All we ever wanted to know about RF vs. RF-S lenses

[Ferenc MÓGOR]

Hello to All,

Just came across this article that nicely summarizes the difference between RF and RF-S lenses we ever wanted to know but never asked.

E.g., in my case with a Canon EOS R6 mk1 I should never buy an RF-S lens coz this camera will automatically set resolution to 1.6x crop, or in other words it will drop from 20 MPxl to 7.7 MPxl.


A good read, indeed. Enjoy!


https://snapshot.canon-asia.com/article/eng/whats-the-difference-between-rf-s-and-rf-lenses

 

[Kerro]

Hello to All,

Just came across this article that nicely summarizes the difference between RF and RF-S lenses we ever wanted to know but never asked.

E.g., in my case with a Canon EOS R6 mk1 I should never buy an RF-S lens coz this camera will automatically set resolution to 1.6x crop, or in other words it will drop from 20 MPxl to 7.7 MPxl.


A good read, indeed. Enjoy!


https://snapshot.canon-asia.com/article/eng/whats-the-difference-between-rf-s-and-rf-lenses

Ferenc, it appears the R5 does the same although I have a lot more MP's to play with.(45 down to 17 I believe, so not so bad). But at least I can still use my EF-S lenses.

 

[Archibald]

The way the cameras behave is fine with me. If they didn't go into crop mode, you would have a messy-looking dark area outside the coverage area of the lens. You could crop that in post of course, but with the camera doing it for you, you have a more representative view in the viewfinder when shooting. Either way, the megapx in the cropped image are the same.

7.7 mpx isn't bad! I often crop harder than that. If you need more mpx with those crop-frame lenses, use a crop-frame body.

 

[mziese]

I think the loss is massiv, but when the lense us there?? Mainly the RF-S are for the APS-C sensors while the RF is for full format. That makes the crop.

 

[miuzi]

I think if one is making the choice between using a crop-sensor lens on a full-frame body to get a shot or just not taking the photo, just use the lens with the resultant image resolution penalty 100% of the time. Any photo you take with even the most compromised gear is still better than no photo at all. My first digital camera was a hand-me-down 1.3mp point and shoot, and I treasure a lot of the images I took with it to this day. The 24mp I work with now continues to feel like a luxury.

I wouldn't recommend buying an RF-S lens if you've paid the premium for a full frame camera (or an EF-S or DX or whatever for whichever brand is in question, now or in the past) but if one were to have such a lens at their disposal already, totally just use it!