# EOS R / RF 24-105mm f/4L First impression.



## Ozarker (Jul 20, 2019)

Well, my R and the RF 24-105mm f/4L came today and I have had a couple of hours to play around with it. I just want to do a quick list of what I like about it. There really isn't anything for me to not like at this point.


The size is a huge improvement over my Olympus M43 (of course). The ergonomics are far better. I've not decided yet whether I like the size of the R better than that of the 5D Mark III yet.
I read somewhere that some people are having trouble using their EF 135mm f/2L lenses. I have had no problem and the eye detect works with it as well as with all my other EF lenses.
The kit lens (RF 24-105 f/4L) works flawlessly and the focus is tack sharp. The focal length range of this zoom is very handy and I think people will like it for travel. However, f/4 can be a little too slow for my uses as I sometimes have to photograph indoor events (fashion and model boot camps) where I need to try and keep the ISO as low as possible. Most of the time, flash isn't an option because I have nobody to help hold everything or keep the light stands from blowing over. I will probably sell the kit lens to help finance an RF 85mm.
Touch and drag work very well.
Focus Peaking with my old manual lenses works well.
The basic adapter (what I got) fits very tightly. There is no movement at all.
IQ is wonderful with my lenses.
The neck strap sucks, but we all probably order better ones anyway. This one could be a whole foot longer and it might then be useful.
I shoot stills and mostly very slowly, so I had no problems with any lag.
The EVF works beautifully.
I programmed the control ring on the kit lens to change shutter speed.
IQ seems to be a nice step up from my 5D Mark III.
I am over the top happy with the flippy touch screen. That is a feature I have missed a lot since going from a 70D to the 5D Mark III.
The battery grip for this camera would help it feel more balanced with larger lenses, I think.
Two card slots would have been nice.
Battery life is good and there are a few things that can be done to increase it. At a typical model boot camp I'll take maybe 800 images. Fashion shows run about 3,000 images. Once the camera is set up like you want it, battery life shouldn't be much of a problem if it ever is at all. Carrying extra batteries doesn't bother me anyway. I already do so with the 5D Mark III.
That's all I have for now. I'm maybe going to sell the RF 24-105mm f/4L kit lens, my 5D Mark III, and EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, to finance faster RF glass. Ideally, I'd like the RF 85mm f/1.2L first, then the RF 28-70 f/2L soon after, but that is all going to take some time. I'll decide what to do in the next week or so. I would have liked to wait for the high MP camera to come out, but I probably am better off investing the difference in the price of the two cameras in lenses, especially since I am just an enthusiast and not making money at this. I'll get a second R later as a backup.

The R is a solid camera, works very well with the EF lenses, and delivers wonderful files. Those are my first impressions. I really like the camera. I have not activated the touch bar for anything yet. Probably won't.

I'll never use the video features.


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## Viggo (Jul 20, 2019)

Good stuff!

I have the Touch Bar set up for Kelvin with the slide function, level on the left touch and histogram with the right touch. That works brilliant and fast for me, and if I accidentally touch it, it’s nothing critical for the image. 

I had issues with my 135, but it was the lens and the seller eventually bought it back.

Glad you like it!


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## Ozarker (Jul 20, 2019)

Viggo said:


> Good stuff!
> 
> I have the Touch Bar set up for Kelvin with the slide function, level on the left touch and histogram with the right touch. That works brilliant and fast for me, and if I accidentally touch it, it’s nothing critical for the image.
> 
> ...


Hi Viggo! Glad to read you got the lens situation straightened out. I was worried after reading about that because that is my favorite portrait lens. I put that lens on the camera as soon as I pulled it from the box. I hope to have a shoot lined up for tomorrow morning to get some photos and have something decent to work with. My wife almost never lets me photograph her, which is a shame as she is lots of fun. She just is getting older and vanity scares her away from the camera these days.

Funny side story: My wife is a tiny girl, not even 5' tall and about 95 lbs. I'm 6'3". We got married at 18 years old (37 years ago), and she looked like she was 14. Very petite and shy, and beautiful like all young women are. She still is. I bought a Minolta Maxxum film camera a couple of years later and decided my hobby was to take artistic nudes of her in the forest, at the river beach, out on an old farm, sitting on a horse, etc. Over a couple of weekends I shot a few rolls of film and took them down to the local shop to get developed. Very expensive back then. I got a phone call from the shop asking me to come right away. They handed me the negatives back and the old lady behind the counter said, "Mr. Diaz, we don't print those kinds of photos here." (Jackson, TN back in the early 1980's). They threatened to call the police if I ever brought "porn" into the shop again. Tennessee's culture was extremely conservative back then. I grew up in Hawaii and California so had not yet become accustomed to the cultural differences. The photos never got printed and now I have no idea where those negatives are. They were not porn or anything. Just artistic photos of a very young nude woman taken by her also very young husband. Bought a Polaroid instant camera the next week.  Not the same, and they are fading with time.

These days she won't pose even fully clothed, but she gladly allows me to take photos of other women and sometimes comes along to help with the light stands, etc. Still, in the back of my mind, I wish I knew where those negatives were. To me, in those young years, I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and my memory is fading. When I get angry I'd like to be able to pull those photos from a box so that I can see them and nod, "This is why we got married." LOL!


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## Viggo (Jul 20, 2019)

CanonFanBoy said:


> Hi Viggo! Glad to read you got the lens situation straightened out. I was worried after reading about that because that is my favorite portrait lens. I put that lens on the camera as soon as I pulled it from the box. I hope to have a shoot lined up for tomorrow morning to get some photos and have something decent to work with. My wife almost never lets me photograph her, which is a shame as she is lots of fun. She just is getting older and vanity scares her away from the camera these days.
> 
> Funny side story: My wife is a tiny girl, not even 5' tall and about 95 lbs. I'm 6'3". We got married at 18 years old (37 years ago), and she looked like she was 14. Very petite and shy, and beautiful like all young women are. She still is. I bought a Minolta Maxxum film camera a couple of years later and decided my hobby was to take artistic nudes of her in the forest, at the river beach, out on an old farm, sitting on a horse, etc. Over a couple of weekends I shot a few rolls of film and took them down to the local shop to get developed. Very expensive back then. I got a phone call from the shop asking me to come right away. They handed me the negatives back and the old lady behind the counter said, "Mr. Diaz, we don't print those kinds of photos here." (Jackson, TN back in the early 1980's). They threatened to call the police if I ever brought "porn" into the shop again. Tennessee's culture was extremely conservative back then. I grew up in Hawaii and California so had not yet become accustomed to the cultural differences. The photos never got printed and now I have no idea where those negatives are. They were not porn or anything. Just artistic photos of a very young nude woman taken by her also very young husband. Bought a Polaroid instant camera the next week.  Not the same, and they are fading with time.
> 
> These days she won't pose even fully clothed, but she gladly allows me to take photos of other women and sometimes comes along to help with the light stands, etc. Still, in the back of my mind, I wish I knew where those negatives were. To me, in those young years, I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and my memory is fading. When I get angry I'd like to be able to pull those photos from a box so that I can see them and nod, "This is why we got married." LOL!


What a wonderful and inspiring story, we should all be so lucky! 

If it’s any comfort, my wife is the same, think I have maybe 10 pictures of her ever, but then again, there are probably less than 7 of myself


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## Bennymiata (Jul 21, 2019)

Great story!
Why is it that so many wives hate having their photo taken?
My wife is like that too.


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## uri.raz (Jul 21, 2019)

CanonFanBoy said:


> The kit lens (RF 24-105 f/4L) works flawlessly and the focus is tack sharp. The focal length range of this zoom is very handy and I think people will like it for travel.



Reviews gave me the impression it is better than the EF 24-105mm f/4L, but still in the "not great not terrible" category. Interesting to read someone thinks better of it.



CanonFanBoy said:


> The neck strap sucks, but we all probably order better ones anyway. This one could be a whole foot longer and it might then be useful.



I dislike Canon's neck strap. Bought a replacement years ago, and keep it from upgrade to upgrade.



CanonFanBoy said:


> IQ seems to be a nice step up from my 5D Mark III... The R is a solid camera, works very well with the EF lenses, and delivers wonderful files. Those are my first impressions. I really like the camera.



I'm considering a similar upgrade, thanks for sharing your experience.


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## Larsskv (Jul 21, 2019)

CanonFanBoy said:


> Well, my R and the RF 24-105mm f/4L came today and I have had a couple of hours to play around with it. I just want to do a quick list of what I like about it. There really isn't anything for me to not like at this point.
> 
> 
> The size is a huge improvement over my Olympus M43 (of course). The ergonomics are far better. I've not decided yet whether I like the size of the R better than that of the 5D Mark III yet.
> ...


A small tip about the touch bar. I use it to rate images, since the R doesn’t have a dedicated button for this. I really like it for that use.


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## Ozarker (Jul 22, 2019)

uri.raz said:


> Reviews gave me the impression it is better than the EF 24-105mm f/4L, but still in the "not great not terrible" category. Interesting to read someone thinks better of it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think the lens is fine. I'd like faster, but $$$$$ right now are short. Here's one from today at f/4. Not a great photo, but it shows there is plenty of sharpness and detail. The background is about 30 yards away. The bokeh is okay, I think. I wish I could post a larger photo because every eyelash is tack sharp.


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## suburbia (Jul 22, 2019)

My biggest gripe with the R after 10 months is that my focus point always ends up elsewhere, usually bottom corner when I go to take a shot. I had heard it was a bug but not sure. More likely when carrying in bag or over shoulder the touch and drag on back screen activates and moves the AF point. I do like the touch screen for AF selection but this constant accidental(?) movement is very frustrating. I also wish this could be done with the screen stowed to protect it in harsher environs and really wish you could callibrate it for your thumb reach. The AF point centreing button is also awkward to get at, something like a a double-tap on the screen would be better.


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## Viggo (Jul 22, 2019)

suburbia said:


> My biggest gripe with the R after 10 months is that my focus point always ends up elsewhere, usually bottom corner when I go to take a shot. I had heard it was a bug but not sure. More likely when carrying in bag or over shoulder the touch and drag on back screen activates and moves the AF point. I do like the touch screen for AF selection but this constant accidental(?) movement is very frustrating. I also wish this could be done with the screen stowed to protect it in harsher environs and really wish you could callibrate it for your thumb reach. The AF point centreing button is also awkward to get at, something like a a double-tap on the screen would be better.


I use either the Lock-button or I have set the SET-button to disable/enable touch function. It works for me.


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## canonmike (Aug 2, 2019)

Bennymiata said:


> Great story!
> Why is it that so many wives hate having their photo taken?
> My wife is like that too.


Concur. My wife hates to have her picture taken, turning away from camera when she notices I'm photographing her, then complains that all I ever take photos of is her backside. Can't win.


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## ple (Aug 3, 2019)

Wives not liking to have their photos taken reminds me of this video I saw once. Portrait photographer Sue Bruce "encourages you to exist in photographs for your children, for yourself, and for the people who love you."


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