Switching to R System. Which EF Lenses will you sell or keep?

[unfocused]

Passing the time waiting for the R3 to ship and wondering what lenses people may sell or keep as they convert to R system. I anticipate selling my last EF mount body (1DX III) when the R3 arrives and deciding what lenses to keep or sell. If you are going full on mirrorless, what are you thinking of keeping/selling?

My thoughts:

Definitely sell: 70-200 2.8; 100-400; 24-105. These are no brainers. I have the RF versions and I'm only hanging on to the EF versions until the R3 arrives.

Also in this category is the 150-600 Sigma Contemporary. It's a great lens, but the main advantage to this lens was that it paired well with the 7DII, which I've since sold. The single f8 autofocus point on the 7DII made using the 100-400 with extender less useful than the Sigma. That's no longer an issue.

Probably sell: 70-300 L, 24mm 2.8. I probably should have sold these long ago as I seldom use them, but kept them for sentimental reasons. Both are underrated lenses. The 70-300 L is compact and nice as a travel zoom, but I usually want more reach. The 24 2.8 is a handy little lens, but I just don't use it that often.

Keep for now: 100mm 2.8 macro L, 16-35 f4, 8-15 fisheye. At this time, I see no great advantage to switching out the 100mm and 16-34 for the RF versions. I'm kind of intrigued by the extra width of the 14-35 f4, but not enough to feel any urgency at this time. I'm a little put off by the focus breathing reports of the RF macro, and I don't shoot macro enough to justify switching that out at this time. Of course, there is no current replacement for the 8-15 fisheye, but even if one existed, I'm not sure there would be any reason to buy it since this is a lens that I only use a few times a year.

So, what are others thinking? Are you going full mirrorless and if so, what lenses are you planning to keep and what lenses are on your list to replace as money allows?

 

[AlanF]

I've just answered this in a buy and sell thread. I've gone over to RF for my longer range with RF 100-400 and RF 100-500mm (and a 800 f/11 for the fun of it). My 100-400mm II is packed ready for dispatch with the 5DSR. I am keeping the EF 16-35 f/4, 24-105 and 50mm for the time being. The RF 100-400mm is a real revelation. A crop at 400mm resolves about as much detail as the Sigma 150-600mm C at 600mm f/6.3.

 

[unfocused]

The RF 100-400mm is a real revelation. A crop at 400mm resolves about as much detail as the Sigma 150-600mm C at 600mm f/6.3.

Interesting. I really liked the Sigma C, but times change and I'm not seeing much use for it now.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I’m also waiting for my pre-ordered R3 and have been shooting mainly with my EOS R (my 1D X has a fried PCB, or so I presume, and I need to overcome my inertia and have Canon fix it, so I can sell it).

My thoughts (and actions):

Already sold: EF 70-200/2.8L IS II, EF 70-300L, EF 40/2.8. I have the RF 70-200/2.8 (>50% of my 70-200 shots were wider than f/4) and 100-500 already, and while I like the pocketable 40/2.8 and hope Canon brings an RF pancake out, the RF 50/1.8 is not flat enough to substitute.

Definitely sell: EF 24-70/2.8L II. I have the RF 24-105/4L IS, and have been debating whether or not to add or swap for the f/2.8 version. I will most likely get the RF 24-70/2.8L IS and evaluate relative usage. I expect I’ll keep both, using mainly the f/2.8 lens but choosing the f/4 for urban travel, where a 24-xx zoom is typically the longest lens I take. I will also definitely sell my ST-E3-RT once my pre-ordered ST-E10 arrives.

Probably sell: EF 16-35/4L IS, Rokinon 14/2.8. I had initially dismissed the RF 14-25 because of the heavy (pre-correction) geometric distortion. But the corrected IQ is really good, and the lens is quite small, especially by comparison once the adapter is put behind the EF 16-35/4L IS. Although I often travel with the 11-24/4, for some trips I know it's unlikely I'll have a need to go quite that wide and the 14-35 is not a big/heavy addition so I may end up swapping the RF for EF f/4 UWA zooms. I owned the EF 16-35/2.8 II and almost never used it at f/2.8, so I'm not considering the RF 15-35/2.8 at all. I bought the Roki 14/2.8 solely for astro photography, but I don't do much of that and the ISO performance of the R3 should more than make up for the effective ~2/3-stop going from 14mm f/2.8 to 11mm f/4 compared to my 1D X, so that one I will likely just offload.

Plan to keep: EF 11-24/4L, TS-E 17/4L, TS-E 24/3.5L II, MP-E 65mm f/2.8, EF 85/1.4L IS, EF 100/2.8L Macro, EF 600/4L II and 1.4x/2x III extenders. For the first four, there are no equivalent RF lenses. For the 11-24 and the TS-E 17 lenses, even if Canon comes out with RF versions they'd need to offer something really major to overcome the advantage conferred by being able to use my RF-EF adapter with the drop in filter adapter instead of the salad plate filters I have for the TS-E 17 or the dinner plate filters I don't have for the 11-24. I use the 85/1.4 occasionally, not enough to justify the expense of the RF f/1.2 version. For the 100L Macro, I'm also bothered by the reported focus shift as that would affect some of the macro shooting I do, and I don't find the max mag increase to 1.4:1 very attractive since I have the MP-E 1-5x Macro. There are some modest advantages to the RF 600/4 over mine, lighter weight and faster AF on the R3, but at this point for me those don't justify the spend.

03-Nov update: EF 16-35/4L IS and EF 24-70/2.8L II sold. RF 14-35/4L arrives today, RF 24-70/2.8L IS next week.

 

[Ozarker]

Passing the time waiting for the R3 to ship and wondering what lenses people may sell or keep as they convert to R system. I anticipate selling my last EF mount body (1DX III) when the R3 arrives and deciding what lenses to keep or sell. If you are going full on mirrorless, what are you thinking of keeping/selling?

My thoughts:

Definitely sell: 70-200 2.8; 100-400; 24-105. These are no brainers. I have the RF versions and I'm only hanging on to the EF versions until the R3 arrives.

Also in this category is the 150-600 Sigma Contemporary. It's a great lens, but the main advantage to this lens was that it paired well with the 7DII, which I've since sold. The single f8 autofocus point on the 7DII made using the 100-400 with extender less useful than the Sigma. That's no longer an issue.

Probably sell: 70-300 L, 24mm 2.8. I probably should have sold these long ago as I seldom use them, but kept them for sentimental reasons. Both are underrated lenses. The 70-300 L is compact and nice as a travel zoom, but I usually want more reach. The 24 2.8 is a handy little lens, but I just don't use it that often.

Keep for now: 100mm 2.8 macro L, 16-35 f4, 8-15 fisheye. At this time, I see no great advantage to switching out the 100mm and 16-34 for the RF versions. I'm kind of intrigued by the extra width of the 14-35 f4, but not enough to feel any urgency at this time. I'm a little put off by the focus breathing reports of the RF macro, and I don't shoot macro enough to justify switching that out at this time. Of course, there is no current replacement for the 8-15 fisheye, but even if one existed, I'm not sure there would be any reason to buy it since this is a lens that I only use a few times a year.

So, what are others thinking? Are you going full mirrorless and if so, what lenses are you planning to keep and what lenses are on your list to replace as money allows?

I did it all wrong. Sold everything EF I had, and it was great stuff. Bought the R, 28-70, 50 f/1.2, 85 f/1.2. Then the pandemic hit and had to sell the RF lenses to survive. Managed to hang on to the R.

During the time I was all RF, I missed my EF 135mm f/2L real bad. Since Canon does not yet offer a RF 135mm, I bought the EF again. So I would keep that if you like it and have it. I just never enjoyed the 50mm and 85mm focal lengths as much as 135mm for portraits.

Good luck to you!!!

 

[john1970]

I made the switch to the R system over the past couple of years and in the process of doing that I ended up selling / trading-in all of my EF glass and purchased RF equivalents. I would do the same in your case as funds allow. Of course, generally speaking I would keep any EF lens that do not exist in the RF range until RF versions are announced. Lastly, if you have some EF lens that do not take front filters (EF 11-24 mm f4) you can buy the EF to R adapter that takes filters and use that combo. Good luck.