Anyone gone mirrorless? (1 Viewer)

[Scott Merryfield]

Well, I just packed up my Canon 7D Mark II for sale, so I will soon officially be without any dSLR bodies once the buyer picks up the camera (it's a friend of mine buying it for his wife to replace her dead 7D). I will be down to two mirrorless bodies -- the Canon EOS R and Canon EOS M50. I recently sold my Canon 5D Mark III and EF 24-105mm /f IS L, too.

My plan is to just use the EOS R and M50 for 2021 and slowly swap out my old EF lenses for RF lenses. I was using the 7D2 exclusively with my two telephoto lenses for wildlife only, and with the pandemic we have not been traveling to places where I can seriously shoot wildlife -- I used the 7D2 for exactly one outing in 2020. That will probably continue in 2021, so I can get by adapting my EF 100-400L to the EOS R for the few times I may want to shoot some casual wildlife.

By 2022, the prices should have come down on the Canon R5 and R6 bodies, and by then our travel situation will hopefully be back to normal. I can decide between those two bodies then.

As for lenses, I plan to sell my EF 50mmL f/1.2 and get the new RF 50mm f/1.8. That exchange should net me some cash. I will probably also swap out my Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro for the Canon RF 85mm f/2 macro. Between these two exchanges, I will probably come close to breaking even moneywise -- if anything, I should come out slightly ahead.

Telephoto lenses will be a tougher choice. I could probably get enough money selling both my EF 70-200mm f/4L IS and EF 100-400mmL II to buy the RF 100-500mmL IS. Canon is also releasing a new RF 70-200mm f/4L IS, but it will not work with their RF teleconvertors and I do use a 1.4x TC on my current 70-200mm f/4 at times when I want to travel lighter and leave the 100-400 at home. There are also the new RF 600mm f/11 IS and 800mm f/11 IS lenses with their fixed f/11 aperture, which are light and affordable. So, for now I am just going to use my EF telephotos with the RF-EF adapter while I figure things out.

So, my 2021 equipment lineup should look like this:

Canon EOS R full frame mirrorless body
RF 24-105mmL f/4 IS
RF 35mm f/1.4
RF 50mm f/1.8
RF 85mm f/2 macro
EF 16-35mmL f/4 IS
EF 70-200mmL f/4 IS
EF 100-400mmL IS II
EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake (probably should sell this, but it's not worth much)
RF to EF lens adapter

Canon EOS M50 APS-C mirrorless body
EF-M 11-22mm IS
EF-M 15-45mm IS
EF-M 55-200mm IS
EF-M 22mm f/2 pancake
EF-M to EF lens adapter

 

[Mike Frezon]

As for lenses, I plan to sell my EF 50mmL f/1.2

This prompted a question, Scott.

What's the difference between your EF 50mmL f/1.2 and my EF 50mm 1:1.8 II ?

I tend to keep my EFS 18-135mm on my 80D because of its versatility. But I was taking headshots of Peg this weekend and busted out my 50mm lens. I guess my basic question is what's the diff between the 1.2 and 1.8?

 

[Citizen87645]

In basic terms, the 1.2 lets more light in (is "faster") at maximum aperture (wide open) and would have more background blur compared to the 1.8. A 1.2 lens also will be physically larger and heavier. Thus in even more basic terms, the 1.2 also costs significantly more.

For portraits, shooting at wide open at either 1.2 or 1.8 is not generally recommended, unless you're going for a specific effect. I think we had a previous conversation in this thread about the value of shooting wide open on a regular basis and sort of the folly of super fast 50mm lenses.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

@Mike Frezon , along with @Cameron Yee 's explanation, the EF 50mmL f/1.2 also has a better auto focus motor and different lens design, which should result in better images. The "L" designates it as from Canon's premium luxury line of lenses.

I ended up with the EF 50L mostly because I found Canon's less expensive 50mm primes lacking. I owned the original EF 50mm f/1.8, and it's auto focus performance was terrible (your version II has a much improved AF system over that one). I then owned the EF 50mm f/1.4 for awhile, but its AF motor wasn't much better. I ended up getting the 50L for a good price, and it's been a fine lens, although I never shoot it wide open at f/1.2. The image quality has been wonderful, though.

 

[Citizen87645]

I have the 50mm II but don't use it much to be honest. I keep it around on principle, I guess, since you're not really a photographer unless you have a 50mm lens somewhere.

I did have the original 50mm 1.8 as well when I had the original Digital Rebel. I can still hear the motor noise from the focus hunting in my nightmares.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I have the 50mm II but don't use it much to be honest. I keep it around on principle, I guess, since you're not really a photographer unless you have a 50mm lens somewhere.

I did have the original 50mm 1.8 as well when I had the original Digital Rebel. I can still hear the motor noise from the focus hunting in my nightmares.

A 50mm prime is my "go to" lens for indoor family events on a full frame body, which is why I went through so many different versions. Canon's offerings for this lens type were quite frustrating. I, too, can still hear the motor noise from that original f/1.8, and it would hunt for what seemed forever. Canon did not come out with the current version II with the STM focus motor until after I had owned the 50L for quite awhile.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Thank you both for that explanation.

I was looking to minimize depth of field and was using the 50mm to try and achieve that. I was shooting with my f-stop about 4.5/5. We were outside on a rather overcast (but still bright) day. We had fun. Shots came out pretty good. She's got a new book coming out this fall (new publisher, new agent) and needed a new head shot.

I thought I'd have extra time in retirement to devote to learning about all this. But, so far, free time has been elusive.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I didn't use my 50mm on APC crop DSLR much either -- the effective focal length just didn't interest me much, especially since I don't usually shoot posed portraits.

IMHO, the view of 50mm (or 45mm) lens is much more useful on FF body. That's largely why I liked 28mm or 35mm for APC crop when I was still using such.

_Man_

 

[Scott Merryfield]

My friend picked up my Canon 7D2 a couple of days ago, so I am now 100% mirrorless with my digital cameras. The only body I have with a mirror is my dad's old Pentax film SLR. It feels like the end of an era.