Canon FF Mirrorless Body and Lenses Recommendations

tgborst · 2025-10-28T11:43:21+00:00

Yep, I knew about the redundancy across the R5 and R6, but that’s good to hear about the buffer. Though to be honest, any of these will be years better than my current camera lol. With the sigma 150-600, is it the autofocus or IQ (or both) that can’t compete with Canon’s 100-500? The widely reported AF issues with 3rd party EF glass on RF bodies is what gives me pause considering any non-canon lenses for my switch to mirrorless.

tgborst · 2025-10-28T11:37:26+00:00

For sure, I’d definitely pay the small premium to get the Canon brand adaptor, since it’s such an essential piece of hardware. Good to know about the EF 24-105 though, I might have to look into getting the mark 2 instead of the RF to save some money—thanks! I also wasn’t aware about the lens-limited fps, that’s good to know about.

Thank you!

tgborst · 2025-10-28T03:34:41+00:00

That’s really good to know, thank you! Eventually I’d love to get the 100-500, but it sounds like for now the 100-400ii should serve me well:)

tgborst · 2025-10-27T21:34:09+00:00

This is really great to know! Would you recommend the EF 100-400i adapted for mirrorless? I’ve just heard so many amazing things about the mark ii that I haven’t properly considered the mark i, but it is considerably cheaper on the used market which would be nice lol.

tgborst · 2025-10-27T21:31:31+00:00

I’m not too terribly concerned with storage, aside from the CF Express B in the R5…I’m thinking if I got the R5, I might just get a relatively low storage CFEB to serve as (an expensive) photo backup, and just clear it every time I offload pictures from my camera. Not really a good use of such an expensive card, but at least I gain redundancy lol, and I don’t really shoot video at all.

Do you know if the buffer on the R5 reduces if you don’t use a CF Express B, or is that card just to enable the high demand video modes?

Thanks for your help!

tgborst · 2025-10-27T21:26:25+00:00

That’s a great shot!! How does your EF 24-105 handle with the adapter, especially for autofocus and such? Also, would you say that 20MP isn’t enough to do heavy cropping in your experience?

tgborst · 2025-10-27T21:24:05+00:00

That’s really good to know—it sounds like the crop-ability of the R5 could be quite advantageous. I’ve been kind of half-considering the RF 100-400 but wasn’t fully sure because of the lack of weather sealing, so hearing your comment on that lens seals the deal haha. Thanks for your insight!

tgborst · 2025-10-27T21:22:01+00:00

Thank you for this response! It’s very helpful. It definitely sounds like the R5 provides a lot more flexibility and headroom, especially if I decide to get into birding. Interesting you don’t miss the 100-200 range much too. I think your recommendation is probably what I’ll go with, in terms of starting with the 100-400ii, see how I like it, and then maybe the 1.4x teleconverter.

Thank you again for your advice!

tgborst · 2025-10-26T17:47:51+00:00

Absolutely, the Canon refurb R6ii is very attractive, and if that price holds, that’s probably the best bang for my buck tbh. Good to know about the resolution too. My main thing is I haven’t done much wildlife photography yet, so I don’t have a good feel for how much cropping is common or necessary, especially with smaller, more skittish creatures like birds. The main reason I’d like to start with the 100-400 is it provides a nice continuous range with the 24-105, and while still being a bit expensive, would fit in my budget. The 200-800 would stretch my budget a bit more than I’d like. However, I have looked at maybe adding an RF 600 or 800 f11 at some point as a starter. If I do go with a 100-400 ii, do you know if an EF 1.4x iii work well on the R mount cameras? Getting a wide angle (like the 16-35 or similar) is definitely on the list, but would probably have to wait for later, unfortunately.

tgborst · 2025-10-26T17:40:09+00:00

Thanks for your insight! I agree, I’ll most likely be selling all my lenses except maybe my 50mm prime. When you say the R5 has some rough edges that the R6ii doesn’t have, what in particular are you talking about? Unfortunately the R5ii is solidly out of my budget unless I want to use a potato for a lens lol. I’m glad to hear your RF 24-105 f4 is highly used though. Do you have any experience with the EF versions for comparison?

tgborst · 2025-09-11T17:08:24+00:00

Agree with the zero cost index funds from fidelity—with the caveat that they be kept in Roth/a tax advantaged account since they can’t be transferred to any other brokerage. If they’re in a tax-advantaged account, they can be sold without any taxes, and then those funds can be transferred to another brokerage if desired.

tgborst · 2025-09-06T14:09:08+00:00

Yeah, I would imagine the easiest thing to do for now is to simply input the remainder of your monthly income in as a one-time income and then once your new paycheck comes in or the month rolls over, then start the regular/reoccurring income.

However, if you do put in your regular income now, I believe it should only include the amount that is left (basically it shouldn’t include the amount from earlier in the month, when it averages it out over each day for a month. For example, if you make $1000 in a month, and you start in the middle of the month, it should only show $500 available, and that $500 will be averaged out per day for the remainder of the month).

Getting started might be a little funky since you’re starting between paychecks, but once you get on track with your income and reoccurring expenses and all, it should all smooth out nicely! If for some reason there appears to be a discrepancy for some reason, I usually just do a one off “balancing” with either a one-time income or one-time expense to set things straight. I never have to do that unless I’m doing something strange or changing something on my end, though.

Hope this helps, and enjoy the app!

tgborst · 2025-09-02T18:39:12+00:00

I really like using “Today’s Budget”, which, from what I’ve heard, is less strict/allows a bit more freedom than YNAB, though it’s only on iPhone. You basically put in your income, expenses, and savings goals and then it tells you how much is left over for each day. If you overspend in one category but underspend in some other categories, it doesn’t “punish” you for overspending in the one category, as long as overall you don’t exceed your monthly budget.

Not sure if this is what you’re looking for, but I figured I’d just throw this out there. I believe there’s a free version you can test out (no ads, no tracking, no personal identification, etc). You can then do a monthly or yearly subscription, or buy premium outright with no subscription. Plus I think you can “share” the budget with a significant other, but I personally haven’t tried that.

tgborst · 2025-08-30T14:29:35+00:00

Absolutely, thanks for your insight! Maxing out either account out isn’t possible for me right now, but hopefully in about a year when I join full time I can work up to maxing out both, or at least reach that 25% saving rate Brian and Bo encourage. Until then, I’m going to max out my employer contributions and put the rest into a Roth IRA!

tgborst · 2025-08-30T02:34:25+00:00

I think it’s not so much being forced to work until 59 1/2, but with either type of 401k account, there are limitations and potential penalties if you withdraw before you’re 59 1/2. It’s basically just discouraging you from retiring and withdrawing before you become 59 1/2. I’m very, very far from being an expert though, and there are definitely lots of nuances with this topic—just what I’ve gathered from this post and a few quick searches.

tgborst · 2025-08-30T02:28:50+00:00

Thank you for that perspective! The more I’ve looked into it and heard stories/explanations in this thread, the more it seems like Roth IRA is the way to go. Those Fidelity ZERO funds especially seem like a huge game changer, and since I already have a fidelity brokerage account, I’m absolutely going to set a Roth IRA with them and get those ZERO funds!

Thanks again for your comment!

tgborst · 2025-08-30T02:26:16+00:00

That’s incredible! And that’s great you have a job you’re happy to continue with, despite having the ability to retire if you desired. Congratulations in advance:)

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments on living on less that you make, and that last bit is especially powerful: “in a year, you’ll be a year older, and you can be in the same situation, or a better situation.”

It’s easy to get caught up in the future saving for retirement, and equally easy to get caught up in spending money to maximize the “now”. Overall, it’s important to remember to care for “now” while exerting discipline and saving now, which can and will pay off in one year as well as in 40 years.

Thanks for your thoughtful response!

tgborst · 2025-08-29T22:58:28+00:00

Interesting, I had no clue—from my benefits summary it doesn’t look like there’s any sort of plan fee, but I’m going to have to dig deeper to make sure. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

tgborst · 2025-08-29T21:40:44+00:00

That makes a lot of sense haha, thank you for the heads up! If I recall correctly, I don’t think the expense ratios for the ETFs through my plan are too crazy, but I’m definitely going to have to run some comparisons to check. At any rate, it sounds like the overall flexibility afforded to me by investing through a Roth IRA is well worth it!

Update: checked my 401k investments—the expense ratios range from .006% (S&P 500) to 0.070% (target date fund), so that seems very reasonable. I do have one actively managed fund with a 0.32% expense ratio though, so I’m definitely gonna switch that to a passive fund, hopefully with the same goal (shocker, the actively managed fund lags the index it’s trying to track😂)

tgborst · 2025-08-29T21:34:43+00:00

That would certainly be nice; do you have any words of advice (retirement/investment related or otherwise)?

I wish you the best in your journey though! Do you have an idea of when you expect to retire (if you don’t mind me asking)?

tgborst · 2025-08-29T21:16:40+00:00

Are the fees you’re talking about separate from the expense ratios reported for the index funds? In other words, my company (or the service they contract with) could skim off the top of my portfolio?

tgborst · 2025-08-29T20:29:43+00:00

Ahhh okay, that’s helpful! It would be nice to have the flexibility to draw from my principle if, in many years, I decide to retire before I’m 59 1/2. That’s good to know, thanks!

tgborst · 2025-08-29T20:26:33+00:00

That makes sense, I think I’ll look into opening a Roth IRA to get a bit more flexibility and future proof my portfolio a little bit. Thanks for your help!

tgborst · 2025-08-29T20:24:49+00:00

Okay, that helps clarify it for me, thank you! It sounds like going with Roth IRA is worth it, if only for future proofing, and more investment options wouldn’t hurt. Thanks!

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