the constant aperture and the weather sealing—which is great because it might rain in Tokyo—but then I see people swearing by the RF 24-240mm superzoom. I read that the 24-105 is way sharper but I'm worried 105mm isnt gonna be enough reach for those cool compressed street shots or when I'm looking at stuff across a temple garden. But then is the 24-240 gonna look like mush? And f/6.3 at the long end seems super slow for night markets or dim shrines.
I'm trying to keep it simple because my wife will literally kill me if I'm stopping to swap lenses every ten minutes while we're trying to find ramen. Here is what I'm looking for:
- Budget: I'd like to stay under $1,100 if possible, totally fine with used or refurbished gear.
- Weight: We are gonna be walking like 20k steps a day so nothing that feels like a literal brick around my neck.
- Use case: Landscapes, street food, some portraits of us, and maybe some low light indoors.
- Quality: I dont need absolute perfection but I want it to look noticeably better than my iPhone 15 Pro.
Should I just get the L glass and crop in if I need more reach or is the convenience of that big zoom range worth the trade-offs on a sensor like the R6? I'm literally staring at my cart right now just waiting to hit buy...
Check out the Canon Refurbished site! Here are two fantastic options:
- Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is fantastic for rain.
- Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM is lighter for walking!
I've gotta disagree with the one-lens plan. Unfortunately, f/4 is often not as good as expected for those dim Tokyo alleys. I had issues with blurry shots last time and it was pretty disappointing tbh. Just grab a used Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM but definitely pack a Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM for the evenings. It dont weigh much and actually handles the low light.
I would suggest sticking with the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. You might want to consider how much it rains in Tokyo; that weather sealing is a safety net you dont want to skip. Be careful with the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM because f/6.3 is gonna struggle in those dim shrines. Make sure to prioritize the L glass for reliability... its just safer.
Coming back to this... like someone mentioned, that Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is the safest play for a first full-frame trip. I've been through Tokyo with a similar setup and honestly, the reliability of L glass is worth the peace of mind when you're 15 miles into a day. If you're worried about the reach, just remember that the Canon EOS R6 has that insane IBIS. You can handhold much slower shutter speeds which helps when you're trying to frame things up at the 105mm end. The Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM is a fun tool but it can feel a bit front-heavy on the R6 body after a while. I totally agree with the idea of a two-lens kit for the night stuff. I'm a big fan of the DIY approach to travel—keep it simple. Maybe grab the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM to go with the zoom. It's tiny, weighs nothing, and gives you that wide aperture for the shrines. You wont even feel it in your pocket. Since you only have 20MP on the R6, you cant crop forever, but for standard travel shots, it's plenty. I usually just shoot a bit wider and fix the framing later in post if I need that extra reach look. It's a lot easier than lugging around a massive superzoom that starts to get soft at the edges anyway. Stick with the L for your main lens tho... the weather sealing is a literal lifesaver when those sudden Tokyo showers hit.
No way, I literally just dealt with this yesterday. Small world.
TL;DR: Staring at the same two lenses and literally cannot decide either... its a total nightmare. @Reply #4 - good point! Seriously tho, I am in the exact same boat as you and it is driving me crazy. I've been obsessing over the diffraction limits and the chromatic aberration specs for the Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM versus the Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM for the last three weeks. I keep comparing them to the Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS and honestly it feels like Canon just makes this choice harder than it needs to be. I'm also heading out soon and I've spent hours looking at sample raws trying to see if the f/6.3 is gonna totally ruin my low light shots or if the R6 sensor can just handle the ISO bump. I basically have both in my cart right now and keep swapping them back and forth... been dealing with this loop for a month and still havent hit buy.
