I have a Canon EOS 550D (T2i) camera with which I mainly use a Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/23.5-5.6 IS USM lens as an everyday lens. Because I'm planning to buy the Canon R6 Mark II mirrorless camera, along with the appropriate telephoto lens for shooting things like sports, I'm wondering whether I ought to hang on to the EF-S 15-85 lens and keep it on the T2i for everyday use (since it can't be used with the R6) or if I should sell the EF-S 15-85 and replace it with the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens that I'd use with the Canon R6 Mark II. I'm trying to figure out if what sorts of advantages there would be to going the more costly route of getting the RF 24-105mm f/4 L and whether the advantages would merit that extra cost.
Welcome to the forum, Johnny. I do not have a R6 but have used the 15 to 85mm lens, this is an excellent walkaround lens , so may I suggest you keep it in your bag. I had a look on Youtube about the adapter and they seem to work fine with this combo. Now I suggest you direct your question to Caladina as she is pretty switched on with this combo, or try Johnsey as he is also very knowledgeable.
I do not think you can use either lens on the other camera. SO.. you should keep the 15-85 as long as you have the t2i. You can mount EF to both cameras with adapter at least on the R side. The 24-105 is a good all around zoom range and getting a fixed f4 is nice, you will get nice sharp optics in the L series, I think the RF for the r6 is a great start lens for most situations. That of course depends on what you plan to photograph. Generally speaking your better off investing in the better lenses, they are superior optically as you move up in camera to higher resolutions you will start to notice limitations in lenses. Limitation example: If you shoot both rf 24 to 105s the sharpness will show side by side, and you will be happy indoors that you can shoot a portrait at f4 at 85mm where the $400 version will be at f7 on the long side of the zoom. You could get an ef lens if you really want to shoot on both cameras, but if your converting long term to RF, i would be deliberate in any non RF purchases, EF-S only suits the crop bodies, and even EF is going to slowly phase out production as the mirrorless gear takes over more and more. Will I sell my EF gear? Not likely, im deap invested so I will probably adopt mirrorless rather late, heck i don't sell my film gear either.
Thank you for your response and your welcome to the forum, Craig. I think that for now it might be sensible (and, of course, a lot cheaper) to hang on to the old camera with the 15-85 lens and use it as a supplement to the Canon R6-super telephoto combination when I need the wider angle. I took a look at B&H and KEH online to get an idea of what they'd pay for the Canon 15-85 in very good condition, and I was surprised by how little they'd pay for that lens, given that it's about an $800 lens.
Johnny, the Canon 550D was the bee's knees when it come out. If you compare the top of the range lenses for this camera, they can be had at a comparable price to the R6 camera lenses. Really good glass give better resutls than a R6 with standard quality lenses. Stick with the 550D. I have a 10D, 350D and a 60D, older cameras but I still get lovely results when I use good glass. Have a look at the price for 400 to 600 mm lenses that are available for your 550D and compare that to the R6. For the R6 lenses I hope you have deep pockets.
yeah you can pick these up from B&H amazon or KEH, they are between 250-450 in good condition used, I doubt they would offer more than half of what they will sell it for.
I definitely think you can consider a real long lens in EF mount, and adapt it to the R6, if... you get a good deal on it used. And you research others using it on the R6, I would want to make sure they dint have any issues with focus hunting or something of that sort. That was where I said you can target specific FE lenses as they can work on both cameras. I just would not recommend investing in any more EF-s as you will only be able to use that on another crop sensor camera like you 550d if it were to die.
If you don't mind me jumping in here, Jonsey and suggest that there is always the 60D, to 80D range of cameras. prices for a good one are a bit cheaper than the R6 if the R6 six is out of his reach at the moment.
I do agree that there are decent options to replace the 550D if it dies, like you stated. My understanding of the original post stated he seems to pre-ordering the new R6m2 that will be coming out her in the next few months, it doesn't seem that the price is the question.
Jonny, I seemed to actually skip over one major thing in your original post. Your stating your getting the r6mk2 and pplanning to shoot sports with telephoto. The 15-85 and the 24-105 will give you a similar range when zooming. Personally I don't see shooting sports with either of these, usually you want a longer zoom for that type of photography. I think the rf 24-105L is a no brainier to be the main walk about lens, but for sports you will probably want to pair it with something longer. The 70-200mm is very popular, it gets twice as close than either of those options There are longer zooms like 100-400 and 100-500 but they may be overkill for what you need if you are planning to shoot for example your kids soccer events, those lengths are more popular for shooting wildlife, and usually come will a slower F stop. Lets look at a few main ones that will give you that extra reach: Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM Lens $499 - Non L glass and you will only have f8 as you approach 400mm, not a good lens for sports but may not be a bad buy for the money based on some reviews i read. Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens $2799 - Expensive but a fast 2.8 is ideal for sports Canon RF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens $1499 - f4 is a little slower but you save a fair amount Work with a EF - RF mount conversion Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens $1899 This may not be a terrible option, it will also work on your 550d and any other dslr you point at it, from what i understand ef adapted lenses work pretty well adapted to mirror-less with the adapter. If you want to read a review of 100-400 rf, https://dustinabbott.net/2022/04/canon-rf-100-400mm-f5-6-8-is-usm-review/ Seems like it can perform well but you have to fight diffraction and motion blur in shots when zooming.
Thank you for your post, Craig. Yeah, I decided that I'll hang on to that 15-85 as a good everyday lens and continue to use it with the 550D. The issues that I have had with that camera have been with telephoto lenses when I've tried shooting sports. The camera-lens combination just had trouble doing so, which is why I've been saving for a while now to get another camera-lens combination that is more adept at handling large field outdoor sports. My original question just was about whether I should consider an everyday lens to use on the R6, but after hearing from people in the forum, I'm going to hold on to the 15-85 and continue to use it on the 550D, which does a good job with things that aren't moving suddenly or quickly.
Thank you for your post, Johnsey. Like I mentioned to Craig, my experiences with the 15-85 lens on the 550D have been good, and I haven't used it to shoot sports. The 550D itself has been fine except when I've used it with telephoto lenses when shooting sports since I need a camera with a more advanced AF system and to pair it with a good telephoto lens. One of the reasons that I've been saving for the R6 and a good telephoto lens is to have more success when shooting large field daytime sports, but I understand that for subjects that aren't running around, the 550D with 15-85 will continue to do the job. Thank you for mentioning the Dustin Abbott review. I've read a lot of his reviews on cameras and lenses. Good, detailed information!
There is another option available to you. Have a look at vintage lenses and attach them with a adaptor, there are a lot of old film lenses available, the drawback is a lack of auto focus. but there a plethora of lenses available , at bargain prices, check out Youtube on using them. This will get you into sports style lenses sooner and will suffice till funds permit a more modern lens.
