Canon Mirrorless

Author
Discussion

KobayashiMaru86

Original Poster:

1,329 posts

217 months

Monday 16th September
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Currently got an old Canon 70D and have been thinking of going full frame. Ideally I'd like to keep my current lenses so started looking at Canon again and lots are suggesting the mirrorless ones maybe a good options, possibly the R6 Mk2. But I'm assuming my lenses won't fit so there'll be an adapter ring of some sort?

In terms of what I shoot it's mainly landscapes and astro stuff. But now I have a dog I want to do more shots of him when I'm out as I'm getting fed up of a sub standard phone that's also due upgrade but I'm waiting for new models before I change it.

Anyone got one? It is only a hobby but I'd like to buy a really good camera I won't have to change for years again. Had the 70D since 2014 and for most things it's been fine, learned plenty with it but would be nice to go full frame and have any of the new features.

Tony1963

5,314 posts

169 months

Monday 16th September
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As ever, what is your budget.

I changed to Canon mirrorless last year, and have one RF lens, and an EF-RF adapter and a handful of EF lenses. The older lenses work at least as well as they did on my 5D3.

I wouldn’t even carry a dSLR as a spare, they feel antiquated.

bstb3

4,357 posts

165 months

Monday 16th September
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I think Tony has answered it really, but any of your EF lenses will adapt via an EF-RF adaptor. They can be official canon adaptors or other brands, I have been using a Mieke adaptor on my EOS R with several EF Canon and Sigma lenses with no issues at all. I've heard there can be issues on some of the faster / subject specific eye focusing options between some older lenses and the newer bodies (for example the Sigma 150-600 has focus pulse issues on the EOS R7, but I don't seem to suffer it on my older focus style EOS R), but it's to be expected to a degree - the older lenses not having been designed with such features in mind. The R6 Mark 2 would likely suffer there - so it might be worth checking for your specific lenses just in case. Chances are they will be fine though.

On thing to point out if you are looking at moving to full frame is any EF-S crop lenses won't translate so well - they will work but with a significant vignette covering a lot of the image as they were designed only to cover the smaller crop sensor. If the camera has a crop mode then that will work around it, but you are losing a lot of pixels doing so.

For Astro I found it a big step up going from APS-C DSLR to Full Frame Mirrorless. It's not so much the noise and pixel size (although it is better), but the visibility and focussing is so much easier with the brighter mirrorless displays. It's a small thing in a way, but a big quality of life change I found if you aren't using very fast lenses and struggle to find bright enough stars for the initial focus.

KobayashiMaru86

Original Poster:

1,329 posts

217 months

Tuesday 17th September
quotequote all
My only concern then is what astro lens to get for the RF. I have a cheap Samyang which is OK but always wanted the Sigma or f/1.4 or something similar. Any suggestions on where to get them?

Edited by KobayashiMaru86 on Tuesday 17th September 10:10

Itsallicanafford

2,816 posts

166 months

Tuesday 17th September
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The R6 mk2 will do a great job on shots of your dog. I use R3’s but the focusing is similar and had a friends whippet running full tilt towards me…animal tracking on the AF, wide open aperture of F1.8 and 30fps and the focus hit rate was very impressive.


Just a word on the R6mk2 there was a recent massive price drop of £780 down to its current price just under £2k. The R6 segment is the most aggressive in terms of product replacement times so although the mk2 is relatively new, there will be an announcement soon for the mk3 and maybe a pre Christmas shipping date. Just a heads up

geeks

9,714 posts

146 months

Tuesday 17th September
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KobayashiMaru86 said:
My only concern then is what astro lens to get for the RF. I have a cheap Samyang which is OK but always wanted the Sigma or f/1.4 or something similar. Any suggestions on where to get them?

Edited by KobayashiMaru86 on Tuesday 17th September 10:10
What sort of Astro are you shooting? Widefield? Milkway? DSO? Also budget, also new phone models (as per your OP) are out so little point waiting for them, they are already here

spookly

4,191 posts

102 months

Tuesday 17th September
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I've never used a Canon, as previously a Nikon user and now shoot MF Fuji/Hasselblad.
But.... on many systems the image circle coverage of APS-C lenses leaves significant vignetting on FF sensors.
So if your existing Canon lenses are APS-C specific, then I'd make sure they'll work ok with an FF sensor. If you were using FF glass with the 70D body, then they'll likely be fine.


C n C

3,569 posts

228 months

Tuesday 17th September
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I'm a long term Canon user, and got an R5 body a couple of years ago, although I still use a 5D3 as a backup body. I also have not splashed out on (expensive) new RF glass, instead preferring to continue using by "old" EF lenses with an adapter, and all work perfectly: 11-24 f4L, 24-105 f4L, 100 f2.8L macro, 70-210 f2.8L, Sigma 120-300 f2.8.

In terms of continuing to use existing lenses, you will need an EF/RF adapter. Canon make 3 variants, but the basic one is all you'll need. One of the others has an additional control ring which you can configure to do stuff like change aperture, ISO etc. I got one of those and have NEVER used the control ring, so I'd just get the basic one in future.

Using the EF/RF adapter, your existing EF (full frame) lenses will work well on a mirrorless body, with the added advantage of in body image stabilisation.

If you have EF/S (APS-C specific) lenses, then you'd need to look at replacing these with EF versions.

Finally, whatever body you go for, if you're looking to buy new, I'd strongly recommend checking out the prices from HDEW as a supplier. They are grey imports, but HDEW offer their own 3 year guarantee and have a good reputation. I've been happy with their service and have bought 5D3 and R5 bodies, and 11-24L and 100L macro lenses from them, and will use them in future.

KobayashiMaru86

Original Poster:

1,329 posts

217 months

Tuesday 17th September
quotequote all
Itsallicanafford said:
The R6 mk2 will do a great job on shots of your dog. I use R3’s but the focusing is similar and had a friends whippet running full tilt towards me…animal tracking on the AF, wide open aperture of F1.8 and 30fps and the focus hit rate was very impressive.


Just a word on the R6mk2 there was a recent massive price drop of £780 down to its current price just under £2k. The R6 segment is the most aggressive in terms of product replacement times so although the mk2 is relatively new, there will be an announcement soon for the mk3 and maybe a pre Christmas shipping date. Just a heads up
Good to know, thanks.

KobayashiMaru86

Original Poster:

1,329 posts

217 months

Tuesday 17th September
quotequote all
geeks said:
KobayashiMaru86 said:
My only concern then is what astro lens to get for the RF. I have a cheap Samyang which is OK but always wanted the Sigma or f/1.4 or something similar. Any suggestions on where to get them?

Edited by KobayashiMaru86 on Tuesday 17th September 10:10
What sort of Astro are you shooting? Widefield? Milkway? DSO? Also budget, also new phone models (as per your OP) are out so little point waiting for them, they are already here
Mainly widefield and milkyway as that's the limit of the kit I have but I do have a Star Tracker too.

I'm waiting on phones because nothing excites me or is good enough to justify replacing my Oneplus8 Pro (cameras aside) and I'm not changing the phone just for the camera. I'd rather buy a good camera then get as much mileage out of the phone as I can.

bstb3

4,357 posts

165 months

Wednesday 18th September
quotequote all
MPB.com can be a handy source of lenses. They are used, but can be in nearly new condition, have a 6 month warranty and a 14 day returns period (free) - although you shouldn't use them if the intention is to refurn in 14 days. It's a decent saving over new and does allow you a good choice of EF and RF lenses from all manufacturers. I've had no issues with them (buying or selling) and although you do pay a bit of a premium compared to say an eBay or something, it's a lot less stressful and risky (and no more expensive than your local camera shop).

In terms of astro a quick look shows they have several fast primes and zooms at various prices, so it's just about taking your pick I think. I've been recently looking at the RF 16mm f/2.8 as a cheap easy to carry fast and wide landscape option, but it doesn't seem massively sharp outside of the centre unfortunately, which kind of beats the point, so i'd steer clear of that one.

havoc

30,867 posts

242 months

Thursday 19th September
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Budget is king - modern mirrorless full-frame bodies are £££.

If you want a half-way house, I'd look at a second-hand 5D Mk4, which doesn't have all the new tech but can be had for a bargain price right now. And being 2nd hand, you can then flog it on for similar money when you trade up. Mirrorless tech seems to be moving very quickly and I'd expect the outgoing generation (R5 Mk1 etc.) to be affordable on the 2nd hand market in a couple of years.
(The first generation probably aren't worth getting second hand)


I also wouldn't hurry to sell your 70D - it's not worth much, and as a back-up body (particularly with a cropped sensor so extra effective 'reach' vs a full-frame sensor) it might come in handy.

KobayashiMaru86

Original Poster:

1,329 posts

217 months

Thursday 19th September
quotequote all
havoc said:
Budget is king - modern mirrorless full-frame bodies are £££.

If you want a half-way house, I'd look at a second-hand 5D Mk4, which doesn't have all the new tech but can be had for a bargain price right now. And being 2nd hand, you can then flog it on for similar money when you trade up. Mirrorless tech seems to be moving very quickly and I'd expect the outgoing generation (R5 Mk1 etc.) to be affordable on the 2nd hand market in a couple of years.
(The first generation probably aren't worth getting second hand)


I also wouldn't hurry to sell your 70D - it's not worth much, and as a back-up body (particularly with a cropped sensor so extra effective 'reach' vs a full-frame sensor) it might come in handy.
Thanks. Yeah I wouldn't sell the 70D. Always handy for timelapses and as a backup. Think I'll wait it out and see what's out there after Jan/Feb as I've seen a few places say new stuff is coming and with recent sales, that makes sense.

geeks

9,714 posts

146 months

Thursday 19th September
quotequote all
KobayashiMaru86 said:
geeks said:
KobayashiMaru86 said:
My only concern then is what astro lens to get for the RF. I have a cheap Samyang which is OK but always wanted the Sigma or f/1.4 or something similar. Any suggestions on where to get them?

Edited by KobayashiMaru86 on Tuesday 17th September 10:10
What sort of Astro are you shooting? Widefield? Milkway? DSO? Also budget, also new phone models (as per your OP) are out so little point waiting for them, they are already here
Mainly widefield and milkyway as that's the limit of the kit I have but I do have a Star Tracker too.

I'm waiting on phones because nothing excites me or is good enough to justify replacing my Oneplus8 Pro (cameras aside) and I'm not changing the phone just for the camera. I'd rather buy a good camera then get as much mileage out of the phone as I can.
If you want to look at a lens for a bit more magnification I would recommend the Samyang 135mm fast prime lens with enough focal length to do DSO work will work just fine on a star tracker with a polar alignment

Martin315

331 posts

16 months

Thursday 19th September
quotequote all
bstb3 said:
MPB.com can be a handy source of lenses. They are used, but can be in nearly new condition, have a 6 month warranty and a 14 day returns period (free) - although you shouldn't use them if the intention is to refurn in 14 days. It's a decent saving over new and does allow you a good choice of EF and RF lenses from all manufacturers. I've had no issues with them (buying or selling) and although you do pay a bit of a premium compared to say an eBay or something, it's a lot less stressful and risky (and no more expensive than your local camera shop).

In terms of astro a quick look shows they have several fast primes and zooms at various prices, so it's just about taking your pick I think. I've been recently looking at the RF 16mm f/2.8 as a cheap easy to carry fast and wide landscape option, but it doesn't seem massively sharp outside of the centre unfortunately, which kind of beats the point, so i'd steer clear of that one.
I have used MBP before but wouldn’t use them again based on my last experience with them.

geeks

9,714 posts

146 months

Thursday 19th September
quotequote all
Martin315 said:
bstb3 said:
MPB.com can be a handy source of lenses. They are used, but can be in nearly new condition, have a 6 month warranty and a 14 day returns period (free) - although you shouldn't use them if the intention is to refurn in 14 days. It's a decent saving over new and does allow you a good choice of EF and RF lenses from all manufacturers. I've had no issues with them (buying or selling) and although you do pay a bit of a premium compared to say an eBay or something, it's a lot less stressful and risky (and no more expensive than your local camera shop).

In terms of astro a quick look shows they have several fast primes and zooms at various prices, so it's just about taking your pick I think. I've been recently looking at the RF 16mm f/2.8 as a cheap easy to carry fast and wide landscape option, but it doesn't seem massively sharp outside of the centre unfortunately, which kind of beats the point, so i'd steer clear of that one.
I have used MBP before but wouldn’t use them again based on my last experience with them.
Not used MBP before but I have had success with WEX, had an issue with a 5D I purchased (the mirror fell off) and they replaced it without any fkery was a great service