The engine's answer
Best lens for one lens for a whole trip, under €3,000
Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM
87% match
The everyday RF prime that also leans in
Why it wins here
The Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM takes this question at €550 — €2,450 under the €3,000 ceiling — with a 87% match against 65 current lenses. For one lens for a whole trip the engine leans on weight and close focus: it scores 305 g and 0.50 × mag., where the pool averages 633 g and 0.33 × mag.. At 305 g it is lighter than the average lens here (633 g). No prime-or-zoom preference was required, so the whole pool of 65 was in play.
The dimensions where it beats the rest of the field by the most, for this question specifically.
- Use
- Budget
What's good
- Stabilised, half-macro and walkaround-light
- The obvious first prime for R bodies
What to watch
- Visible focus breathing in video
- STM motor audible in quiet rooms
What came close — and what each gave up
- Canon RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS86%One APS-C lens for the whole tripThe Canon RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS (86% match) trails on close focus — 0.44 × mag. against 0.50 × mag.. Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
- Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM85%The nifty fifty, RF editionThe Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM (85% match) trails on close focus — 0.25 × mag. against 0.50 × mag.. Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
- Panasonic Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.685%The kit zoom that starts at twentyThe Panasonic Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 (85% match) trails on close focus — 0.43 × mag. against 0.50 × mag.. Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
Questions this answer raises
- Is the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM within a €3,000 budget?
- Yes. At €550 it leaves €2,450 of the ceiling unspent; the Canon RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS costs €600 and the Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM costs €220.
- How good is the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM for one lens for a whole trip?
- On the use question it scores 75%, 42 points above the average of the 65 lenses ranked. Its strongest numbers for this use are weight (305 g) and close focus (0.50 × mag.).
- What comes closest to the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM for one lens for a whole trip?
- The Canon RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS at 86%, then the Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM at 85%. The section above names the measure each one lost on.
Change an assumption
This page answers one photographer's question. Yours is not that question — adjust the subject, the format or the budget and watch the whole field re-rank.
Answer for your own shooting