Honestly I'm staring at my shopping cart and I just can't click buy because I'm second-guessing everything. I finally pulled the trigger on the R5 Mark II last week—goodbye savings account—and now I'm stuck in this endless loop about which zoom lens to actually live on the thing most of the time. I've been reading every single review on the planet and honestly it’s just making the decision harder than it needs to be.
So my logic was to just get the RF 24-70mm f/2.8L since that's the gold standard, right? But then I see half the internet saying the 24-105mm f/4L is just as good for most people and I'd save like a thousand bucks. My worry is that since I'm doing weddings and corporate stuff around Seattle where it's basically dark 8 months out of the year, that f/4 is gonna kill me. But then I read this one deep-dive technical review saying the 24-70 has some weird focus breathing or isn't actually that much sharper on the 45MP sensor than the cheaper zoom which makes zero sense to me if I'm paying that much extra for the L glass.
I also briefly considered the 28-70mm f/2 because the images look insane but I picked one up at a shop yesterday and it's a literal brick. I don't want to be miserable carrying that for a 10 hour day. Plus my budget is pretty much capped at $2500 now because the R5II body was so pricey. I need something that's gonna actually utilize the new autofocus features and the high res sensor without being a total compromise.
- RF 24-70 f/2.8 (expensive, maybe overkill?)
- RF 24-105 f/4 (cheaper, but is f/4 too slow for indoor?)
- RF 24-105 f/2.8 (way too expensive and massive for me)
Is the 24-70 really worth the extra cash for the R5II specifically or am I just buying into the hype? I feel like I'm overthinking the sharpness vs aperture thing but I don't want to regret a two-thousand dollar purchase because the f/4 wasn't enough...
Look, I have been through this loop myself more times than I care to admit. You just dropped a massive chunk of change on that Canon EOS R5 Mark II, so you really dont want to bottleneck that 45MP sensor right out of the gate. Given you are doing weddings and corporate work in Seattle—which yeah, is basically a cave for half the year—I would strongly suggest you be careful about going the f/4 route. Here is why I would recommend the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM:
- Light gathering is everything: That one stop from f/4 to f/2.8 might not look huge on a spec sheet, but in a dimly lit reception, it is the difference between usable shots and a grainy mess. Even with the new sensor's noise handling, you want to keep that ISO as low as possible.
- Resolution and clarity: I have used both, and while the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is a great travel lens, the 24-70 is noticeably better at resolving fine detail on high-res bodies. You will see it in the textures of a wedding dress or corporate headshots.
- Autofocus performance: The f/2.8 aperture lets more light into the AF system, which helps the R5II track eyes even better when the lights go down. Make sure to ignore those complaints about focus breathing... the R5II actually has electronic breathing compensation that works like a charm for video anyway. You might want to consider checking used listings to save a few bucks, but honestly, just get the 2.8. You wont regret it when you are shooting in a dark ballroom and actually have some breathing room with your shutter speed.
