I acquired a new lens for my Canon EOS R5 camera today, the new Canon RF 24mm f/1.8. I’m generally a fan of a long lens, like my favourite 70-200mm. If I had a pack horse with me (and endless money) I’d have the $20,000 600mm on me at all times. But for family photos, portraits, some landscapes, and vlogging you need something a little wider.

Britt loves a 35mm, me not so much. I’ve enjoyed my little 50mm, but it’s not wide enough, in that it’s not wide at all. I trialled the RF 16m but that’s too warped and wide.

When Canon announced the new RF 24mm I had three positive thoughts:

  1. The main camera on iPhones today is a 26mm equivalent, and the iPhone is where I fell in love with making photography
  2. With an R5 I can punch in with a 1.6x crop, which is a 38mm equivalent, so I can still get a tighter shot and although it’s cropping the 44.8 megapixels from the sensor, there’s still plenty to spare.
  3. My photo kit had gotten too big, particularly if we’re travelling.

So I sold my 16mm, 35mm, and I’m about to sell my 50mm, and I’ll be left with this 24mm and my 70-200.

How does the Canon RF 24mm compare to an iPhone 12 Pro 26mm? Here’s two moments captured by both, and edited in Lightroom on the iPhone with my friend Bec’s Story Keeper presets:

Shot on the iPhone Shot on the iPhone 12 Pro Shot on the Canon EOS R5 with the 24mm f/1.8 Shot on the Canon EOS R5 with the 24mm f/1.8 Shot on the iPhone in Portrait mode Shot on the iPhone 12 Pro in Portrait mode Shot on the Canon EOS R5 with the 24mm f/1.8 Shot on the Canon EOS R5 with the 24mm f/1.8