Brand Agnostic Ramblings; A Kit I Miss: Canon EOS RP + RF 50mm f/1.8 STM.
Forget other blogs as dangerous places that can kick up G.A.S. dust clouds that blur my vision and risk emptying my bank accounts. The worst offender for me would be of my own making. My photo archives capped off with a walk down Flickr memory lane. Often kicked up by a simple “Remember this picture?” memory post on my phone. Eric meet slippery slope:
- Hey. Nice.
- I like that picture actually.
- What did I take that with?
- Over to Flickr to take in more pics.
- How much are those now?
- Hey, that is not much.
That is all it takes. Happened today. The kit in question?
Why is it a problem? They have always been a good deal. But a few years on they are even cheaper on the used market. An EOS RP can be had for low six hundreds or less. Most decent lenses will cost you more than that. Speaking of lenses the RF 50mm f/1.8 can be had for less than $200. So for less than $900 you can have a camera and lens that can do this.
Pluses.
- Inexpensive.
- Great image quality.
- Serviceable AF.
- Relatively compact.
Of course, not everything is rosy. Any kit has its downsides, but fortunately, all are easily addressed here.
No IBIS.
May I interest you another lens that adds lens stabilization and a bit of macro while you are at it? The also awesome RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM…
…which does this.
Hey! While we are at it that RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM…
…is reasonably priced too.
But that ladies and gentlemen is exactly the issue. This is a problem for me. Before I elaborate let me say who I think this is a good fit for.
This is an excellent clean slate, starting from scratch solution for someone looking to jump into the full frame mirrorless interchangeable lens game for the first time. At barely more than an APS-C camera released in 2014, one can get a circa 2019 full frame camera with excellent and compact native prime lens options.
So what is my problem. No matter what lies I tell myself buying the EOS RP and RF 50mm f/1.8 again (For the <checks notes> third time if I did.) would inevitably lead to this.
What is the problem with that?
- Personal preference entirely, but Canon could never be my main system.
- I do not have a clear top tier camera body upgrade path were I to go all in. My current favorite full frame mirrorless camera is the A7RV. It suits my stills centric workflow perfectly and, in my opinion, while Canon makes many compelling options there is none I would prefer over the A7RV. But that is not the main issue. That would be…
- Canon corporate decisions like long excluding most 3rd party AF options and only recently kind of changing that stance severely limiting options. Most importantly for me it means I cannot access what I consider to me my must have full frame mirrorless lens, the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8. That lens stays on my A7RV for any purpose from wedding to event to portrait session and I would never go for a system that did not have it as an option.
- I already have this.
I will admit comparing a relatively recent and significantly more expensive A7C II to an EOS RP is unfair. But when I consider that I could easily make do with other, older Sony bodies like the A7III, first gen A7C, or even the older but similarly priced but IBIS having A7II. Lastly there is this.
When I last fell for the charms of the EOS RP it was largely driven by my fascination with the trio of STM lenses.
In post after post about these lenses I lamented the lack of affordable and interesting prime lenses for Sony FE. But something happened since then. As mentioned in a previous post…
…Rokinon/Samyang, 7Artisans, and TTArtisan stepped up.
What did I do to fight off the last gasps of G.A.S.? I am glad I imagined you asked. I slapped the far better than it has any business being 7Artisans 50mm f/1.8 AF onto a favorite Sony body.
Spoiler alert. Yeah… I am good. Here are the pics.
Welp. That does it. Cured of my potential RF relapse fit. But now another lens is at risk. We will see. More trades may come.
Again, the RF gear discussed above is a fantastic choice if you are starting with a clean slate. But I am good.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 
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