So I finally pulled the trigger on the R8 after shooting with a 5D Mark III forever and honestly the weight difference alone is making my wrists so happy. I've been doing portraits and some lifestyle stuff around Austin for nearly a decade but this is my first real jump into the mirrorless world and the tech is just wild. I’ve got a massive calendar of senior portrait sessions starting in about three weeks and I really need to find the perfect prime to pair with this body. Right now I'm just using the kit lens and while it’s fine for travel it just doesn't give me that shallow depth of field I need for professional looking headshots.

My budget is sitting right around $700 or $800 so I cant really justify the $2000 L-series stuff yet. I was looking at the RF 85mm f/2 Macro but I’m a little worried about the autofocus speed since some reviews say it’s a bit sluggish for moving subjects? I really need something that can keep up with the R8's insane eye-tracking. I also thought about just getting the RF 50mm f/1.8 but I worry it might be a bit too wide and distort features if I get too close for those tight crops.

Since the R8 is such a light camera I’m also worried about the balance. If I adapt my old EF glass it gets so long and front-heavy it kind of defeats the purpose of having a compact setup. Does anyone here use the 85mm f/2 for professional portrait work or is there a better sleeper hit lens I’m missing? Maybe something from Sigma if the adapter works well enough? Just really want that creamy background blur without the lens being a total brick to carry around all day...