The 28mm is an epic winner for me. I never liked the nifty fifty formula from Canon. Images wide open have busy background blur, coma, low contrast... The 28mm will offer superior sharpness and has richer color and overall contrast. While it does not offer huge subject separation, the quality of the blur is much smoother compared to both the fifty and the 35. Truly a sleeper among the canon lineup with great character, which is why it is the only lens in their budget offerings that I bought. Shout out to this chanel though for promoting budget options when some chanels are pushing only for the most expensive L series lens.
I'm more of a 50 fan, but that 35 is so good optically and has near-macro abilities so I'd probably suggest that as a first for most people. Great video as always.
I have two perfect ”one prime lens for travel” - options with my R6mkII. Other is RF 28/2.8 when I want to go as small and light as possible, and other is 35/1.4L when I want that bigger aperture, weather sealing and overall L-quality. Can’t go wrong with either. So my pick from your video would definitely be 28mm, eventhough there’s nothing wrong with other two lenses. It’s just the size of 28mm is perfect for street and travel. Thanks for the comparison!
The 35mm is a much better package than the other two IMO. Very versatile focal length, macro (more like close-up), image stabilization, manual focus dial AND control ring, dedicated AF / MF switch, etc. Stitching is also highly underrated and utilized. With the 35mm you can stitch 3 or so shots and get even wider than the 28mm while retaining the shallower DoF and getting some of the Brenizer method effect. The only thing you can't do as easily is get a tighter shot with more DoF like the 50mm... unless you step back and crop in, if you have the MP to do so.
Me too have the 28-35 and 50mm. I agree with you, only one lens i would go with the 35mm. Two lens 28+50mm. The 35mm has the best IQ, then 28 and 50mm. I never shot wide open with the 50mm, at least 2.8 and the IQ at 2.8 is nearly the same as the 35mm. I tried to simplify my kit carrying only one lens (35mm) but I noticed that the 35mm weight as the 28+50mm together so you cant save weight with it. Furthermore it is very bulky and not the best for street photography or for walking around with the camera hanging from your neck or wrist lace. It’s a shame for me because I really like the 35mm but for me weight and dimensions are mandatory.
Thanks to a recent purchase of the 28 I know have all three and agree that 35 is most versatile if you only have 1 and 28/50 is the most versatile option if you pick two (price wise also ends up almost the same!).
Really one of the best channels on which one can find such detailed reviews of non-L series lenses. I bought the rf 35 based on your reviews and it was the best purchase ever As other people have written in the comments, we are eagerly awaiting a video on your photo editing process. And we are also waiting to see when the presets will be available :) Thank you for everything you do.
Great video James! We’re heading to Europe next month and I just bought the RF16 2.8 and the RF50 1.8. After watching your video I’m considering picking up the 28 as well. I have L series zooms that cover all of these ranges but don’t want to lug them around and be as obvious of a theft target. Thinking my new R5 Mark II with these little lenses will fit in a large zipped up jacket pocket
Another great video! I got the 35 1.8 and the 85 1.2, and I love switching between these two. The 35 is soo much lighter and easier to carry arround than the 85 1.2 tho
Another one to enjoy, James. Thank you for the interesting approach. You are traveling! Como... nice... I made my pick last year and you helped me with it: the 28. I would never use it for portrait anything closer than full body. I use my 24-105 f/4 L zoom for portrait. The 28mm f/2.8 crushes the 24-105 f/4L on IQ. It is the only lens I have that can even satisfy the R7 and makes images at f/8 on which you can see the R7's staggering pixel density is the limiting factor... freaky good! I don't know what I'm missing with the 35 and 50, I don't have them. Since the R8 is my favorite and it lets its sensor exposed, I'm a bit weary of frequent lens changes. So in the city or hiking, I'm committing to the 28. For family / party I put on the 24-105. The 28 on the R8 is sooo good and sooo compact.... precisely what I was looking for. Thank you James! (cfr. your 2023 Lisbon trip).
Thank you for the kind words as always Philippe! I'm really glad the 28mm lens worked out for you. Canon did a great job with the resolving power of that lens, very sharp and contrasty images. I think the 24-105 + 28mm prime combo is a great one. The 24-105 is hard to beat in any situation.
@@JamesReader Indeed. And I still adore your Lisbon visit video, it sits so well with me as I purchased the 28 following your video release and six months later I was visiting some of the places you had. With the same R8+28 combo that indeed proved to be perfect, exactly what I was looking for. I must have watched that video four times over by now 😊
To me, as a FIRST prime lens…get the 50 if you’re on full-frame, the 35 if you’re on APS-C, and get the 28 if you’re on full-frame and know what you’re doing, in which case you probably don’t need advice.
hi James... love your channel ! gear testing + great images is not that common if i had to choose only one prime "budget" lens, it would have to be the 85 2.0 I used to own the 35 but ended up selling it the 50 is always in my bag...such a must, super inexpensive, super light, maximum convenience. the 85 is a bit on the heavier side but offers great image quality, great for portraits, especially baby and kids ---easy to fill the frame thanks to its macro abilities.
I feel like the 35mm would be the most versatile.(I should say I haven’t used it though) But considering price and 1.8 the 50mm is your best bet. I do have that one and it’s super versatile especially in low light. I think I got mine on sale for well under $200. $160 I think. Can’t beat it.
I have the 35 and 16, and have used the 24 which is great, the RF 28 and 50 here costs a lot less (than 24 and 35) and there's also the RF 40 which is affordable too. Personally I like the 35 as all-rounder, 28 mm FOV is really close actually which you can crop it to get 35mm FOV but it's too bad it doesn't have f/1.8 like the EF model.
One more “cons” of the 50mm it’s the minimum maf distance. With the 35 mm you can nice close up way better then with the fifty. I love 50mm, but if i had to choose one of these lenses I’ll pick up the 35. Welcome in Italia and in Milano ❤
For traveling and walks I always try to bring the R8+28mm, it’s very compact and gives great results. I still wish for a proper replacement for the EOS-M+22mm, though.
Thanks, great comparison! This 28mm looks tempting, but I'd rather pick the 24-105 4.0L for travel, it's still light enough to carry around all day, but much more flexible.
Thank you for watching as always Tom! I really appreciate it. Personally, although these primes are fun to use, a zoom is really hard to beat for travel. I missed the 24-105 a little on this trip
While I do use the the 50, 35, and 24mm (forsake the 28mm), let's not forget Canons RF 16mm which I often use in getting tight closeups during team sports huddles or when super wide is a must. All take great photos on my R3s and R5.
I’ve got the 35mm and it’s a pretty good all rounder but I’m on the fence with the 50mm as I’m hoping canon bring out a middle of the range lens like the 35mm
Hi James! I already own a 50mm and I love it but I need one with a bit wider view for street/landscape photography. Would you still recommend the 35mm? Thank you
I think the 35 would be a great option for street and landscape, and I think the field of view difference is just enough to justify owning both especially when you consider the other benefits the RF 35 gives you like lens IS.
thanks for this comparative review. On a different matter, I just rented the 35mm and 85mm (STM) to test them for video, as I was creating a video that required dark environments and a shallow depth of field, and my 24-105 F4 did not open enough. Both give interesting results and a beautiful image, but the 85mm has a lot of difficulties autofocusing. At the end, the zoom lens is more practical for a run-and-gun situation ... but there is no satisfactory lens for video the 24-105 F2.8 is front-heavy and a 2-8 aperture is not that much, and the RF 28-70MM F2L USM (a sufficient range for me) is really heavy and unusable on a gimbal. I suppose the market for Canon remains photography rather than video, and a sign of that is that I have not seen reviews for these zoom lenses for video in real conditions. Sorry for the rant. Your videos are awesome.
Thank you for watching! The RF 24-70 2.8 is my favourite lens for video on the RF mount. Very fast and accurate focusing with very little focus breathing also. The new RF 35mm 1.4 is also incredible for video and nice and light weight.
The image stabilization on the 24 and 35 is so good. The 28 and 50 have none. Not a big deal for well lit portraits but important for most other things.
Thank you Terry! Personally for travel I think for most people a zoom would be more practical. Primes can be more fun, but zooms are quite a bit more versatile.
Depends if you're needing the low light performance of the 24-70 @ 2.8 vs the 24-105 @ 4. Assuming you're talking about those two specific lenses. James has a video comparison here, where he talks more about this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YyXxKNJuE0w.html
Best for APS-C sensor for general photography? I have an R10...I've been looking at the 28mm but could the 35mm be the better option? Maybe a bit better for low light? and also has IS....but for the price I'm leaning towards the 28mm and would love some input on the crop factor. I own the nifty fifty but, with the crop sensor camera, it's not the lens I want to throw in my travel bag for general photography....will keep it for when I venture into portraits. Note, I also own two zoom lenses (RF 18-150mm and RF 100-400m) both of which I love but would like a small "general" purpose lens and the ability for better low-light photos. Thanks for any input!
Hi, your videos are awesome, I wonder if you can compare Canon R8 with budget lenses to Sony a6700 with best possible glass, sharpness, image quality, low light, performance, heating, battery, etc. Because these two cameras are comparable by price. Sony has best glass for apsc but canon don't. But Canon has R8 with APSC price and sony don't.
My desert island pick is the 50mm. But consider this. 28mm is $300 + 50mm $200 + 35mm $500 = $1000 If you add the 85mm $550 the total is $1500. The RF 24-105 f/4 L is $1300. You lose the macro (kind of) capability and a stop of light that the 35 and 85 bring but would only have to carry one lens. Bonus of smoother Bokeh. Just something to consider.
Guys, beginner questiom: for a R10 (crop sensor), if I get ONE of those, and considering I want to get good portraits both inside places (like a cafe) and outside with good bokeh, which one should I get? The nifty-fifty idea sounds good to me, but I'm afraid the crop sensor would make the 50mm to tight.
Hi, I ordered a 50mm 1.8, but today I sent it back. The lens almost always pulsates when you press the shutter button halfway. Autofocus is noticeably worse than, for example, with a 24-105mm 4.0. But the 35 mm 1.8 is also a bit pulsing some times on my R5. --> You get what you baid for... ;-)
The 35mm is too much of a compromise, while 28+50mm needs too many lens changes. The range is simply too standard to go with primes only, and therefor you need to take a standard zoom into the equation (the Sigma FE 28-45mm f/1.8 would be ideal as a one lens solution, except for size and weight, and there's none for RF....). The 24-50mm is pretty weak (much weaker than the Sony FE 28-60mm) so the size of the 24-105mm stm has to be accepted. Adding that zoom, the 28mm focal length is best served by that standard zoom, as you don't gather a lot of light with the pancake anyway, and same is true for getting subject separation. Actually, the zoom is stabilized whereas the prime is not, and the compact Canon bodies suitable for traveling don't have IBIS, so..... the 28mm isn't adding much. To that zoom I would add the 35mm as low light option (combination of f/1.8 and ILIS) and the 85mm for portraits, NOT the 50mm, as the 50mm is simply a weak performer. Sharpness wide open is so so, and the bokeh can be problematic. Actually, Canon RF needs a compact middle ground 50mm like the FE Sigma 50mm f/2.0, or the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, but for Canon it's either the el cheapo double gauss or the crazy expensive, heavy and slow focusing f/1.2 L.....
I think of the R8 + 28mm as a kit to replace my phone. And it's cheaper than a Fujifilm or Sony. I think the Canon R8 + RF 28mm f2.8 Kit is unbeatable in price, weight + quality at high ISO and amazing autofocus. I have a Canon R6 Mark II + 50mm f1.8. And I'm looking to buy this R8 + 28mm kit for street use.
I'm struggling to choose my first lenses for the R5II. The 28mm is a banger. But the 24mm looks awesome too. Would have loved a comparaison between the two :).
@@JamesReader I want to shoot videos, but the R5II has IBIS so I'm not sure of what the IS will provide, 28mm being quite wide, the IBIS does most the work I think. Also, I'll be interested by the 50mm 1.4 VCM. So maybe it's better to go 24+50. The 35mm 1.8 justifies it's price against the VCM, maybe it'll be the case too with the 24 STM, since only the 50mm 1.8 is soft.
I have all the six RF primes from 16mm to 85mm. Recently went to Europe and mostly mounted the 28mm but I wasn't impressed with the sharpness and micro contrast at F2.8. I don't have time but it would be great if you could compared the RF 24-70 F2.8 - against all these primes at F2.8 well except the 16mm. I love my RF 24-70 F2.8 and was thinking maybe ditch all the primes for a year and just make the zoom work. There are times when the F1.8-F2 comes in handy yes but majority of time F2.8 is enough. And how much different between RF 85mm at F2.8 vs zoom at 70mm F2.8. The only other purpose is the 24mm RF prime is great for video stuff. Vlogs and family videos. Nice and light and wide enough and has IS.
What kind of things do you shoot? For travel and everyday stuff the 28/35 would be great. For more portrait work I think the 85 would be a great option or the 50.
