Hi I am planning to buy a used Canon R. However, I am finding it difficult to get any of the sellers to tell me the shutter count, which I guess is the best way to know how much the camera has been used. Is there an easy way to find out the shutter count for the R series?
Honestly, I think too much is put behind shutter counts. You can have a shutter fail at 50k or last 1/2 million and go for 20 years, it is much like mileage on a car, a nice to know but only reflects its use, not how well its been cared for. The Camera is 5 years old, it was mostly a bunch of early adopters so if many are working professionals i think they will have moderate use on them on average. The only good way to get shutter count is to connect it to a computer application that can dissect the metadata being spit out by the camera, and camera stores don't need to spend that much time on used gear to get it to sell. You know what else is is shown with heavy use? Sings of use on the body... If the camera is really high mileage, it will show those sings and a company like KEH will grade it accordingly. It may be a bit of a polarizing opinion here, but you should never look at the shutter count, buy based on how well its been taken care of instead when buying used, and just enjoy the camera you buy for the deal you find. Looks like used they run 800-1200 based on how close to new looking they are. If your really concerned an r6 is only 2000 right now and then you get 0 shutter count
Thanks Johnsey. Will follow your advice and 'go for the looks'. Until a couple of weeks ago, I was very reluctant to look at mirrorless because of the EVF. I am finding it difficult to give up on the OVF. I was very close to buying either the 6D ii or the 5D iv, but then I realised that I am only going to shoot family photos or use the camera when travelling and the 5D iv would be an overkill. So, as they say, I 'bit the bullet' and started to look at mirrorless. I found the R was well reviewed and had lots of 'bells and whistles', and it was reasonably priced. The R6 had a poorer EVF and specs than the R and is currently priced at 1000-1200 in the used market. The new R series with a good EVF are very expensive, even in the used market. So I thought, let me try the R, which for a decent-looking body, is being offered at around 700.
If your looking to invest in a system i think mirrorless and getting into RF lenses would be the long term view for sure. I upgraded to a 5d4 a few years back since i already was heavily into EF lenses anyway. Plus at under 1k price point it is a great foot in the door to allow you to invest in better glass for the camera. I generally advise spending on better lenses and mid level camera.
I do have some EF lenses (though not the top ones). I have a 50mm 1.8 and older 18-105 kit lens that came with my Canon EOS 5 (film) and a 75-300 4-5.6. What do you I should supplement these with (in RF), and that is essential?
I am a bit curious on what lens you have for the lens you mentioned as 18-105.... there are 18-135 and and 28-105 multiple versions of each in the lower tier lenses. If yours is from the film era i would expect it to not perform well on high megapixel cameras. Most camera companies started major redesigns of their lenses in the the 2000's not just for better sharpness, but vignetting, chromatic aberrations and other issues that became more exaggerated on digital with higher MP counts. SO that said, recommendation wise, you can probably get by for a little while with with any of these lenses, but there is a huge difference in an Ok performer on 8mp 40d vs a 30 mp camera. Do you still have the 40d? I would primarily keep these lens around for that camera to have a small kit to use. I have the 50m 1.8 and used it on a 20d for a few years, it was fine stopped down, but i found rather soft when mostly wide open, I upgraded to the 1.4 version when i got my 5d2 as i did not see it suitable for portraits. I have never had the 70-300 but I understand most the newer versions do alright, but i wish i had some 1st hand knowledge of its weak spots. I guess my recommendation since you said that you want a good family photo lens would be to invest in a versatile zoom. The 24-105 is a staple, they have now created some very expensive 2.8 l versions, but the price tag is high just to have the 2.8, the 4-7.1 version is only $400, but 7.1 at the long end is not very fast at all and it is not even that long of a telephoto. If i was getting a single lens for a R body, i probably would myself get : Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens Or.. convert over a similar EF lens with an RF-EF adapter, there are also some nice 24-70 2.8 options in similar price ranges in EF mount. You can then leave yourself to decide how nice of a long zoom or prime lenses to purchase later.
For starters, I would just keep on using the lenses that you have for now. You are going to need an EOS to R adaptor, and you can leave the adaptor on your camera, and use it as an EF camera for now. Use your three EF lenses, and see which one or ones you use the most, and maybe look at upgrading them in time. Or, if you feel as if you are missing a particular lens, go and grab that in R mount. I would find my way around your new to you camera before going out and buying new other stuff. Gary
