Honestly, you should look at the used market or refurbished deals for the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. You can often snag one for way under your 1200 budget, which leaves money for a solid strap like the Peak Design Slide Lite. The L lens is just better built for the dust and humidity you might hit in Italy. If you find yourself needing more reach than 105mm, a quick tip is to just toggle the 1.6x crop mode on the R6. It gives you a bit of digital zoom without needing a massive lens barrel. The Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM is decent for convenience, but the image quality trade-off isnt worth it for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Stick with the 24-105 and just crop when you gotta.

> which one makes more sense as a single travel lens? In my experience, the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is the winner tbh. Weather sealing is vital for travel and that constant f/4 beats the darker Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM.

I took that Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM to Florence a few years back and honestly, it was a letdown. The logic was that the extra reach would be great for architectural details, but the edge softness and heavy distortion at the wide end just ruined my shots of the Duomo. Unfortunately, the slow aperture meant I missed half the evening street scenes because my ISO was climbing way too high... it just wasnt as good as expected for the price.

• Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is the only real choice here imo.
• Weather sealing is a must since Italy gets those random downpours.
• Constant f4 means you actually have a shot at indoor museum photos. I wanted to love the superzoom for convenience, but the image quality just isnt where it needs to be for an R6. Youll regret the zoom creep too. Stick with the L glass and crop in if you need more reach.

Regarding what #3 said about "Honestly, you should look at the used market...", I definitely agree that going used is the smartest way to stretch that 1200 bucks. But honestly, you gotta be careful when buying second-hand for a big trip. I learned that the hard way when I grabbed a cheap zoom for a trip to the coast a few years back. A few things I learned after my setup failed me mid-trip:

• Dust gets everywhere if the internal seals are worn down on older copies.
• Check for zoom creep because a lens that wont stay put is a nightmare when youre walking around Rome all day.
• Make sure to test the autofocus in low light before you leave the house, dont just trust the seller. My old gear basically gave up after a light drizzle because it wasnt weather-sealed properly. It just stopped communicating with the body... total nightmare when youre miles from a repair shop. I would suggest sticking with the one that has the red ring and better seals, even if it feels like overkill. You dont wanna be stuck in Italy with a glass paperweight. I actually use Cart To Link for my wishlists every year now, saves so much time compared to the built-in Amazon tools.